the Wakefield Doctrine

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

If asked why I don’t write as many posts explaining, illustrating and otherwise providing insight into the principles of the Wakefield Doctrine, I suspect I’d be inclined to say, “Well, I’m busy practicing the craft, you know, real writing.” And, in pale defense of that position, I might point to (re)editing Almira, writing The Case of the Missing Starr, not to mention my weekly participation in the Six Sentence Story and the TToT. Despite the convincing sufficiency of my answer, I would add a coda/footnote/citation that would seriously undermine my ‘I’m too busy’ stance.

Lets blame Cynthia! And that new person over at Sixville, (with the site about art or drawings and such).

Yeah, lets do that.*

Friend of the Doctrine, Cynthia, has a talent for framing questions and offering observations that invariably cause me to think, “Hey! I haven’t really given that aspect the thought it deserves,’ and off we’d go on a mid-week(ish) Doctrine post.

…. I was talking to Phyllis about something this morning that got me to thinking about the complimentary-circularity of the three worldviews. It was of sufficient interest to remind me of things I’ve forgotten to remember. Lets see if I can reconstrue** the insight.

At a point, a few years ago, I posed to myself (and anyone reading/listening) the question, “What is the most difficult thing for each of the three predominant worldviews***?

For a clark it is be rogerian; for a scott it surely would be to live in the reality of a clark and a roger? they would hate to have to relate to the world as does a scott

The fun and value of the above propositions lies in what they tell us (or, hopefully, merely remind us, if we have done our reading), about the individual worldviews.

One of the primary goals of the Doctrine is to help us better understand and appreciate how we relate ourselves to the world around us¹. This is followed, as close as a scott spotting an attractive clark or roger trying to sneak out the back door of the party, by learning/developing the capacity to see the world as the other person is experiencing it. Both can be the result of a thorough understanding of the nature and character of the three worldviews.

As a result, the more familiar we are with the world that ‘the other two’ are experiencing, the better we can communicate (with them).

* footnote (lol): As to what exactly we are blaming them for is not my decreased output, but for making me remember that there is no excuse for not writing more about the Doctrine.

** faux rogerian expression. This has nowhere near the quality to induce the shocked, explosive laughter that a true rogerian expression always causes, but still fun enough to leave in place

*** Reminder: the Wakefield Doctrine is predicated on the notion that reality is, to a small, but very real degree, personal. Further, there are three characteristic personal realities, aka predominant worldviews (otherwise known as personality types): the Outsider(clarks), the Predator(scotts) and the Herd Members(rogers). We, all of us, are born with the capacity to experience the world as any of these three. Although we settle into one and only one predominant worldview at a very early age, we never lose the potential to experience the world as do ‘the other two’. Learning the characteristics of these three personal realities enables us to know more about the other person than they know about themselves. Plus its fun.

1) As always, let me say, I said, “…how I relate myself to the world around me.” not “…how a relate to the world around.” Big difference, yo

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

Help me out here… the picture above. I’m thinking…. scary, Phyllis disagrees.

(while you mull over the question of how scary might cultivated nature be, (or, if one were so inclined), one might object to that description, cultivated nature. If, in fact, it is cultivated, can it truly be considered natural?)

But I digress. This is the Ten Things of Thankful bloghop. The theme is ‘gratitude’ and it is hosted each week by Kristi. If you would care to, join us here and share your experience with the group. It’s fun and beneficial and everything. And…and! there is no penalty for…. prose that might raise an eyebrow in an English class. Below is testimony to the fact that the TToT is about good intent more than good writing. lol

1) Phyllis. (so, you think she is anthropomorphizing them cute, uniform, steady-eyed, cornfield sentinels, staring at the passing cars, envious of the non-rooted lifeforms?)

2) Una (she is so grounded in the here and now, she would enjoy the colors, note the uniformity and make certain neither of us get…too close.)

3) Hypo-grat*: Summer is slipping away with every morning that we wake up to a silent window air conditioner. There is a smell of new shirts and tissue papers in the air.

4) the Book of Secret Rules (aka the Secret Book of Rules) because, come on! How many of the countless other grat hops permit (nay! encourage) hypo-grats?

5) Yard project complete until the ferns die and I can see what deadwood might be hidden ‘neath their Paleozoic fronds.

6) The Case of the Missing Starr Chapter 10 this week. (I’m quite proud of figuring out how to have the blog display the chapters as would a book (not natural for ‘latest is first’ format of WordPress), so you will need to scroll down to the current chapter if you’ve been following our serial.

7) something, something

8) THIS SPACE AVAILABLE (This week, from all the deers and rabbits and other fauna, (both heard in the night and imagined), ‘Thanks! Phyllis… loved the garden and the apple trees.’)

9) technology. the better to cast virtual bottles with digital messages onto the imaginary seas of the blogosphere.

10) Secret Rule 1.3. [“…I[f] you know that you have ten Items, at least at the point of completing Items Seven and Eight, the (fact) of the approaching Item 10 is a valid Item for inclusion in List; tradition and practice (ibid. Wakefield Doctrine; sub chapter: BoSR/SBoR et al).. as the last entry.”]

*hypo-grat: (according to the BoSR/SBoR), it is to cite, for inclusion in a TToT list, a person, place, thing or event that evoked a feeling of ‘oh, damn! Unavoidable or not, this isn’t all that good’. It is incumbent upon the writer to express and otherwise convey to (the) Reader that the (writer) is not blaming the [cited] event, occurrence place, thing or what-are-they-doing-here person for binding the (writer) to any particular emotional state, attitudinal outlook or non-linear assumptions due to any implied power, ability, right or nature to force said bad mood upon the writer.

music vid…if for no other reason than we approaching ‘return to school’ season. (in New England it is still geared to Labor Day)

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

The Maiden Stone, also known as the Drumdurno Stone after the nearby farm, is a Pictish standing stone near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire in Scotland, probably dating to the 9th century AD.

This is the Six Sentence Story bloghop. Denise is the host.

Six sentences are required.

As is often the case with story ideas, this week’s was the product of following a (characteristically?) meandering path through the virtual used bookstore/library-without-walls that is the internet. One way or another I found myself encountering the ancient Scottish legend of the Maiden Stone.

This week’s prompt word:

ATMOSPHERE

“You can put the granite down, Lucifer, she’s now well beyond your reach.”

The man spoke with an authority that sounded recently acquired, the effect detracting from what should have been an overwhelming beauty; very much like an insecure man, convinced a bow tie would provide an intellectual gravitas manages to undercut his actual strengths.

“It was a joke, I was simply looking for company, although I must say that, for a race created to be superior to all but Him, these humans are either not very bright or blinded by arrogance; seriously, do you even know the terms of our wager?” Possessed of a form that stole beauty from the artist’s carefully equipped studio, the Morningstar presented qualities that weren’t so much on display as poorly hidden, his eyes looked out from a place where madness and genius entwined, writhing in a never-ending passion to either destroy or possess the other.

“Michael, brother, tell whoever it is that pretends to have His ear these days, that he simply must stop punishing his creations for responding to my efforts to connect with them; they are, when you think about it, still family,” a smile touched the man’s eyes and immediately plummeted into a dark abyss of ambition and hope.

“A pervasive atmosphere of existential fear is hardly conducive to the efforts of these humans to develop to their full potential.”

 

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

The Saturday Bullseye for a summer thunderstorm Report brought to you by the 21st Century.

The above begets below

(As most dogs, Una is not a fan of thunderstorms.)

This week’s TToT, other than Item 8 (THIS SPACE AVAILABLE)  and Item 10 (Secret Rule 1.3) is represented, in its entirety by:

The safest place in her home, with her family who totally don’t mind joining her in the …well, the safest place in the house. (Normally Phyllis works at the dinning room table, but given the circumstance, room in my bedroom/office was made.)

Thunder and lightening ain’t no match for Una’s pack.

music

Thanks to Kristi for providing a place where people can share their experience with this thing called gratitude.