Book Review: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell: Challenging the myth of the self-made man
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About this ebook
Outliers: The Story of Success is an engaging, thought-provoking look at the external factors that can determine an individual’s personal success. Through a series of carefully selected anecdotes about highly successful individuals, Malcolm Gladwell sets out to disprove the myth of the self-made man by illustrating the opportunities, advantages and cultural factors that gave these ‘outliers’ in their fields the extra boost they needed to consolidate their success. Among the book’s key concepts are the 10 000 Hour Rule (the hours of practice necessary to become an expert) and the Matthew Effect (the idea that advantages accumulate). Outliers is a key text in the field of 21st-century popular psychology, and has sold over 1.6 million copies worldwide to date.
This book review and analysis is perfect for:
•Students of psychology
•Anyone with an interest in psychology
•Anyone who wants to understand the hidden factors that determine success
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Book Review - 50minutes
THE STORY OF SUCCESS
Outliers is an international bestseller and one of the best-known titles in the popular psychology genre.
In Outliers, Gladwell challenges the notion of the self-made man, saying that to understand success we must look beyond the individual. Through a series of illustrative examples, he looks at successful outliers in their respective fields such as rock stars, software tycoons and athletes and describes the external factors which have contributed to their success.
In examining the circumstances of the individual, the book is divided into two broad areas: the opportunities they were afforded and the impact of cultural legacy on their path.
In each case study we are introduced to new concepts and contributory factors, the most iconic being the 10 000 Hours Rule (the number of hours of practice, it is put forward, that are required to become an expert in one’s field) and the Matthew Effect (the idea that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer through accumulated advantage).
KEY INFORMATION
Reference edition: Gladwell, M. (2009) Outliers: The Story of Success. London: Penguin.
1stedition: 2008
Author: Malcolm Gladwell (journalist, born in 1963)
Fields: popular psychology; popular science
Key words:
Outlier: 1: Something that is situated away from or classed differently from a main or related body; 2: a statistical observation that is markedly different in value from the others of the sample.
Accumulated advantage: The idea that those who are selected as being the