science

Thomas Erikson

Thomas Erikson is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Thomas Erikson rather than just read about it. In short: Thomas Lennart Joakim Erikson (born 19 September 1965) is a Swedish author. He is known for his self-help book series Surrounded By, more specifically his book, Surrounded by Idiots, in which he categorizes the personalities of people in colors based on the DISC assessment.

Key takeaways

Thomas Erikson belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Thomas Erikson to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Thomas Erikson from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Thomas Lennart Joakim Erikson (born 19 September 1965) is a Swedish author. He is known for his self-help book series Surrounded By, more specifically his book, Surrounded by Idiots, in which he categorizes the personalities of people in colors based on the DISC assessment.

Early life Thomas Lennart Joakim Erikson was born on 19 September 1965 in Örnsköldsvik, Västernorrland County, Sweden.

Surrounded By Book Series Erikson used the DISC assessment to write his Surrounded By book series. This series includes books such as Surrounded by Idiots (2014), Surrounded by Bad Bosses and Lazy Employees (2021), and Surrounded by Liars (2024). As of 2019, Surrounded by Idiots has sold 1.5 million copies worldwide, with roughly 750,000 of those sales coming from Sweden alone.

Reception and criticism The book, Surrounded by Idiots, has become a global bestseller, being translated into over 40 languages. It has been praised for its accessibility and broad appeal, though there has also been criticism from skeptical organizations due to Erikson's use of the unscientific DISC assessment. In 2018, the Swedish organization, Vetenskap och Folkbildning – the Swedish Skeptics Association (Vof), named Erikson "Fraudster of the Year" after basing his book, Surrounded by Idiots, on the DISC assessment which was characterized as pseudoscientific. In 2024, it was also reiterated that he lacks background and formal education in behavior studies.

Other writings Erikson's debut work was the 2011 crime fiction novel, Bländverk. He also co-authored the Rita Benson book series with his wife, Christina Erikson. The series's first book, Av jord är du kommen, was published in 2015, and its second novel, Dödgrävarens dotter, was published in 2017.

Personal life Erikson is married to novelist Christina Erikson, with whom he has two children. In 2021, he and his wife purchased Svartå Manor.

References

External links Official website Media related to Thomas Erikson at Wikimedia Commons

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Thomas Erikson

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Thomas Erikson claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Thomas Erikson before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Thomas Erikson ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Thomas Erikson

In research: Thomas Erikson appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Thomas Erikson in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Thomas Erikson is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1965 births, 21st-century Swedish male writers, Living people, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Thomas Erikson outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Thomas Erikson in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Thomas Erikson means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Thomas Erikson out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Thomas Erikson in simple terms?

Why does Thomas Erikson matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Thomas Erikson?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Thomas Erikson.