My theory is that initially people who believe they can beat the experts in a variety of fields try to beat the experts at testable matters, which are the natural choice for someone wanting to demonstrate superiority or gain funding. At that point one of 3 things can happen: a: success that others recognize, b: re-calibration of self assessment, c: maintenance of the belief by change of the subject matters to non testable (those without strong feedback).
My theory is that initially people who believe they can beat the experts in a variety of fields try to beat the experts at testable matters, which are the natural choice for someone wanting to demonstrate superiority or gain funding. At that point one of 3 things can happen: a: success that others recognize, b: re-calibration of self assessment, c: maintenance of the belief by change of the subject matters to non testable (those without strong feedback).