Exploring the entrepreneur's dark side
Do entrepreneurs have anti-social traits, or simply indulge in 'productive' rule breaking?
A new study conducted by German and Swedish researchers suggests that entrepreneurs tend to display more anti-social behaviour in their adolescence in comparison to individuals who do not start their own businesses.
After following 1,000 children from a Swedish town for the past 40 years, the research teams found that while there is no link between entrepreneurialism, the female sex and anti-social behaviour, male SMB owners were more likely to have been involved in minor criminal activity in their youth.
As noted by the BBC, the sort of anti-social behavior that qualified for this theory included:
- Staying out late than permitted
- Truancy
- Cheating
- Getting drunk
- Smoking marijuana
- Shoplifting
- Loitering in town
Dr Martin Obschonka, an author of the study, believes that male entrepreneurs often engage in "productive rule breaking" -- and minor rebellion as a teenager may be a precursor to this trait. Obschonka said:
"The data suggests that rebellious adolescent behaviour against socially accepted standards and an early questioning of boundaries doesn't necessarily lead to criminal and anti-social careers. It can rather be the basis for a productive and socially acceptable entrepreneurship."
In comparison, angel investor Doug Richard -- famous for his role on television show Dragon's Den -- rejects this image, telling the publication:
"The thing that strikes me is the sheer diversity of people that I see. I have become less and less comfortable with the idealised notion of entrepreneurship, the notion that you have to have been anything to become a successful entrepreneur.
People come from so many places and end up being successful at running and growing their own businesses."
Via: BBC
Image credit: Flickr
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com