Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
“As an unmuddied lake…. As clear as an azure sky of deepest summer.”
For those of us fortunate enough to have a weekend, by which I mean, one or two days of self-scheduling, it is now time to re-set. (As recently stated), the workweek days are different. They pretty much belong to another. Another, less light-hearted way to express that is, a large majority of us are owned by something other than ourselves for the period of our lives designated: Monday through Friday. In most cases it is servitude by choice and there is a benefit to be enjoyed. So, as we begin our Monday, lets just remember:
- clarks: relax, all that you feel improved for you in the previous two days is not negated, does not go away and you are still the person that you saw (and, between you and me, actually thought you might not mind being) doing things Friday night through Sunday night, though you may feel the outsiderness come over you as you put on the protective coloration, the better to deal with bosses, superiors, unfriendly teachers, difficult administrators, unruly pre-schoolers and clients who don’t seem to appreciate how much a well-liked and respected person you seem to recall being for parts of the last 2.5 days
- scotts: focus, it is not about how much you can do, it is not about proving that you are able to get along with your co-workers, the librarian who sent you a friendly reminder for the DVDs that you borrowed, the teachers who don’t seem to get that you are not always causing trouble, the manager who seems to think that all you want to do is screw around even though he does not have a quota or a peer review in the next 2 weeks
- rogers: get over yourselves, sure… you love getting back to work and you know that even though there are people who screw up, seemingly on purpose, they do not need you to tell them how much they could improve, or how great your weekend was, or how if they were to try a little harder they might get asked out more, or how their children really need a little extra attention
The Wakefield Doctrine is a tool. It is, in fact, simply a perspective on behavior and the people in our our lives. It does not say what to do (for a better life). It does not say what to think. It does not even tell you how to make the other person: stop picking on you, leave you alone, be more reasonable, appreciate all you do for the family, understand that you really are trying, get it into their heads that you’re not interested in them that way, shut the fuck up, learn from their mistakes, stop self-sabotaging themselves, keep their holier-than-thou opinions to themselves. It does none of these things.
The Wakefield Doctrine is a way to understand the behavior of the people in our lives. It helps us to see the world as the other person is experiencing it. It allows us to infer how the people in our lives are relating themselves to the world around them. (By doing so), it allows us to know more about them than they know about themselves. And it, the Doctrine, not the people, allows us to change our behavior in ways that will enhance and improve our lives.
Remember: Sign up Sheet for this Friday’s Wakefield Doctrine Friday ‘as-long-as-you-understand-that-I-might-be-getting-a-call-any-minute-from-some-really-cool-people-and-might-not-get-to-stay-the-whole-evening’ Vid Chat goes up Wednesday the seats filled up quickly last week, so don’t delay! Let us know your blog url or your google+ circle address (so we can send an invite, ya know)
About clarkscottroger
nicely said Clark!
this little post is currently making its way to my copier as I sit at my desk at work trying to get some paperwork done early. This is my first day back in some time… I’m going to post it next to my computer here so that I can remember your wise clarkian words…I’ll let you know how that works out thanks for the motivation.
cool
Mondays…I’m just putting on my protective shield right now as I get ready for work.
Hey!
(remember what we say) ‘Take notes!’ (and) stop back later this day and let us know what you observed/learned/inferred/recognised/discovered/wished-we-had-mentioned-before-you-went-and…. lol
Ohhh nice touch with the Wednesday sign-up sheet. And yay for being the same person today. And being okay with that :)
Lizzi
you know how sometimes, after a fair while, you come across a Post you wrote and, maybe you start reading in the middle and you’re like, ‘who wrote this?’ ? lol well, you have helped me set a new record! lol
NO! Hahahahahha :D
Indeed, Clark, people are all about good and bad. Each personality type has something to wrangle with, for sure!
Michelle
Glad you mentioned that! I was thinking about a Post along those lines… I may need your input (from the rogerian side)… tentative title: ‘Everyone works as hard at life as everyone else’ (too bland? lol)
your title reminds me of the Einstein quote re such things… famous thing… but true… about everyone fighting their own battles and relativity of such things.
exactly! ‘they have life so easy’…. ah, no better not assume that is the case and, instead, welcome the opportunity to experience the reality of another human.
I’m loving the Wakefield Doctrine! I’ll have to keep referring back to it. Great way to start the week!
thank you! it is fun and useful and informative… and we love to hear about how people see the Doctrine and the clarks and scotts and rogers play out in ‘real’ life!
Oh man – so spot on. I am SUCH a clark. ;)
Linda
it’s a ‘special place’ this worldview of the Outsider… but fun, and full of such very…. er interesting people and such
Hmmm. Never would’ve guessed :D Come play videochats again with us soon :D
Even though YOU WERE WRONG AND LIZZI WAS RIGHT, I have to say this Clark-gal loved this post. Well done.
lol
“the pupil causes the teacher to study harder’
it is a fun thing that we do here, ask questions, take notes share insights this is the classic case of the process is the value (more so than the outcome or the product)
Actually, yeah, I’m SO not over crowing about that yet…
NEENER NEENER! *bites thumb in your general direction, whilst grinning*
lol
Lizzi…its times like this that I realize why I consider you so full of tact and grace…lol
Hehe, OMG, those Rogers! I had one tell me today how FABULOUS his weekend was and how they go by sooo fast, lol.
And another OMG – I’m such a clark. I was WITH preschoolers today and they were C.R.A.Z.Y. I left telling the teacher, “gooood luck.”
Hehe.
Eh…sorry my postings are so sporadicialistic. I decided to sort of take a break from all things computer and writing over Christmas. Then, having school-school start back up and grad classes this week, and registrations and taking on tutoring clients last week…OMG…I just have to tell myself there’s just ONE hellish semester left…lol…and I think it’s going to be much crazier than the last. I have a professor who thinks he’s Federico Garcia Lorca himself and dear godz, if you comment wrong on a masterpiece, you deserve to spend your days in poetic hell. HAHAHA.
So. Will be around. But mostly lurking. :)
Cyndi
which would make him a roger, so at least you’ll have one lab specimen for the whole semester and not have to go hunt up a roger (will hope to hear more about him)… he should spend the majority of the time establishing his credentials (which will demonstrate referential authority… awards and diplomae and, especially what other wonderful people have said about him (or his work).) in other words establishing the herd and enhancing his position (in it).
a break is not a bad thing (the only bad thing is sort of what I was getting at with clarks today) is believing the voice in our heads that say, ‘things have changed, everything is different’ well, for starters… duh! we’re frickin clarks ‘when is anything ever not always different?!?!’ lol but it’s the voice of our Outsiderness…and the fact is it is telling the truth, but only in a a (limited) context.
We have the power to disregard it. And this comes not from trying to claim membership in another context (rogers or scotts) but by referencing our own peers… who are outsiders and are joined by recognition. No giant benefits…hell no direct benefits at all, the real power of the peer group (for clarks) is the alteration of the status of our outsider nature.
remember!! Take notes!! (for us! not the course work! lol)
I did the lame Clark Monday today, after dealing with a bunch of BS, including being woken up to a school phone call…an apology… (needed but I’d rather have slept) to then Tucker’s bus being in a minor (everybody is fine) accident on the way to school…I did the total just read thing, did not go into work even though I was planning on it…and had to actually lay down for 20 minutes when today caught up with me, in the worst of ways. Fuck. I’m such a Clark. I love it but yeah.