Psychology – Scott Stirrett's Blog

Perfectionism isn’t a super power – it’s a mental health risk

While attending university, I became obsessed with productivity, sleeping overnight in the library, in order to balance course work, extracurricular activities and a part-time job. Eventually, I experienced a breakdown as the sheer exhaustion of trying so desperately to be perfect overwhelmed me. Perfectionism is an increasingly severe public health issue that we need toContinue reading “Perfectionism isn’t a super power – it’s a mental health risk”

Grit and Success

What determines success? For a long time, emphasis has been placed on testing individuals’ innate intelligence, largely through standardized tests. However, in recent years, evidence has shown that the greatest determinant of success in one’s career is not necessarily intelligence, but instead grit. Angela Lee Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania has researched the impactContinue reading “Grit and Success”

Stop Being Busy

Sometimes there is so much pressure in our society to be constantly on the go. Way too often when you ask people how their week is going the response is the same: “busy.” I first saw this at Georgetown – where there was almost a pathological desire by the student body to impart an imageContinue reading “Stop Being Busy”

The Tremendous Power of Public Competitions and Awards

Alfred Nobel died over a century ago, but is still known around the world today because of the prizes that bare his surname. However, few know that while Nobel endowed what is now the most renowned prize for peace in the world – he is the inventor of dynamite – a material not exactly knownContinue reading “The Tremendous Power of Public Competitions and Awards”

A Human Diagnosis

Ted Gup has a great Op-Ed in The New York Times on how too often the medical profession is diagnosing fundamentally human problems as disorders. His story is a particularly touching one, marked by tragedy. Overall, I am somewhat conflicted by his argument. There are many friends and family members that I have met inContinue reading “A Human Diagnosis”