Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic-and What We Can Do About It

by Jennifer Breheny Wallace

The psychologist Erik Erikson pointed out that an adolescent’s most crucial task is attaining a sense of personal identity. But that process is undermined when adolescents feel they must be high performing or perfect to be loved.

At the root of grind culture is a foundational belief: a good life is secured by admission to a “good” college.