tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post6718409021806299277..comments2024-03-10T23:01:51.493-05:00Comments on Stupid Motivational Tricks / Bemsha Swing: The Threshold TheoryJonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09371893596402673898noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post-68879719717047538682011-06-15T20:21:13.635-05:002011-06-15T20:21:13.635-05:00Well, I am past 40 and stunted and it is frustrati...Well, I am past 40 and stunted and it is frustrating. Nonetheless I can usually just feel how relatively talented I am or not for things.<br /><br />I'm really not sure about my prose fiction, though. I guess that prestigious publication or two would help sort this question out ;-).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post-16379321344571312882011-06-15T15:06:45.800-05:002011-06-15T15:06:45.800-05:00It kind of depends also by what one's personal...It kind of depends also by what one's personal aspirations are. Many people are very happy with modest contributions. They can still be well-loved professors. It's not an all-or-nothing proposition. I could think of myself as a failure too, because at 50 I'm not at Yale or Harvard or a distinguished professor. <br /><br />You get your PhD at 28-35, your tenure at 35-42, etc... butJonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09371893596402673898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post-81984268529854929642011-06-15T14:48:42.834-05:002011-06-15T14:48:42.834-05:00Clarissa, when my sister turned forty, she said, &...Clarissa, when my sister turned forty, she said, "What a relief! Now I don't have to be 'promising' anymore!"Andrew Shieldshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02804655739574694901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post-21904136904912744052011-06-15T13:14:36.486-05:002011-06-15T13:14:36.486-05:00The question is: when does a promising scholar tur...The question is: when does a promising scholar turn into somebody who failed to fulfill their promise? Is there a certain age when that happens? Or do we look at how many years they have been out of grad school? Or how many years it's been since they got tenure?Clarissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11027134365260069910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post-33094239726940879252011-06-15T11:48:47.524-05:002011-06-15T11:48:47.524-05:00The Threshold Theory reminds me for some reason of...The Threshold Theory reminds me for some reason of Carol Dweck's fixed mindset vs growth mindset research. <br /><br />If I believe that I'm not intelligent enough, then I have a fixed mindset and I'm unlikely to push past that limiting belief. If I have a growth mindset, then I believe that I may not be smart enough now, but I will be able to learn and achieve anyway. <br /><br />brownstudyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10333599990012361188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post-78439576959037182732011-06-15T02:08:34.952-05:002011-06-15T02:08:34.952-05:00This reminds me of a point I like to make about ja...This reminds me of a point I like to make about jazz musicians: it's pointless to argue about whether Monk or Mingus was the better composer and bandleader. They are both too good for such arguments.<br /><br />Like the Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide said, back in the day: the stars given for Miles Davis albums are only for reference about how good those albums are as Miles Davis albums. A Andrew Shieldshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02804655739574694901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post-34564833301412927202011-06-14T21:09:24.525-05:002011-06-14T21:09:24.525-05:00How does the threshold theory contradict the schol...How does the threshold theory contradict the scholarly base? The flashinthepan is not someone who lacks intelligence, but someone who doesn't have staying power. People lose interest or shift focus to administration. My dad was in administration, stopped publishing, then got very sick. Forced to retire because of his illness, he caught up with the field and wrote another book. <br /><br Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09371893596402673898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post-4314535041692654872011-06-14T20:07:33.699-05:002011-06-14T20:07:33.699-05:00I'm not sure how I feel about the threshold th...I'm not sure how I feel about the threshold theory. It seems to contradict your posts on maintaining a scholarly base.<br /><br />I believe that more than stepping over a threshold, an academic career resembles rowing up stream. If you stop rowing for a while, the current will take you lower down the river. I was recently talking to a colleague who put aside her research career for a while inClarissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11027134365260069910noreply@blogger.com