The Case Against Self-Made

"On my podcast Fifty Words for Snow, my co-host Emily John Garcés and I sometimes "put words on trial." We assign a judge, gather the evidence, and ask whether a word has outlived its usefulness. Recently we prosecuted a very American term, one that many Psychology Today readers may quietly feel inspired by: self-made. It was an unexpectedly spirited trial. But for me, the verdict felt inevitable. It is time to retire the idea of the self-made person altogether."

"Nothing Exists Alone Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh often used the example of a simple sheet of paper. Look closely, and you can see the sun because without sunlight, no trees. Look again, and you can see the rain. You can see the lumberjack, the mill worker. Every condition that made the paper possible is somehow present in it. The paper exists because everything else exists. This is the Buddhist understanding of interdependence, sometimes called interbeing."

"The phrase self-made suggests a heroic origin story. A person rising from obscurity through sheer will. A lone genius. A solitary creator. But actual lives do not unfold like that. What about temperament and neurochemistry? Early caregivers. Teachers. Friendships. Mentors. Safety nets. Economic conditions. The historical moment into which we were born. The book someone lent at the right time. The person who opened a door."

The label self-made misrepresents how achievements emerge from networks of influence and support. Human lives and successes unfold within ecosystems shaped by temperament, neurochemistry, early caregivers, teachers, friends, mentors, safety nets, economic conditions, historical timing, and chance encounters. The Zen example of a sheet of paper illustrates that every object and life depends on many prior conditions. Recognizing interdependence reframes personal accomplishment as shared achievement. Acknowledging shared contribution cultivates gratitude and compassion and challenges the heroic, solitary narrative that the self-made label perpetuates.

Read at Psychology Today