Malcom Gladwell, the author of Outliers, discusses important factors that create a lucky combination for an individual to unlock the potential for success; this lucky combination is what distinguishes individuals from others, making them outliers. The factors that lead to success go beyond analytical intelligence, and situations are both in and out of physical and personal control. Gladwell states that an individual is not capable of achieving great success without some, if not all, of these factors being randomly lined up to benefit him. These factors are the product of luck and hard work, learned and inherited behavior, and, most importantly, help. from others and from the social position. A prodigy would get lost in the crowd if that individual does not possess the necessary skills to stand out from others and be able to influence social situations in his or her personal favor. These factors that, according to Gladwell, allow an individual to be successful include the possession of a talent and the means to exercise it excessively, extraordinary opportunities, the home and place in which an individual grew up, the sense of self-defense and the learned practical intelligence, and cultural factors. legacy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayWhen thinking about success, most people imagine a highly talented individual who gets to the top through personal perseverance. However, simple talent is only a fraction of the cause of success, and certainly not the most important one. Most trades can be taught and learned through extensive practice, although there is innate talent. That talent, however, goes to waste when an individual is not provided the means to practice and hone the skills of that talent. It is generally believed that mastery of a skill is equivalent to achieving ten thousand intentional and determined hours of practice, which is an extraordinarily large amount of time. For an individual to recognize their talent at a young age and have the means to practice so intensely would mean that their parents could afford to give the time and support needed to try so hard (42). That talent should therefore be given the opportunity to go beyond simple passion and practice. Opportunities are an important topic that Gladwell talks about, because it is through opportunities that an individual is able to take practiced talent and turn it into a powerful advantage over others. others. Although it is unfair, people do not receive the same amount of opportunities throughout their lives. Institutions are a part of what provides opportunities, like Bill Gates' opportunities. Gates attended Lakeside High School as a young teenager; the school also raised funds for a time-sharing terminal in 1968. Another opportunity was living within walking distance of the University of Washington, where there was free access to a terminal. between three and six in the morning (54). Gates also received a fortunate opportunity through the social connection of ISI founder Bud Pembroke of TRW, who needed programmers who were familiar with the same skills Gates had practiced (53). Opportunities are unique based on location, time, and social connections; in other words, the individual's social position in history. Opportunities can also arise from the family itself into which an individual is born and the advantages that family can offer. Growing up in a family actively engaged in the development of skills and the mind creates abeneficial environment for an individual, but the location in which a family lives allows for different opportunities to be offered to an individual, which proves to be equally important. As with Bill Gates and being lucky enough to live so close to a university that had free access to a terminal in an era when even computers were as rare as going to a high school that had a terminal, location matters. It is rare for a person to grow into an area where the individual's specific talent can be exercised in a special way that others do not have access to, at a time when the skill becomes necessary. Such luck can also be seen in family attitudes towards mental development. Typically it is the wealthier upper-middle class families who pay extreme attention to mental development and therefore give the young mind a sense of entitlement in which the individual is not afraid to put himself on the same level as others; the child, for example, will not be afraid to question doctors or teachers or to report personal opinions to those authority figures (106). While it can also be taught to lower-class individuals, it is more commonly seen in the upper classes because lower-class parents are typically shy around authority figures and tend to be quiet and submissive, thus teaching children coercion (107). Interacting with authority figures is a cultural advantage gained through parental encouragement and is a skill that Gladwell believes is necessary for success (108). This right is the basis for an individual to interact in social environments and learn the skills of practical intelligence; this is the knowledge of what to say, to whom and when to say it for maximum effect in order to influence situations in one's favor (100). There is also another contribution that families make to an individual's success, which is behavioral traits. Cultural heritage consists of behavioral traits passed down from generation to generation, even dating back hundreds of years, derived from the nature of the particular culture from which a bloodline comes. . Some cultures value personality traits differently, depending on the need for that trait for the area. For example, people who lived on rocky mountain slopes tend to become more aggressive in honor-threatening situations because their ancestors had to defend their reputation and heritage in harsh terrain (167). This cultural tendency to be aggressive, along with other traits and behavioral patterns, is rooted in genetics and is present in generations to come. Other traits, such as hard work, are also the product of culture. Gladwell explains that the reason Asian countries are able to excel so significantly in mathematics compared to others is because of their long heritage of rice cultivation, which is a very tedious and precise practice (233). This hard work ethic is applied to all aspects of life, including education, meaning that giving up on maths is not an option; there is an expectation to crunch the numbers until the answer is found (230). These behavioral traits influence an individual's response to situations and, consequently, the ability to create the social network and situational skills needed to be successful. These behaviors develop into skills that bring out possible opportunities to use an acquired talent as an advantage over other people, allowing an individual to achieve great success; in other words, all factors are interdependent. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get.