Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks ‘who think’ and scotts ‘who act’ and rogers ‘who feel’ )
…thanks to Molly and Denise for the lively and challenging discussion during this weekend’s Saturday Night Drive! For those of you who have not called in yet, we usually share questions about the Doctrine, examples of the characteristics of the three types and any new insights into how the Wakefield Doctrine can be used to help in our lives, what with jobs and kids and friends and such.
So this past Saturday Night, I brought the following ‘problem’ to the group:
I am at the point in writing the Wakefield Doctrine book where I need to demonstrate how the Doctrine can be useful in problems and challenges arising in relationships. The Wakefield Doctrine offers a unique insight into why we are attracted to certain people and why we are not… the Doctrine can help you understand why your best friend always goes for the wrong guy…the Doctrine will help you know what to tell your son when you see that he is so ‘in over his head’ with the girl of his dreams…the Doctrine can help you see what it is about you that seems to never learn, continually finding yourself in the very situation you were determined to avoid, this time!
The exchange of ideas during this last ‘Drive’, made it clear that I needed to use these blog Posts as a venue to write scenaria (relating relationship advice). This approach allows me to keep ‘the conversation’ going here at the blog and subsequently, (with a little cut…paste…edit) I will have the needed content for the book.
I also realized I needed the core principles of the Wakefield Doctrine in order for there to be any chance of creating credible dating/relationship situations as illustrations. When I began to write these ‘real life’ situations, I immediately found myself getting bogged down with the thoughts, ‘ok a female clark will see a rogerian guy in this light’ or ‘a scottian female so hates to be in the company of a male…’ which soon led to my thinking ‘what the heck do I know about what a woman finds attractive in a guy?’
Fortunately I remembered: the Wakefield Doctrine is gender neutral!
Our ‘personality theory’ is predicated on the experiences of humans in one of three characteristic worldviews. The Wakefield Doctrine says, very simply: if you grow up and develop in the worldview characterized as the world of the predator, then you will exhibit the personality type, traits and behaviors of a scott! As a member of the herd, in a personal reality marked by a belief that the world is a quantifiable place and there are Rules to live by, your personality and behavior will be consistent with the rogerian personality type and clarks… well, you know what you are like!
Of course it is still true that in every way important aspect, men and women are different because of gender.
But the thing that distinguishes the Wakefield Doctrine as a useful and insightful perspective on human behavior is that we start with the reality that the individual is relating (themselves) to and then look at the personality type.
Anyone, male or female, dropped into the worldview of a roger will develop a natural affinity for social relationships and interactions of the group and a talent for the quantifiable sciences; if as a girl or a boy, you grew up experiencing the personal reality we call scottian, then guess what? you will have an irresistible urge to establish the dominance/submissive ranking in any social setting you find yourself in and your temperament will be best described as mercurial.
The effect of gender? It defines an individual’s range of choices in how they express themselves, depending on the culture or civilization our subject is a part of, there may be more or less choices in terms of coping strategies that the individual has available when interacting with their world.
So this week we will present:
- a clark is talked into going to a party
- a scott at a company bonding retreat
- a roger at the annual church picnic
About clarkscottroger
Looking forward to seeing how the doctrine does indeed play out in real life examples. So wonderful idea!!!
@Janine
So am I! it’s hard to describe, but the state of the understanding of the Wakefield Doctrine at the present moment is very much that of discovery. I work at presenting the Doctrine in terms of it’s core principles which are fairly we’ll-established, but so much remains unknown, or perhaps it would be better to say ‘remains un-expressed’. Stay tuned…
I had all these ideas going through my head for this post and then the very end said: rogers going to the annual church picnic. I have to wonder: how many clarks participate in organized religion? I tend toward being spiritual myself, so it’s interesting that you have rogers and church picnics, lol. Oh and I still state my case that more clarks are left-handed than not. Just my hypothesis, but it would be fun to find out. :) Awesome post as always.
@Cyndi
…they are the church picnic! I am so glad you used the word ‘spiritual’, it is the very word most clarks would use in this context! (In fact, we have at times said, clarks are spiritual, rogers are religious…)
Hold on to the ‘left-handed thing’. Good to have a Doctoral thesis already picked out! lol
No time this morning but I do have one question: why do rogers feel compelled to relate information of historical value in such detail. LOL My SO has watched a PBS program called the “Dust Bowl”. About, you know, the Dust Bowl, the program covered the years from the early 1900’s to the 1960’s. Got to thinking this morning that here he is talking, telling me about different aspects of “life in the dust bowl” and recounting conditions etc…..while I am trying to do something at the computer. Are rogers trying to share things of interest or is it more of a validation of their reality thing going on?
I’ll take my answer off the air :D. Speaking of, I’m sorry I will be missing tomorrow’s radio show!
@DownSpring
That is a 2 part question, no?
lets get all ecumenical on you Readers…I will offer an answer to the first (semi-secret) question after one of our rogerian Readers answers the primary question, i.e. what do rogers get out of historical information and such
Talking a clark into going to a party? That’s not easy.! I still don’t now why people try. :) Anyway, sounds like a fun week coming up!
@Amy
…why, because they know that it really is what’s good for us!
(“I mean, if you only stopped with all that solitary reading and writing and tried to be more social, and you could be so attractive if only you didn’t listen to those strange friends and dye your hair such bright colors and I can’t imagine what your grandmother would say, a tattoo for goodness sake, and maybe if for once in your life you would have more confidence and not mumble so much and why can’t you apply yourself to your studies you could do so much more with your life….”)
lol
You’ll find people besides rogers at church — and I don’t think it is just where I live.
Last night I played Bunco at church with some other women. There were seven of us — two scotts, one roger and the four clarks. Maybe not the usual line up, but then again, it was organized by one of the scotts.
@Molly
“…You’ll find people besides rogers at church”
this is true, but the person you will be concerned about the most (especially when you have to leave early) will be the roger! lol
Cyndi put it well in terms of such matters and the personality types, clarks tend to be spiritual and rogers are religious…