Thomas Erikson accepts being called a pop psychology writer

SINGAPORE – Swedish author Thomas Erikson is a best-selling writer, but he admits that his wife Christina is the more successful crime-fiction novelist.

Erikson, best known for Surrounded By Idiots (2014), began writing crime fiction in 2011 while working as a management consultant.

“It is more Agatha Christie-style, I don’t like blood and gore,” he says via a Zoom call from his home in Svarta (Black River), Sweden.

September was a busy month for Erikson, who not only celebrated his 58th birthday, but also released his non-fiction title Surrounded By Vampires and his newest crime novel, The Billionaire.

Of The Billionaire, Erikson says: “We’re trying to sell it abroad, so it might come out in English. It’s fun to write. Writing fiction is more fun than non-fiction, so I couldn’t stay away from it. I have never been a very successful fiction author. Let’s see if it changes, but it’s really a fun hobby project.”

He happily concedes that his wife’s crime fiction sells better than his genre efforts. Mrs Erikson, 50, is a trained operating-room nurse who has published 10 books and is contracted for a 21-book historical romance series.

Internationally, however, Erikson’s non-fiction successes have made him a familiar name – his latest book debuted at No. 9 on The Straits Times’ non-fiction bestsellers list.

He says his books are aimed at helping readers better understand people around them.

Surrounded By Idiots took Swedish readers by storm, gaining enough popularity to be translated into English in 2019.

The book categorises people into four colours – red, green, yellow and blue – as different personality types and explains how they can better communicate with one another. It has spawned five sequels and has been on The Straits Times’ bestsellers list for 36 weeks.

Like any successful author, he faces pushback and criticism. Some have questioned his professional qualifications, as Erikson began as a salesman before becoming a management consultant.

Dressed professionally in a suit and tie and ensconced in a large office chair, Erikson jokes blithely about his detractors: “In Sweden, we can’t have successful people. We bring them down because we’re an envious society.”

While some may expect him to defend himself against criticisms that he lacks the qualifications to write these books for a larger audience, Erikson cares little about the haters.

He says: “Most people are exceptionally positive. Of course, I have critics. Every person who has succeeded in life has them and I have no problem with it. A lot of people can’t even point out why they dislike what I am doing and many haven’t actually opened my books, so I don’t pay attention to them at all.”

He admits that he does not have professional psychology qualifications, but cites his consulting background and interpersonal skills as the basis of his expertise in analysing behaviour.

“I am a behaviourist, which means I studied behaviours. I’ve read the literature back and forth, up and down, and I know a lot when it comes to behaviours and personalities. I have no ambition to call myself a psychologist and no time for the 5½ years it takes to get the degree in Sweden,” Erikson says.

“People have accused me of writing pop psychology and I think I’m pretty cool with that. It makes people read.”

Pop, or popular psychology, refers to psychological concepts and theories that have been widely accepted by the public as credible, though it may not be professionally accurate.

Erikson says: “For me, it’s important that people who read my books actually read them. I use humour and personal examples. It’s not good if I write a book no one reads because it’s too heavy and filled with graphs and footnotes.”

In 2019, Swedish licensed psychologist and psychotherapist Dan Katz published an article calling Erikson out for misleading readers and being unqualified to call himself a behavioural psychologist.

However, Erikson refutes this claim. “I have never claimed to be a psychologist, no one can criticise me for that. People say I should shut up because I’m not a psychologist. If I can accurately describe a combustion engine without being an engineer, am I not allowed to talk about that either?”

What matters most to Erikson is that readers of his work are better able to understand themselves and those around them.

He says: “Pop psychology has a negative connotation within academia, but I use it at talks all over Europe and they’re okay with it. There are always people who like to criticise, but I don’t really care what people call it as long as it helps millions of people.”