Success in Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

In discussions of success, one controversial issue has been what factors most determine success. One the one hand, Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld argues that their Triple Package is the key. On the other hand, Malcolm Gladwell contends that culture, practice, and luck are the most essential parts of success. Gladwell states facts, and gives reasoning behind all his stories. In his book, Outliers, he writes “When outliers become outliers it is not because of their own efforts. It's because of the contributions of lots of different people and lots of different circumstances, and that means we, as a society, have more control about who succeeds – and how many of us succeed – than we think.” (pg. 7-8; Reading Group Guide) After reading the entire book, I agree with Malcolm Gladwell when he says that culture, practice, and luck are the most important factors of success.

In Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers, he analyzes the factors that contribute to high levels of success. To support his thesis, he examines the causes of why the majority of Canadian hockey players are born in the first few months of the year, how Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates achieved his extreme wealth, how the Beatles became one of the most successful musical acts, and how cultural legacy plays a large part in society. On the back of the book, David Leonhardt explains, “In understanding successful people, we have come to focus far too much on their intelligence and ambition and personality traits. Instead Malcolm Gladwell argues in Outliers, we should look at the world that surrounds the successful – their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing.” Besides telling the stories of the many successors, he gives adv...

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...w when do use it. In contrast, luck more likely just happens, whereas impulse control is an ability.

My feelings on the issue are mixed. I do supports Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld's position that their triple package of traits is essential, but I find Malcolm Gladwell's research to be more persuasive.

Whereas Chua and Rubenfeld provide ample evidence, Malcolm Gladwell's convinces me that his factors are what most determine success. In conclusion, then, as I stated earlier, the factors that most determine success are still an ongoing debate.

Works Cited

Kenyon, April S., and Allegra J. Lingo. “What Is a Superiority Complex?” WiseGeek. Conjecture, 23 Mar. 2014 Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown, 2008. Print.

Chua. Amy, and Rubenfeld, Jed. “What Drives Success?” The New York Times, Jan. 25, 2014. Print.