Chapter 10 discusses stress and satisfaction in regards to one’s career. What the Terman Project showed is, in conjunction with other personality factors, individuals who had satisfaction and success in their line of career, no matter how much stress came with it, lived longer than individuals who were not as motivated. One reason this was so interesting to me is that I’m a very laid back individual especially when it comes to career goals, so this made me realize that I need to engage in a little more perseverance when faced with a challenge. Just because I think it would be difficult to complete medical school does not mean that I shouldn’t try if I think that I could excel in that field.
I was much less interested in Chapter 11 than with Chapter 10. While it had to do with a very interesting top (religiosity), the main finding was that there is less to do with one’s level of religiosity as it did with their individual characteristics. This seems to be a common theme in the book, so I don’t feel the need to go into it again.
I agree completely with your opinion of Chapter 11. I feel that the authors included the topic to attract the readers attention, but didn’t achieve the goal of actually proving a point for longevity that is specific to religiosity rather than just community in general. I agree that this chapter was simply a repetition of previous points in the chapter, and that the chapter was almost unnecessary.
I disagree with your final point. I think that, while their idea of just the characteristics of a religious person was the central point, I think it had a large impact. The idea that believing in something and having a community to support you impacted one’s longevity can be very vital information. For me, I am not religious but I still participate in the Jewish community as a means of having a support system if I need it. I think this is very vital to my health and something that I will continue to use throughout my life.