Outliers: The Trouble with Geniuses, Parts 1 & 2

We all know someone who is different, in an exceptional way. In our Gifted and Talented class, we are reading a book called Outliers the Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. This book shares the stories of famous and some not so famous people who are, without a doubt, outliers. You may be thinking, what is an outlier? An outlier is something that is situated away from or classed differently from a main or related body. In other words, someone or something that is unique and different. Gladwell introduces his theories on why some people are successful. Unlike most other books about success, he explains how these people became successful. His findings will shock you.

Chapter three is titled, The Trouble with Geniuses, Part 1. There is usually a quote in the beginning of each chapter and the one for this chapter is as follows, “Knowledge of a boy’s IQ is of little help if you are faced with a formful of clever boys.” This quote fits perfectly with what is being said in this chapter which is that a high IQ isn’t the key to success. Someone with a much lower IQ can turn out to be just as successful as someone with a very high IQ. This chapter talks about one extraordinary man, Chris Langan. In case you don’t know who Chris Langan is, let me tell you that he is the smartest man in America. With an IQ of 195, he can easily be declared a genius. However, someone with a fraction of his IQ can be just as successful as he is. This goes to show that your IQ shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Gladwell also mentions that intelligence has a threshold. This means that you don’t have to be the best at what you do, just good enough.

In chapter four, The Trouble with Geniuses, Part 2, the main concepts are practical intelligence, entitlement, and childhood surroundings. The term practical intelligence means having the knowledge needed to be “socially smart”. Robert Oppenheimer would be a very accurate example of someone with practical intelligence. When he was in college, he made an attempt to poison one of his professors and he failed. However, he was able to convince the administrators of the school to not expel him. Being able to easily change the views of people requires a great deal of practical intelligence. What does the term entitlement refer to? In the text, it is talking about the middle class children who were good at speaking up and asking questions. They did what they had to do in order to get what they want. This is a crucial ability to have, the ability to be heard. Entitlement was not present in the lower class children. Childhood surroundings also play a very important role in one’s future. An important term about this concept is “concerted cultivation”. Concerted cultivation is how you are raised. Some people have many opportunities growing up and are very involved in extracurricular activities, but these are mostly children from families who can afford it. Poorer families don’t have the money to put their child in so many activities and programs. The culture and opportunities that are provided to an individual play a very large part in whom and what they become.

Is Chris Langan successful? To correctly answer this question, we need to know what the requirements of being successful are. My Gifted and Talented class came up with our own definition: to be successful is to maintain a balance between financial stability and happiness with self and others and to accomplish the goals you want to achieve. According to this definition, I would say that Chris Langan is successful. People could argue and say that he isn’t successful because he isn’t rich, but is money more important than happiness? He may not have a lot of money, but he is happy with his life. He has a farm with animals to take care of, books to read, and he has a wife whom he loves. In my eyes, if you are happy, you are successful and Chris Langan definitely seems happy to me.

We are only on the fifth chapter of this book and I feel like I’ve already learned so much. For example, I learned was that your IQ doesn’t matter. You can be just as successful as someone with a much higher IQ than you. I found out that since intelligence has a threshold, you don’t have to be the best at what you do, just good enough. Gladwell also introduced me to the concept of concerted cultivation, which is how you are raised. I have realized that entitlement is one of the keys to success. You have to be able to speak up without a problem and by doing this, you will get far. When you don’t understand something, ask questions, don’t stay in the dark. Another important factor in who you become is when and where you were born and the opportunities you are offered along the way. I will be sure to apply the things I have learned so far. It’s hard to believe how many new things I have learned by reading just a few chapters of Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers.