TL;DR
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A Bolde article describes people who keep goals, relationship changes, health progress and other personal matters private, linking the behavior to intrinsic rather than external motivation. The piece offers examples and references psychological concepts, but it does not establish that silence is a reliable sign someone has stopped seeking approval.
Bolde has published an essay arguing that people who rely less on others’ approval may share fewer details about personal goals, relationships, health and finances. The article presents that pattern as a shift toward intrinsic motivation, but its examples are illustrative; the supplied material does not establish that keeping things private is a clinical measure of reduced approval-seeking.
In Bolde’s essay, the central claim is that a change in what someone discusses may accompany a change in why they pursue personal goals. Rather than telling friends or colleagues about plans in progress, a person may share news only after making a decision or completing a task. Bolde suggests that external reactions become less necessary when the activity itself matters to the person. That is the essay’s interpretation, not a reported finding from a newly described study.
Bolde groups its examples across several areas of life: submitting an application or accepting a job without first announcing it; telling only a small circle about a breakup; helping friends or neighbors without publicizing the help; and keeping health changes, financial milestones or difficult experiences private. It also describes brief responses to questions about parenting choices. These scenarios illustrate the article’s argument but do not show how common the behavior is or whether it has the same cause in each case.
Bolde’s text refers to therapist Sherry Gaba in discussing generosity and to psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan and self-determination theory in discussing motivation. The supplied text does not provide study titles, publication dates, data or direct quotations from those researchers. It also ends partway through a reference to another therapist, leaving that section incomplete.
Privacy Is Not a Motivation Test
The essay speaks to a familiar social pressure: personal milestones are often shared in group chats, at work or on social media, where they can attract praise, advice or scrutiny. Its practical point is that people may choose how much to disclose, and that a lack of announcements does not necessarily mean a lack of progress or care. Readers may find that distinction useful when interpreting friends’ choices or their own.
At the same time, privacy alone cannot establish someone’s motivation. A person may stay quiet because a decision is unfinished, because they value confidentiality, because they expect judgment, or because they do not want to manage other people’s reactions. Someone else may share a milestone and still be acting from personal values rather than chasing praise. The article’s examples are best read as possibilities, not a checklist for diagnosing approval-seeking.
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The Motivation Theory Behind the Essay
Bolde frames its argument through the distinction between intrinsic motivation—doing something because it is personally meaningful—and motivation influenced by external rewards or reactions. The essay names self-determination theory and researchers Deci and Ryan as relevant background. The source provided for this article, however, is Bolde’s essay itself; it does not include supporting research details that would allow readers to assess how directly the theory supports each example.
Bolde also makes a broader claim that public recognition can displace a person’s original purpose, particularly when generosity becomes tied to praise. The essay attributes that idea to therapist Sherry Gaba, but the supplied material includes no specific quotation or underlying source. The article therefore offers a popular-psychology interpretation rather than a documented research report with methods or measured results.
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What the Examples Cannot Establish
The supplied version of Bolde’s essay does not identify a new study, survey, sample size or statistical finding. It gives no measure of how often people who seek less approval keep personal information private, and it does not show that privacy reliably signals a change in motivation. The examples should not be treated as evidence that a person who shares updates is approval-seeking, or that someone who withholds them is psychologically independent.
Some of the cited material is also incomplete. Bolde’s text stops during its discussion of parenting choices, after beginning to mention another therapist, and the supplied version gives no publication date. It is unclear what the omitted portion contained or whether the original article offered additional citations. The available material also does not clarify how the article distinguishes healthy privacy from withdrawal or difficulty asking for support.
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Further Evidence Would Clarify the Claim
The supplied Bolde source describes no follow-up study, expert response or correction. Readers seeking to evaluate the psychology claim would need the specific research the essay invokes, including the relevant publications and evidence about how motivation relates to disclosure. The text provided does not say whether Bolde plans to add citations or complete the cut-off discussion.
For now, Bolde’s article is a set of examples organized around a psychological concept, not a formal assessment tool. Whether someone shares a milestone is only one detail; their reasons, circumstances and preferences matter, and cannot be determined from silence alone.
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Key Questions
What is Bolde’s main claim?
Bolde argues that people who depend less on outside approval may stop announcing personal plans and changes, because the outcome matters to them without requiring a public response. The article presents this as an interpretation of motivation, not a proven rule.
Does keeping personal news private prove someone no longer seeks approval?
No. The supplied Bolde article does not establish privacy as a reliable psychological test. People may withhold news for many reasons, including confidentiality, uncertainty, limited energy or a preference to avoid advice.
Which examples does the article give?
Bolde describes unannounced career plans, relationship changes, generosity, health and fitness progress, financial milestones, difficult experiences and parenting decisions. These are illustrative scenarios rather than documented cases or measured findings.
What research does the article cite?
Bolde’s text mentions self-determination theory and psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, as well as therapist Sherry Gaba. The supplied material does not include study names, dates, data or direct quotations that would let readers check the cited evidence.
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