Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
It’s understood that a significant portion of the effort behind (understanding, developing and applying) the principles of the Wakefield Doctrine is specifically intended to help clarks.
Which is not to say that clarks need the Wakefield Doctrine more than scotts or rogers. Wait a minute, we do say that. Which is not to say that clarks are the only one, (of the three), to see in the Doctrine the possibility of direct benefits, impacting their daily lives. Wait… we do say that. Which is not to say that the Wakefield Doctrine offers insights and perspectives that our scottian and rogerian friends cannot, and, in fact, do not benefit as a result of coming here and reading and commenting and such. Wait! we do say that? Well, I guess that leaves us where we have always been:
the Wakefield Doctrine is a unique and useful and very much (a) fun way to look at the behavior of people. the Doctrine is a perspective that offers us (an additional) opportunity to better understand the people in our lives. employing this tool, we all can gain an insight into the world, ‘as the other person is experiencing it’, and, because of this increased understanding, we need never again say, “how could they go and do such a thing? I really thought I knew them better than that!“
But we already knew that, didn’t we? Lets, then, broaden our understanding of this here Doctrine here, shall we? We all know that the personal reality experienced by clarks is referred to as, the world of the Outsider. As a person who grew up and developed (their) personality in the worldview of the Outsider, clarks are creative and introspective, funny and hardworking. Because they live in the personal reality of the Outsider, clarks are subject to a seemingly endless cycle between (near-unrealistic) hope and soul-crushing despair (survival being an indication of an inner strength that, were it not expended on surviving what would seem an un-justified and un-necessary level of self-criticism-doubt-fear, would be, like, totally impressive). Thats simply the nature and character of the world as experienced by clarks. scotts and rogers have no picnic-of-a-life either. But today is about clarks.
So what is it about clarks that makes today’s post interesting? Well, to appreciate that, we first must understand the double bind that lies at the core of every clark, and that is: a) clarks maintain that the only path available to them is the intellect, the ‘knowing/learning’ of things and 2) they, (the clark), are Outside(r)[s] and c) there must be a reason for their being different. (I sense that those Readers who are not clarks and/or those Readers whose secondary clarklike aspect is developed only to the degree necessary to find this theory interesting, but not developed enough to imagine the world of the Outsider (at least be able to imagine it without being forced into a reflex sympathy response), are beginning to drift off, so lets get to the point.)
The problem with being an Outsider (who is) trying to understand their way, ‘back to being a real person’, is that, ‘an Outsider’ is, by definition, unique. As in…. only one of a kind. If I am the only one of a kind, then how can I gain a perspective/understanding of the world that is anything more than what I already possess? If I’m ‘the only one of my kind’, then how can anyone tell me anything that genuinely applies to me? And, besides, if I spend my life looking for ‘the Answer’, then how can I know more than I (already) know?
see what I mean?
gots to cut this short. work calls. if there are any clarks (or, hell, scotts or rogers) who want to know what I believe the answer to this conundrum is, the answer is: identification I’ll have to follow-up, later in the day to this tease-ending. tempus fugits, yo, tempus totally fugits
About clarkscottroger
“…Well, I guess that leaves us where we have always been.” Isn’t that what we always say?
“If I am the only one of a kind, then how can I gain a perspective/understanding of the world that is anything more than what I already possess? If I’m ‘the only one of my kind’, then how can anyone tell me anything that genuinely applies to me? And, besides, if I spend my life looking for ‘the Answer’, then how can I know more than I (already) know?”
If I am an outsider clark, does that mean I see myself as completely alone or as one of other outsider clarks? Cuz if the latter is the case then you have others to identify with, yes? I dont see all clarks as living in the total despair of “NOBODY understands me… ” I suppose these people can be any of the three if depressed enough. Although Clarks may visit that place more often.
where it counts? ‘completely alone’ (note: this is not simply a social or emotional isolation, it is (an) isolation of ‘without peer’*) and yet, I am proposing that through employing the amazingly difficult, no matter how simple-seeming process of ‘identification’ clarks can negate their elemental isolation.
…I am taking liberty with the word despair** it is not that ‘nobody understands me’… it’s the condition (of state of being) that is inherent in the notion of the world of the Outsider that there can be no other/peer
certainly this can be argued, that it is a ‘choice’ of clarks to be the Outsider (although, given that it is a premise of the Doctrine that the personal reality that we experience, be it Outsider or Predator or Herd Member is not simply a projection of ourselves onto the world, rather we would insist that the world itself is that type of world.
the really difficult aspect of this discussion (lol) is probably beyond my skills at the written word, unfortunately it, (this central aspect in the world of clarks), is the key to everything.
…. (lets try this): there comes a time for most clarks when we retreat and/or are pulled within, away from the world that we believe that we have the right to be a part of and yet know that we are not, in fact, a part of and when we are within, there is a voice (no…nothing cool and DSM-ey just our own thoughts on 11) that points out not only have we failed to become a real person, but there is a real, but unspoken reason why this must always be so… this is the aspect of ‘being without peer’ that I’m trying to convey. most of us (clarks) will simply hunker down and weather the storm… but there is no argument that we can muster that can refute the logic of this part of ourselves… ‘well I almost became accepted’ yeah but you didn’t, did you? ‘my wife/my husband say I’m not such a failure’ yeah, but they don’t really know, do they? the thing is, we’re arguing against ourselves without ‘an exception’ being allowed.
identifying with other clarks is that exception…. it does not, in and of itself, change anything… it simply allows for…something, a little light to enter or an example of another Outsider
so that’s kinda what it’s like lol (of course I’m still saving the really damaging premise (to the worldview of the Outsider), just because I’m tangling up this comment fine, without having to resort to it.
oh yeah…. FRIST yo
* no, of course not in the often-used ‘I am the greatest and therefore, without peer’…
** yeah, I know! knock everyone over with a feather lol
…and it is in that place of “choice” (and the following quote) where I fall off the doctrine wagon.
“…certainly this can be argued,that it is a ‘choice’ of clarks to be the Outsider (although, given that it is a premise of the Doctrine that the personal reality that we experience, be it Outsider or Predator or Herd Member is not simply a projection of ourselves onto the world, rather we would insist that the world itself is that type of world.”
I don’t think we are destined for agreement on this one… I can live with that…. yeah, I missed frist! oooo a rhyme!
Mademoiselle declines petits métaphysique?
lol
Because they live in the personal reality of the Outsider, clarks are subject to a seemingly endless cycle between (near-unrealistic) hope and soul-crushing despair (survival being an indication of an inner strength that, were it not expended on surviving what would seem an un-justified and un-necessary level of self-criticism-doubt-fear, would be, like, totally impressive). Just…yeah…to that.
As for the rest…yes, identification is the thing. We are surrounded by those whom fate (for lack of a better term) puts in our sphere of reference. We don’t choose that. We feel the Outsider. Yes, always. What ultimately happens, as we come to understand ourselves better, is that we start to gravitate away from those who are around us by default and choose to associate with others we perceive as being “like us” in our uniqueness. The people who understand all the things about us that make us tick because it also makes them tick. I think what’s particularly … special? good? beneficial? fortuitous? … about Clarks who befriend other Clarks is that when we have those periods of Dark or those times when we need to be isolated or whatever other little Clarkian quirk besets us, the Clarks around us get it and can let us be when they sense we need it and drag us out when they sense it’s enough. It’s good to know that there are others out there who understand what it’s like to be that totally unique, different, odd, outside person and that draws us together. Identification.
yeah
…and the reason it works (with clarks) is that the benefit/gift/help that is available to us (through this process of identification) makes absolutely no demands on us. I can overtly ask for help or not, not does not hinder this process. it is this ‘fact’ of another Outsider that is the benefit (all very indirect within each of us… because, well, because we’re clarks) and there are also no ‘requirements’ or other qualifications to meet in order to do this thing… I identify with (other) clarks because when I hear them I can identify with how they feel/how they relate themselves to the world around them
it is a very good thing
It is a good thing. A very good thing.
I never had a clarklike friend before the Wakefield Doctrine blog came around and I got to meet other clarks. For some reason, all my friends were rogers (primarily, but what’s news about that!) and scotts. I recall only one clark when I was younger with whom I could identify.
Nowadays, knowing other clarks, being privy to their struggles (thanks to social media and blogs and such) and reading/hearing of the familiar challenge(s) my people face, I can say without hesitation that identification is a key component to a clark’s successful navigation of life as an Outsider.
I’ll have to revisit this when I’m not struggling to keep my eyes open!
Incidentally, I did have quite a few clark friends, united in our own heads, before finding the Doctrine. I resonated with those folks WAY more than anyone else and well, if I must admit it, carefully selected my inner circle of friends based on those with whom I felt safe and to whom I could relate.
But there’s something about living in this clark world (inside the head): that never-ending quest for answers, for thinking, for seeking…to the point that it makes a person a little nuts…er…a little more unique.
And even when a clark finds the job of her dreams, she STILL dreams of other jobs, of other ways of doing things, of always seeking something else.
Or at least that’s how it is with this clark. :)
I suspect it’s tied to our creativity …. (I’ve sometimes been heard to say, “I can believe in anything because I don’t believe in anything”…. there’s an emphasis on one or two of the words, but the idea is simply, if there are infinite possibility then there can never be finality there’s always one more question/option/inference
…I’m thinking that (this) is, somehow, tied to the uniqueness thing of clarks…. but today is fun post Day not serious convoluted Day