OFTEN, WE tend to associate certain communities with success, be it in business, politics or sports. We also say it is the inherent culture of the community that makes its members aspire for success. Such associations then become stylised facts when validated with data. This theory has been analysed in great depth in the context of the US by Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld in their rather fascinating book, The Triple Package. The authors identify groups in American society, which have tended to excel more than the local Americans, and draw similarities across certain attributes of their way of life that could be used as explanatory templates.
Some of the societies or races that stand out are Mormons (part of the American community), Cubans, Africans or West Indian blacks, Jews, Indians, Chinese and Koreans. But do they have something in common? Here, the authors’ research, supported by data, leads to the conclusion that there are three basic characteristics that drive these groups to succeed. The first is superiority complex. Invariably, these groups feel they are better than the rest, which makes them work harder. More importantly, this has been passed on through generations. Second, there is a feeling of insecurity, which, ironically, goes with the constant urge to remain ahead of others. The third characteristic is what the authors call impulse control. Here, basically, it is the spirit of ‘never say die’ or ‘give up’, which makes them pursue their goals relentlessly. When one looks at these three traits, it would logically follow that any successful person has to necessarily have these characteristics. However, what is interesting is that there are entire communities or groups, which work towards ingraining these values in their children, and this is what separates them from others. If we observe some of these societies and the way in which their children are brought up, we would understand this better. At a very rudimentary stage, parents are never happy with their children’s performance. This makes the children work that much harder; this holds especially in China. No level of achievement satisfies the parents. When these thought processes are ingrained along with rigorous indoctr nation, it leads to the proliferation of successful communities. Further, when these communities migrate to a new country, there is an added incentive to ‘prove’, which makes it even more challenging. Even if it is a local community, like the Mormons, for example, it is their way of life to be highly disciplined and strive harder. The authors draw some good examples of these triple-package classes and their success routes. Asians and Asian-Americans constitute some 30-50% of the student bodies that take to music in the US, with a distinct domination by the Chinese and Koreans. Chinese and Indians have had success in business as well, though, surprisingly, there are no Chinese CEOs in the Fortune 500 companies. Here, the reason attributed is that the Chinese, as a rule, show deference to authority and do little at self-promotion. While these communities in America work their way up, it does not mean others do not have these characteristics, the authors point out. They give the example of Steve Jobs, in whose case the triple advantage pervaded, even though he did not represent any typical community. Therefore, the triple advantage should be looked at as being a characteristic of successful people, which manifests itself in communities. Are there any downsides to such an approach? Yes. The authors point out the triple-advantage package has its own pathologies. Insecure people tend to get neurotic, which is a major negative outcome. Superiority can lead to arrogance and promote prejudices across society. Impulse denial can come in the way of enjoying oneself, as people become tools to an end because these cultures tend to focus on material or conventional modes of success. Having a ‘chip on the shoulder’ continuously becomes a burden, as one strives hard to prove oneself too often. Therefore, this triple package is a mixed blessing and can end up misshaping lives and breaking psyches. On deeper thought, another downside is that parents tend to see childhood as investment, training and preparation for the future. There is also the possibility of parents ‘instrumentalising’ their children to live up to this feeling of superiority. This can also lead to depressive symptoms in children. Does America have the triple package? Here, the authors blow hot and cold. The kind of crises we have witnessed in the US, be it the financial crisis of 2000 or even the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s, shows that it may have lost the plot somewhere. However, there is reason to believe the nation can rediscover this triple package. The authors feel the three ingredients hold hope even today. The US still has the superiority feeling, which should be reinforced to move ahead. On insecurity, the authors contend it has been brought back politically after the 9/11 blasts and economically with the rise of China, and, therefore, there is a realisation to do something about it. Lastly, the main driver that has to be worked upon is impulse control, so that it is back to where it was earlier. This means the pitfalls observed in communities do not necessarily hold for countries. The insights provided in the book are interesting, especially for India, where we try and map communities with success. The authors, of course, steer clear of prejudices and have strong outreach foundations for their hypotheses, especially when it comes to Africans or Asians. In India too, we tend to associate certain classes with certain activities—it could be trade, enterprise or even learning. But whichever the group, the triple package is continuously at play.
Some of the societies or races that stand out are Mormons (part of the American community), Cubans, Africans or West Indian blacks, Jews, Indians, Chinese and Koreans. But do they have something in common? Here, the authors’ research, supported by data, leads to the conclusion that there are three basic characteristics that drive these groups to succeed. The first is superiority complex. Invariably, these groups feel they are better than the rest, which makes them work harder. More importantly, this has been passed on through generations. Second, there is a feeling of insecurity, which, ironically, goes with the constant urge to remain ahead of others. The third characteristic is what the authors call impulse control. Here, basically, it is the spirit of ‘never say die’ or ‘give up’, which makes them pursue their goals relentlessly. When one looks at these three traits, it would logically follow that any successful person has to necessarily have these characteristics. However, what is interesting is that there are entire communities or groups, which work towards ingraining these values in their children, and this is what separates them from others. If we observe some of these societies and the way in which their children are brought up, we would understand this better. At a very rudimentary stage, parents are never happy with their children’s performance. This makes the children work that much harder; this holds especially in China. No level of achievement satisfies the parents. When these thought processes are ingrained along with rigorous indoctr nation, it leads to the proliferation of successful communities. Further, when these communities migrate to a new country, there is an added incentive to ‘prove’, which makes it even more challenging. Even if it is a local community, like the Mormons, for example, it is their way of life to be highly disciplined and strive harder. The authors draw some good examples of these triple-package classes and their success routes. Asians and Asian-Americans constitute some 30-50% of the student bodies that take to music in the US, with a distinct domination by the Chinese and Koreans. Chinese and Indians have had success in business as well, though, surprisingly, there are no Chinese CEOs in the Fortune 500 companies. Here, the reason attributed is that the Chinese, as a rule, show deference to authority and do little at self-promotion. While these communities in America work their way up, it does not mean others do not have these characteristics, the authors point out. They give the example of Steve Jobs, in whose case the triple advantage pervaded, even though he did not represent any typical community. Therefore, the triple advantage should be looked at as being a characteristic of successful people, which manifests itself in communities. Are there any downsides to such an approach? Yes. The authors point out the triple-advantage package has its own pathologies. Insecure people tend to get neurotic, which is a major negative outcome. Superiority can lead to arrogance and promote prejudices across society. Impulse denial can come in the way of enjoying oneself, as people become tools to an end because these cultures tend to focus on material or conventional modes of success. Having a ‘chip on the shoulder’ continuously becomes a burden, as one strives hard to prove oneself too often. Therefore, this triple package is a mixed blessing and can end up misshaping lives and breaking psyches. On deeper thought, another downside is that parents tend to see childhood as investment, training and preparation for the future. There is also the possibility of parents ‘instrumentalising’ their children to live up to this feeling of superiority. This can also lead to depressive symptoms in children. Does America have the triple package? Here, the authors blow hot and cold. The kind of crises we have witnessed in the US, be it the financial crisis of 2000 or even the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s, shows that it may have lost the plot somewhere. However, there is reason to believe the nation can rediscover this triple package. The authors feel the three ingredients hold hope even today. The US still has the superiority feeling, which should be reinforced to move ahead. On insecurity, the authors contend it has been brought back politically after the 9/11 blasts and economically with the rise of China, and, therefore, there is a realisation to do something about it. Lastly, the main driver that has to be worked upon is impulse control, so that it is back to where it was earlier. This means the pitfalls observed in communities do not necessarily hold for countries. The insights provided in the book are interesting, especially for India, where we try and map communities with success. The authors, of course, steer clear of prejudices and have strong outreach foundations for their hypotheses, especially when it comes to Africans or Asians. In India too, we tend to associate certain classes with certain activities—it could be trade, enterprise or even learning. But whichever the group, the triple package is continuously at play.
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