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

You know what it’s like, having the Wakefield Doctrine as an Alternate perspective on life and the people around us? It’s fun, that’s what it’s like! I had an ‘old school Post writing moment’ Sunday afternoon that was so much fun, because it took me back to the early days of writing this blog. Which is to say, you’re sitting there, minding your own business, maybe watching TV and someone says something or does something that makes the lightbulb go on, over your head. No, I’m serious, that’s very, very close to the experience. Maybe not, get-out-of-the-bathtub-and-run-outside-without-clothes-on level of excitement, but I did stop, (reading or watching TV or whatever I was doing), and walked directly to my computer to write the first draft of this Post.

(A little contexting here, for our newer Readers), the Wakefield Doctrine is predicated on the notion that we all live our lives, to a certain extent, in a reality that is characterized as being that of:  a) the Outsider (clarks), b) the Predator (scotts) or c) the Herd Member (rogers) and that it’s the style of our coping strategies and social skills, (to contend with these three very different realities), that gives rise to what others call ‘personality type’.
A big part of the process of learning to use the Wakefield Doctrine as an effective tool for understanding the people in our lives, involves discovering what the world looks like to people living in (one of ) these three realities, (i.e. worldview). There is considerable information available here that will help you identify the behavior that’s characteristic of clarks, scotts and rogers.
You know, the girl wearing the cutest little dress with an exquisite string of pearls…and a plaid shirt and Doc Martens…. or the guy on the bicycle with 3 water bottles, streamlined helmet and enough logos on his head-to-toe spandex to almost not make you think of Pat Benatar.  Those characteristics. The very cool thing is that it works. You will find that rogers, given a garage workshop and a pegboard, will decide that it makes the most sense to outline the tools before he hangs them on the pegboard… well, because…

But that’s not what this Post is about. This Post is about the gifts of insight, the eureka moments enjoyed when new insight and understanding makes itself available. Some things are ….too far inside a worldview to be accessible to those of us from one of the other two realities. Then it’s totally critical that we remain alert! The best example, which is a little too long a story for this post, was the insight that lead to the recognition of ‘referential authority‘ as being a feature of the rogerian worldview, and only the rogerian worldview.

So, back to our story. Phyllis got a call on her phone, didn’t answer, there was no message and, more importantly, it was not a telephone number she recognized. She googled the number, it showed an address in a nearby city, but not one that was home to anyone she knew. Fine. End of story. Wrong number.
I went back to my book/TV show. I looked up a short time later and Phyllis was still trying to figure out who made the call and I realized right there, ‘rogers do not believe in wrong numbers‘   (hint: in the worldview of our Herd Member friends, the universe is quantifiable and knowable…and definable.  ‘there is always a reason for ___ (fill in the blank when you have a couple of hours).

Anyway. As soon as that lightbulb went on over my head I was headed to the Wakefield Doctrine to add one more characteristic of the rogerian worldview to our collective understanding.  …well, because I’m a clark!! and there is no higher value than to know things!  of course.