How the Great Become Great - A Few Excerpts

Bill Dorris's book entitled "How The Great Become Great" is nearing completion. Bill has kindly allowed a sneak preview of his fascinating research on the key ingredients of greatness. The following is an introduction to the book. Should that excite your appetite, there are links to two excerpts: a short one on Alfred Hitchcock and a longer piece on Albert Einstein. There is also an email link for any comments or queries.
Bill Dorris
School of Communications © 2002

Ever wonder what happened to 'the San Francisco Cohort', all those musical prodigies who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1920s/30s? No, not Yehudi Menuhin or Issac Stern... the other 70 or so. the ones we've never heard of. They're in Appendix 2.

The rest of the book is about the ones we've all heard of - the Mozarts, Michaels and Marilyns.

The basic argument is simple. Those who arrive at the top of any field (& eventually become 'great') - ie the Marilyns, Michaels, & Mozarts - develop unique combinations of characteristics (versions of intelligence, personality, and self) which allow them to solve the key problems of their field (and, symbolically at least, of society).

This book attempts to show how this happens. How it is that particular individuals - the Mozarts, Michaels, & Marilyns - (and not 1000s, perhaps 10s of 1000s, of others) happen to develop just the right combination of key characteristics over the course of their development.

Since such development - the creation of the creator as it were - inevitably involves everything from genetics & family dynamics to institutional ties & cultural forces, there is no easy way to describe it.

My choice was to start with 3 detailed case studies - on Hitchcock, Woody Guthrie, and Marilyn - followed by a short chapter focussing on the core engine of such development - "The Right Kind of Problems" - and ending with a lengthy chapter which attempts to explain how it is that particular individuals - the Marilyns, Michaels, & Mozarts - and not others happen to attain continual access to "the right kind of problems" over the course of their development (& beyond). That is, how they happen to be the right person in the right place at the right time, after time, after time, after time, after time. . .

two excerpts: First Hitch, then Einstein.
Email comments or queries to Bill