I am not and never will be a “trader,” in the sense of a stock-picker/market-timer. However, on the suggestion of my financial advisor, I recently ordered and read a copy of a classic trading book called The Disciplined Trader , by Mark Douglas (New York Institute of Finance, 1990). Personally, my only interest in the topic involves hedging downside risk: taking actions that limit some downside, at the expense of some potential upside. What surprised me about this book — which bears the subtitle Developing Winning Attitudes — is how much space was allocated to psychology and mental attitudes. In fact, fully all of the third of the four major sections is devoted to what I would call “softer” topics like understanding the nature of the mental environment, how memories, associations and beliefs manage environmental information, managing mental energy and similar topics.…