why smart people do dumb things

8/4/2019 Why Smart People Do Dumb Things

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BOOK REVIEW:WHY SMART PEOPLE DO

DUMB

THINGS

?

Presented by:

Alianah A. Pacma


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INTRODUCTION:

If you are of above average intelligence and if youhave mastered the use of high intelligence to solveproblems and achieve goals it is the premise ofthe book that you are at risk because of thestrength of your cognitive equipment. The risk is

that, at a critical moment, your intellect will betrayyou into a blunder so devastating that everyone willwonder, How could he/she have been so dumb?

Bright people enjoy greater success in life thanthose who are less bright. If youre smart, you have

a distinct edge in lifes competitive arena. Thats thebright side. The dark is that one can besabotaged by ones own intellect.


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PURPOSEOFTHEBOOK

The book is a program that will help you deal withthe danger of stumbling over your own brain at a

critical point in your life.

First, it will explore self-induced misfortunes amongthe rich, the famous, and the powerful.

Then, it will examine the ways in which similarcalamities befall intelligent individuals at critical

stages of their careers and personal lives. Finally, it will offer a menu of tools, exercises,

growth techniques, and self-insight devices.


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SCIPI - SUPERIOR COGNITIVE INTELLIGENCEPROCESSING INDIVIDUAL

Pronounced as Skippy (We remember when smartkids skipped a grade in school)

A term devised by the authors for the impact

thinker who ascends to leadership in todays world.

SCIPIs are able to make quantum leaps inperception, in insight, in creative accomplishment,in career advancement. The people who surge

ahead to the forefront of business and society todayare likely to be SCIPIs.


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SDIS SELF-DESTRUCTIVE INTELLIGENCESYNDROME

Is not like other viruses. It is not transmitted fromone organism to another. Smart people come withthe virus already installed.

Intelligent people run the risk of self-destructioncaused by their own brilliance. That self-destructionis caused by a virus that flourishes within strongintellects. And there is no escape. If you possessabove-average intelligence, you already have thevirus. It come with the high IQ territory.


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THE FOUR PILLARSOF STUPIDITY

SDIS manifests itself in 4 overlapping principalways:

1. Hubris2. Arrogance

3. Narcissism

4. Unconscious need to fail


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1. Hubris. Is the Greek concept of Extreme pride tothe point that you no longer feel shame, no longer

believe that you are subject to public opinion, andno longer need to fear the gods.

Examples:

(1)The wise and noble Priam, king of Troy, ignoring

Cassandras warning that the wooden horse wasfull of Greek soldiers; and

(2) King Midas, given by Bacchus the privilege ofhaving his wish come true, asking that everything

he touched be turned into gold. Since that includedfood and drink, Midas nearly starved to beforebegging the delighted god to take back that gift.


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2. Arrogance. From the Latin word arrogare: toclaim for oneself. Arrogant people believe they

have claim to anything and everything they want--they are entitled to it.

King David, for example, felt entitled to the wife

(Bathsheba) of one of his soldiers. Modern dayKing Davids feel entitled to corporate jets and anentourage to tell them that their keynote speechrocked.


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3. Narcissism. Self absorption to the point that you areblind to reality. Narcissists interact with other people, ofcourse, but their relationships are fake relationships,

because they are one way. The world only exists toprovide gratification.

For example, the original Narcissusis a self-centered youth

who scorns the love of the nymph Echo. His cruelty andindifference to others finally draws the dread attention of thegoddess Nemesis, who pronounces the words, May he who

loves not others love himself.

Other examples: Richard Nixon and Watergate; the Clintons

and Whitewaterreally just about every politician and CEOwho falls from grace.


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4. Unconscious need to fail. If you think failing is hard,

try winning. The questions that go through peoplesminds when they are on the doorstep of success are:Do I really deserve to win? Do I want the pressure ofconstantly having to win in the future? Can I reallyhandle success?

Perhaps this explains why professional athletes stilltake performance enhancement drugs even afterwatching their colleagues get busted.


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SIX BASIC PRINCIPLESOF MATURITY

1. Accept yourself. Youre on the road to maturity if you canbegin to appreciate yourself without trying to be what youcannot possibly be. The CEOs who failed at Apple did sobecause they wanted to be another Steve Jobs. They

couldnt accept themselves and their own, different

capabilities and shortcomings.

2. Accept others. Your relations with other people are a basictest of your maturity. If you dont get along well with others,

its not because youre not smart enough, or because youre

smart and theyre dumb. Its because you still need to grow

up in some vital centers of your being.

3. Keep your sense of humor. Your humor reflects yourattitudes toward people. The mature person uses humor notas a bludgeoning hammer but rather as a plane to shave offrough edges.


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4. Accept simple pleasures. The capacity to get excited overthings even when they seem ordinary to othersthis is a signof a healthy personality. For example, some tech

entrepreneurs have yachts that can barely pass under theGolden Gate Bridge.

5. Enjoy the present. Emotional grown-ups dont live on anexpectancy basis. They plan for the future, but they know theymust also live in the present. The mature person realizes that

the best insurance for tomorrow is the effective use of today.6. Welcome work. Appreciation of work is a hallmark of mature

people. Immature people are constantly fighting certainaspects of their work. They resent routine reports, ormeetings, or correspondence. They allow these annoyances

to grate on their nerves continually. Satisfaction in doing agood job is blocked out by the dust speck in the eye ofresentment over trivia.


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CONCLUSION

Self-destructive intelligence syndrome is evident ineach of us but this is curable if intended to beavoided. We tend to do stupid things uncontrollablybut if we stay focused and mature enough to face

the betrayal of our own intelligence, then theresnothing really to worry about.


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