Month: November 2012 | the Wakefield Doctrine Month: November 2012 | the Wakefield Doctrine

‘I don’t know if I’ll make it, but watch how good I’ll fake it’ …the Wakefield Doctrine (our clark goes to the Calypso Club!)

November 30, 2012 By

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

a clark goes to a party.

But before we start, a little background for the newer Readers:

the Wakefield Doctrine maintains that we all live in one of three characteristic worldviews (personal realities) and that it is the nature of these realities and how we relate ourselves to (them) that produces what others refer to as personality types. Here at the Doctrine, we have 3 personality types: clarks, scotts and rogers because there are three worldviews: the existence of the Outsider, the world of the Predator and the life of the Herd member. The Doctrine says, ‘observe the behavior, correctly infer the worldview that is being experienced and you will know more about the other person than they know about themselves.’

You will know that:

  • clarks spend a lot of time inside their own heads, in a good faith effort to understand the world they find themselves in. Their intent is simply to figure out the course of action that will be in their best interest and is least likely to make them the object of derision
  • scotts act, they relate to most situations as does a predator, (metaphorically) identifying the immediate threats to their well-being, the  situations where they will be able to dominate and force others into submission, their drive is to live life to the fullest…now
  • rogers feel that, with the proper approach, everything can be made to fit in, that everyone is a part of the herd, except those that are not and they don’t count, except to illustrate the value of belonging to the herd
There you have it. A brief outline of the principles of the Wakefield Doctrine. What follows is a continuation of a story that follows 3 people (a clark and a scott and roger) who go to a party after work.

Sam drives past the Calypso Club and can see that the parking lot is already half full, “early arrivals and the people who never leave” is the thought that goes through Sam’s mind. Still not a surprise, as the invitation said 8:30 pm the clock in the dashboard is showing  8:50 pm. Continuing past the lot,  Sam is looking for the best place to park the car. It needs to be a parking space that will be easy to drive away from, even if it is not in the actual lot. The important thing (about the parking space) is that Sam doesn’t try to leave and find that a late arrival has blocked the exits. Sam decides to park on the street, half a block away.

…sitting in the car. Sam smiles and laughs, not being a person who socializes  with people from work ( Sam’s thinking is, “8 hours every day with these people is not enough? The thought of leaving the office after a full workday only to spend another 3 or 4 hours in a bar talking about the people at work, with the people at work…nah… too much to do to waste time like that…)
The smile leaves Sam’s face, “Then why am I here, in the car, dressed like it matters, going to a party for someone I barely know?”
Sam’s life hasn’t been all that bad, for the last few years, it’s even been kind of  …stable, with a job that has lasted more than a year!  Sam’s degree is in Early Childhood Education and has almost a Masters Degree,  but there was that interruption that required leaving 2 semesters and somehow never got back to finish. Sam honestly believed that you had to explore all of life’s options early, when you were still young, because eventually real life would appear and then everything would become predictable, reliable and possibly even boring. Sam knew that when the right job came along or the right opportunity or the right person, then everything would make sense. But until then, there was so much to do….

“...so why“, the voice in Sam’s head, a voice that never, ever stopped observing (and commenting), assessing (and commenting) judging (and commenting), hoping (and criticizing) fearing (and trying to explain), “am I still sitting in the car?”
There was a party going on at this very moment in the Calypso Club (Sam has over heard the Monday Morning tales at work… “he was so drunk that they had to carry him to…and the police showed up”). But Sam was still sitting in the car, waiting for the (hoped for) enthusiasm to appear.

Sam sits back in the driver’s seat, eyes closed and relaxes,
“You could go home, it’s not as if anyone in there is watching the door for your arrival. Hell, by not showing up, either no one notices and then you can let it go or they do notice and there will be something to talk about at work. Plus…. this isn’t really your style, a ‘birthday party’ the new Intern is giving for himself! Who does that kind of thing? But everyone was all excited about the idea, no one said anything about it being lame… wouldn’t be surprised if there is a stripper hired… oh shit! I saw something on youtube, where it is supposed to be real funny to get the party goers up on stage, be a part of the show… this new guy seems like the type who would think that would be fun”
Looking in the rearview mirror one last time, Sam gets out of the car and walks towards the Calypso Club, pointing the remote back towards the car hearing the arming beep. (Sam smiles thinking of the scene in  the movie ‘Desperado’ where Antonia Banderas and Salma Hayek walk in slow motion towards the camera with a huge explosion behind them, never slowing their pace, not even turning around.)

A half-smile appears on Sam’s face at the image…”Just like Antonio and Selma…” laughing, the nervousness is replaced by a cautious excitement and Sam steps through the doors of the Calypso Club.

Seeing that the host (the new Intern at work, who actually is throwing this party for himself) standing at the door of the Function Room, greeting everyone,  Sam hangs back. Not wanting to have a lot of attention, at least until it is clear how the party will play out, Sam turns and sees a woman approach, the head of the Department that Sam works, her name is Alex… Alex something. And she immediately becomes the center of attention, even as she walks through the door (that Sam is still holding open). This is the opportunity to get into the party without undue attention

(…to be continued)

 

 

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Filed Under: Featured, Psychology, the Wakefield Doctrine

the Wakefield Doctrine (…a brief interlude)

November 28, 2012 By

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine ( the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

Before we get to the second installment of our series, ‘the Wakefield Doctrine and Effective Pair-Bonding Strategies in the Workplace/Personal Time Environment‘ a brief word about gender.

We maintain that the Wakefield Doctrine is gender (and culture) neutral. We’re good with this because the thing that makes the Wakefield Doctrine such a unique and useful and fun perspective on behavior is its simplicity.
There seems to be a part of human nature that, when we have a desire to appreciate and/or understand something (or someone), our first impulse is to break it down into smaller and smaller elements. Trying to understand the whole by counting the parts.
We are not saying that this is necessarily a bad, inappropriate or otherwise non-productive approach. It is the only approach for those engaged in matters involving engineering and accounting and chemistry and other of the more…rogerian of endeavors.*

In the simplest of terms, the Wakefield Doctrine proposes to explain why humans behave the way that they do based on an appreciation of their personal realities. Three characteristic personal realities (‘worldviews’) that define how the individual relates themselves to the world (and life) at large. Emphasis on ‘human’. Gender happens afterwards, (from the Doctrine perspective). A scott, by virtue of living in a reality characterized as that of ‘the predator’, is aggressive, guardedly inquisitive, impulsive and quick to react. When we add gender to this perspective, we have to allow for the differences in the allowable strategies and patterns of behavior (allowable both by physiology and the culture in which the individual finds themselves).
Still a scott.
You can see this person, (male or female), and by observing their behavior, infer that they are responding within the  worldview that we designate as being that of  predator/prey. And so with the clarks and the rogers. It is all about inferring the reality that the individual is experiencing that makes the Wakefield Doctrine such an effective tool.

We’ll catch-up with our clark and scott and the roger as they arrive at the Calypso Club for the party, but before we do that, a little supporting information/backstory to make the remainder of the series more enjoyable and ‘educational.

The three characters are meant to illustrate the 3 predominant worldviews. We are trying to maintain a gender neutral view in order to allow the Reader to focus on seeing what they (the characters) see, to better appreciate the worldview they are experiencing in this intertwined story.
Having said that, proper names are useful, if only to allow the dialogue to flow a bit more smoothly. So, lets give these three some names!

  • the clark (who, to his/her credit) has gone against their natural inclination to retreat from (potentially) fear inducing situations and is pulling into the club parking lot (being sure to park in a spot that can’t possibly be blocked by another car arriving later in the evening)  lets call this person:  Sam
  • the scott …now here is the most interesting of the 3 examples, in the sense that it will be nearly impossible to avoid gender issues. The unavoidable fact is that in most cultures, direct and overtly aggressive behavior is discouraged in women, while a (male) scott can pat backs, punch arms in a jocular fashion, even stand too close in an effort to physically intimidate, female scotts must rely on other forms of expressing their totally natural, and clearly predatory-like aggressiveness. So, if you think that our scott is female, lets call her (and her male predator manifestation):  Alex
  • the roger, Mel to his or her friends, is always there, always helpful. He/She is un-stinting in pursuit of providing whatever assistance or aid or resources or materials are necessary so that whatever you are trying to do, you will do it right…the way it is supposed to be done…exactly…and her/his standards are not so hard to meet, once you allow him and/or her to show you the proper way to do things

 

* we have said, not partially, in defense of the rogerian worldview, I wouldn’t want to fly cross-country on a jet designed and built by scotts or clarks!
If it were left to a scott, the plane would have at least 5 jet engines with no noise suppression whatsoever, the landing gear would be in a fixed ‘wheels down’ position, so that the pilot could ‘stop real quick and get a drink on the way‘ and the window on the pilot’s side of the cockpit would open so that (the pilot) could lean out the window and scream stuff at other passing jets  and
if a clark had a hand in design, there would be 8 or 10 lavatories, a bookcase for each row of seats and there would be a section in the back, where there would be couches instead of single seats, but the plane would always be late because the couches (with corduroy quilts) would slide around if the pilot tried to bank too extremely.

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the Wakefield Doctrine ( a placeholder Post for this busy Monday Morning )

November 26, 2012 By

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the continuing theory of the a-synchronic relationships of clarks, the dogmatic and fatalistic lives of scotts and the circularitous perfection in justification world of rogers)

Today is Monday, and while we all like to read the new Posts on Monday Mornings, the fact is, we are all fairly distracted by the week that looms over us, like Godzilla looking in the window of the little kid in ‘Godzilla Returns!’

With this in mind, the Wakefield Doctrine would like to offer  little, light (or, if you prefer ‘lite’) fare this Monday.
(in 1993 Jeff Foxworthy released his totally successful comedy album, ‘You Might Be a Redneck if…’ which, along with being very  funny, bestowed on blogwriters everywhere  a gift, a ‘device’ of value not seen since David Letterman’s ‘Top 10 things…’ )
With all due respect and appropriate disclaimers, credits, attributions, apologies and mal-referenced cultural authorities, we present:
You might be a clark, scott or a roger if…

If you immediately stop surfing the channels because you come upon a show that uses only black and white documentary photos and film…you might be a roger

If you love Christmas lawn decorations and cannot imagine having too many lights… you might be a scott

If you find a flier stuck under the windshield wiper of your car and you take the time to read it… you might be a clark.

If asked a question and you preface your answer with “in the beginning…”  you might be a clark.

If someone gets your name wrong mispronouncing it or just getting calling you something other than your actual name)  and you answer to it, without correcting them… you might be a clark.

If as a child building model cars, you made sure that the extra parts were put back in the box along with the re-folded instructions for future safekeeping…you might be a roger.

If you think that Slacker was the greatest movie made in the 1990s…you might be a clark

If you think that Borat was one of the funniest movies of (whatever) year…you might be a scott

If you think that the 107 episode,  Directors cut, 15 DVD un-abashed edition of the compilation (with Writers notes (including what he had for breakfast) and voice-over reading of the credits by someone who knew someone who was a re-enactor who actually got hurt at an event) of all Ken Burns films, PBS episodes and commercials that last longer than most readings of the Iliad is the greatest film of all time…you might be a roger

If you have any inclination to wear hats for a fashion statement (for male rogers only) or a ‘fanny pack’ (either male or female rogers), or for that matter any clothing designed specifically for riding a bicycle (branded or un-branded)…you might be a roger.

If you happen to be at a golf tournament and feel that it is expected of the members of the gallery to yell anything (including but not limited to “get in the hole!!”)…you might be a scott.

…and finally, you might be a clark or a scott or a roger

If you are contemplating a project of any sort; a new deck or a term paper, writing a resume or planting a garden:

…you look forward to making the list of things you need to buy/gather/acquire first more than anything else…you might be a clark

…you must know what your friends on the ’do it yourself’  shows have done, that is what you want…you might be a roger

…CONTEMPLATE? PLAN? I JUST FINISHED IT! SCREW YOU ITS DONE NO! THIS IS FINE …THE WAY IT IS…you might be a scott

 

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(post) T-givings Day, the Wakefield Doctrine Sunday Supplement

November 25, 2012 By

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine ( the theory that clarks just never stop thinking, that scotts really ought to try it sometime and rogers…well rogers are capable but they just don’t seem to view the world the right way  )

(Special thanks to Milla and the Umbrella Corporation for giving special meaning to our made-up word, ‘T-Givings Day’.)

Good week and a Good (Saturday Night) Drive.

Last night’s  Drive we heard from Jennifer and DS#1,  very entertaining and productive Drive!  We talked about the progress of the Doctrine Show (on BlogTalkRadio, every Wednesday at 4:00), the emphasis on developing a structure for the 30 minute show that will help present the Wakefield Doctrine in a way that is easy to understand way and still be fun.  Glad that Jennifer was with us last night! We got on the topic of Wakefield Doctrine DocTees and, at some point I said, “I really would love to find a way to individualize the shirts, trouble is, but I  don’t want to change the current design.”  Jennifer was all over it,  “hey! put the names (clark or scott or roger ) on the sleeves”! she said and DS#1 and I, “Damn! that’s it!”  More on the subject as it develops…with XXX-mas lurking up ahead in the calendar,  a Wakefield Doctrine Official DocTee will be the perfect stocking-stuffer!

Missing on the Drive was Molly,  (who is a total regular on Saturday Nights), but she ‘checked-in’ later in the evening, on ‘the Facebook’,  to tell us that she was unavoidably detained at a party… ( visual: Molly, dressed in black dress and pearls and handmade cowboy boots, standing in an alcove, one hand to her ear, the other cupping the cell phone to amplify her whisper, ” What do you mean, ‘do I have the area code for Wakefield’…. yes that’s a real place, but it is also the name of the blog… no, I don’t want to spell it… put your Supervisor on the phone!”).  Molly actually did say that she had a good evening with friends and extends T-Giving wishes to all.

(new) Friends of the Doctrine:  Cyndi (who is on a very excellent road trip who is also a talented photographer…head over to her site and read all about it.  oh yeah! when you’re there at: www.pictimilitude.com, Cyndi has some really cool stuff that you can buy and give as XXXmas gifts!) and Janine who is always the first to comment on a new Post (visual: bursting through door… “now just hold one minute! what exactly did you mean by… no! keep the computer on! there’s still time to do some editing before everyone else gets on line“) and Michelle ( who is a self-identified roger, which is very exciting as we definitely need to hear more from the rogerian perspective, as the ‘party series’ goes into Part 2) Cari and Amy (who clearly identifies with the clarklike personality type by her statement  ‘Sounds much easier to be a Scott!)  and Kate who has cast her ballot from the Great State of clarkhood and Melanie (who may very well be the FOTD to live closest to Antartica… ) and Emily (her blog deals with raising boys…hey Molly! another Reader with a built-in practice studio…Doctrine and family-speaking, of course) and Terrye and Walter (who has a DocTee on it’s way… photos!! Dude! we want photos of that famous beach, even if you can’t find Leonardo to model it for ya!)

Guess that brings us up to date…
Now wait a damn minute! Our two favorite DownSprings, who are also musically talented folks  Jasmine and Steve… hey, guys!
They both have sites on ‘reverbnation’ which is  a place where musicians go and let people listen to the music and such, you need to go over there to both and listen.
Before you leave their respective sites, click anything that doesn’t move… Gfriends, Facebook the whole thing… the more you do of that, the sooner these two get famous and the sooner we all will be able to say, “Jasmine Tea? yeah we used to hang over at the Doctrine”  or “Steve Crabtree? sure, I know him! …do too!! I got his damn personal email! you think that he gives that out to anybody? …well, maybe, but I know where he got the hats that he’s famous for wearing on stage, so there”

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7wwZVB4yMI

 

 

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a roger, a party (not be invited? don’t be foolish!) the Wakefield Doctrine ( we have all three… lets see what they see)

November 24, 2012 By

Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory that you all know, you just needed a way to say it and to build  up a little history and tradition)

The Wakefield Doctrine maintains that we all see life from one of three characteristic worldviews:

  1. from the ‘Outside’, trying to understand what you are missing (the clark)
  2. from the senses, the instincts the ‘drive to live’ despite the efforts of the world around you (the scott) and
  3. from the only place there is, the context, by following the only path there is ( the roger).

Since this is the third in a series illustrating how the Wakefield Doctrine can offer advice on meeting new people and how best to make decisions regarding relationships, lets jump to another worldview!

…by looking at  the life of a roger:

  • a roger
  • a party, if there are any people that matter there, you will be one of them
Friday
You’re a roger.  You’ve worked very hard to get to where you are today, the (new) Assistant Director/Human Resources of a major Corporation, a job that has been your dream since you were in Elementary School. On trips back to the family home on Holiday, you listen to friends and people you have known all your life tell you how impressed they are with the success you have enjoyed. You smile and say the expected thing about how grateful you are for all their support, but at the same time, you take it all in stride, knowing that you are where you are supposed to be at this point in your life.

Your office is the envy of all the other mid-level Managers. You know that the reason that you have passed your contemporaries on the struggle to climb the Corporate ladder is that you can talk to people. While you take pride in your organizational skills, how you never forget a birthday or an anniversary of anyone you have under your care, you know that it is not just the meticulous personnel files nor the work week organizer, both contributing to your reputation as a formidably efficient Manager. You notice that your schedule ( the private one you have, not the one on the in-house network, the one you keep updated on your phone) is reminding you to visit the employee lounge on the second floor. These seemingly random visits are not just a part of your career strategy, you enjoy talking to most of the people who work in the building, whether it’s small talk about last Summer’s Company outing, or talking sports with the sports fans, it was all part of your routine day.

“today’s my birthday… I reserved the private function room at the Calypso Club tonight”  The speaker is one of the new Interns. Fresh out of Business School, this one seemed determined to make his presence known in the Company.  Even as the new Intern starts to turn the attention of the group on your arrival, in a strong, authoritative voice you say, “I believe that the Company Policy doesn’t condone or encourage having parties!”
You let the shocked reaction sink in, but before you can follow-up on your statement, the new Intern laughs and says, “Tonight 8:30!”

The first 1/8th of your work day  is spent answering emails and returning calls. You love this part of your job.

The rest of your work day is spent devising plans, formulating procedures and protocols, researching the latest in testing and assessment tools for your Employee Performance Metrics project. On the two coffee breaks that you have programmed into your Daily Planner (10:47 to 11:15 and 2:15 to 3:00) you catch up on your  100 Years War Re-enactors group and send out another request to the Census Department for a copy of the Vital Records for Braxton County, West Virginia . You love  your job.

The last 1/8th of  your work day is spent in meetings with upper Management. The CEO  is someone you tolerate, the story you have heard from nearly everyone is that he single-handedly built the Company and even though he is tyrannical, monomaniacal and abusive, your position with the Company is a good opportunity. The CFO, is also at this meeting because of his  devotion and loyalty (to the Company) and his un-relenting focus on ‘the bottom line’ You find the precise, overly careful, fussiness of this Executive to be admirable,  you look up to him  as a role model and standard of professional excellence. You can’t stand him.
A strange thing happens as you leave the meeting, the CEO turns and says to you, “...that new Intern on the second floor. Your latest hire? Good job! I passed him in the parking garage this morning and he actually invited me to go to some party he’s having at the Calypso Club! That kid is going to go far in this Company.”

…your time at home before having to leave for the party is spent… reading your mail. Finding some new bills in the mailbox, you pour yourself a cup of coffee, take it over to the dining room table and settle in for some relaxing reconciliation. Looking up, you notice you are (nearly) late. Deciding that the party is a good career opportunity, you decide to go with ‘professional causal’ while standing in front of your closet.  “J Crew St Vera, don’t fail me know”, you start laughing and realize that as long as you stick to the plan, things are going to work out just fine.

The final 1/12th of the last 1/3 of your time at home  ….with a sense of determination mixed with optimism and a sense that all in all, things are looking good. You head out to the Calypso Club

(to be continued…)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IEDC52o0nk

 

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