Someone linked a good long while back a model of corporate development, which started at a "happy warrior" phase of making stuff, relatively uncontested & unchecked, & phased deeper & deeper into conservative just holding market & personal power. Thats more a macro-picture, where-as this focuses aroumd the micro-, the person, but I feel like perhaps somewhat there's a relationship, in that the environmemt shapes the possible behaviors. I've tried to find it a couple times but searching for "happy warrior" lands me nowhere, whatever permutations I try to add.