Golden Hammer

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Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Golden Hammer'

An excessive dependence upon a specific tool to perform all sorts of functions. The golden hammer principle states that given a specific tool to use, all of the world looks like an appropriate place to use that tool. For example, a small child that is given a hammer may regard everything around him or her as a nail.

Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Golden Hammer'

The golden hammer is also known as Maslow's Hammer or the Law of the Instrument. It was first voiced by Abraham Kaplan in 1964 and then widely disseminated in Abraham Maslow's book "The Psychology of Science" in 1966. The idea has also been attributed to Mark Twain, despite the lack of evidence to that effect. In business, it refers to an overdependence on a tried and true strategy or instrument, when another approach may be more suitable.
Search results for

'Golden Hammer'

  • Millionaires With The Most Bankruptcies - Investopedia.com

    http://financialedge.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0210/Millionaires-With-The-Most-Bankruptcies.aspx
    ... Rap star MC Hammer took the music world by storm in 1990, with hits like "U
    Can’t Touch This." But he burned through his newly-amassed $33 million fortune ...

  • Financial Planning: It's About More Than Money

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/06/lifeplanning.asp
    ... Just as the boomers redefined their "golden years" as a time to be more active than ...
    the attorney who wants to trade in her suit to pick up a hammer and open a ...

  • Wall Street History: Antitrust, OPEC And Disney - Investopedia.com

    http://financialedge.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1010/Wall-Street-History-Antitrust-OPEC-And-Disney.aspx
    ... pentagon officials. The '80s were plagued with defense spending scandals like
    the $400 hammer, $9,000 wrench and $600 toilet seats. The ...

  • How To Live Rich For A Lot Less - Investopedia.com

    http://financialedge.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0311/How-To-Live-Rich-For-A-Lot-Less.aspx
    ... only in trivial cosmetic senses, but people were still drawn inexorably to the
    "new." But if a buyer is willing to occasionally pick up a hammer or take on a ...

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