Book

Berns, Gregory.

Iconoclast : a neuroscientist reveals how to think differently / Gregory Berns.

Boston : Harvard Business School Press, ©2008.

x, 250 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

From the Publisher: No organization can survive without iconoclasts -- innovators who single-handedly upturn conventional wisdom and manage to achieve what so many others deem impossible. Though indispensable, true iconoclasts are few and far between. In Iconoclast, neuroscientist Gregory Berns explains why. He explores the constraints the human brain places on innovative thinking, including fear of failure, the urge to conform, and the tendency to interpret sensory information in familiar ways. Through vivid accounts of successful innovators ranging from glass artist Dale Chihuly to physicist Richard Feynman to country/rock trio the Dixie Chicks, Berns reveals the inner workings of the iconoclast's mind with remarkable clarity. Each engaging chapter goes on to describe practical actions we can each take to understand and unleash our own potential to think differently -- such as seeking out new environments, novel experiences, and first-time acquaintances. Packed with engaging stories, science-based insights, potent practices, and examples from a startling array of disciplines, this engaging book will help you understand how iconoclasts think and equip you to begin thinking more like an iconoclast yourself.

Neuropsychology.

Iconoclasm.

Psychology, Industrial.

Creative ability.

Includes bibliographical references.

Acknowledgments -- Introduction: Doing what can't be done : Howard Armstrong -- 1: Through the eye of an Iconoclast : Dale Chihuly, Paul Lauterbur, Nolan Bushnell -- 2: From perception to imagination : Walt Disney, Florence Nightingale, Branch Rickey, Kary Mullis -- 3: Fear-the inhibitor of action : Jackie Robinson, Dixie Chicks, Computer Associates, Rite-Solutions -- 4: How fear distorts perception : NASA, Richard Feynman, Solomon Asch, Martin Luther King Jr -- 5: Why the fear of failure makes people risk averse : David Dreman, Bill Miller, Henry Ford -- 6: Brain circuits for social networking : Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Stanley Milgram, Ray Kroc, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linus Torvalds, Warren Buffett -- 7: Private spaceflight-a case study of Iconoclasts working together : Burt Rutan, Richard Branson, Peter Diamandis, Rick Homans -- 8: When Iconoclast becomes Icon : Arthur Jones, Jonas Salk, Steve Jobs -- Appendix -- Iconoclast's pharmacopeia -- Notes -- Index -- About the author.

Table of contents

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