The humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow was deeply interested in how the suppression of healthy ambition can stunt self-actualization, and the tendency for people to fear growth. In an unpublished essay from 1966, Maslow noted that in our society we learn “to put on a chameleon-like cloak of false modesty or humility.” Maslow argued that in order to avoid punishment […]

The psychologist Anders Ericsson passed away on June 17th at the age of 73. This passing of a legend in the field has deeply emotionally affected a lot of people in the field (for instance, see these beautiful obituaries by David Epstein and Nick Byrd). I had prior drafts of this obituary, but decided to […]