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

Funny thing about clarks. They are eugenically-predisposed* to blending into the background. In the everyday world, this results in their identification being a challenge. Serially, if there is a scott in your social vicinity, you could be a three-post Reader and you would pass a pop-quiz: Where is the scott?

(Not to neglect our rogerian friends and associates, of course. But besides their comprising an easy 2/3s of the average pop-u-lation (thanx Hanna Barbera!) there is a better than even chance that the person you are interacting with (either primary or secondary) is a Member of the Herd. So there’s that.)

But this Monday morning let us turn our attention to the Outsider folk.

We were at a low-key social event, this Saturday past. (Ok, Dyanne… chortles are not polite(ish) please restrain the commentary.) As it happens, we were near the entrance and a person entered the room and we nodded a welcome. Reciprocating, she chose to add, “You look quite nice.”

(ed. had a very summery shirt of a blue and pink pattern, grey sports coat. over-dressed for the occasion (clark, remember?) and so, the compliment was not excessively bold or otherwise forward.)

I said, ‘Thank you’.

And, for reasons we can only assume are to make this post possible, she upped the ante with, “I assume you’re a nice person.”

There was something in the tone/delivery of this last. There was nothing of a joking-caveat nor was there an edge of socially aggressiveness. Wait, allow us to amend that first, there was something of an amusing tone, but clearly self-directed.

New Readers: one of the benefits of being the Curator of everyone’s favorite personality theory is that we’ve become rather fluent (in the Wakefield Doctrine). One benefit is that we tend to think in Doctrine, as well as the normal everyday thought process. So, stick around, learn the principles, become familiar with the characteristics of the three ways of relating to the world (as a clark (Outsider), scott (Predator) and a roger (Herd Member) and before you know it, you’ll see them in your world.

Naturally, we looked up (lol, ok figuratively…mostly we smiled). We said, “Being nice is over-rated. Usually a way of being that is employed by someone not overly nice.

Our reward was an interested silence.

We continued, “You know, sometimes how, you’re like, first thing in the morning, “Today, I’m not gonna be all…. and then!! Two sentences into my first interaction, I’m like back to being nice. Like I had instant amnesia!!”

She laughed and added, “Its so frustrating.”

The tides of social interaction rarely halt for common enlightenment. The most newest recognized of our people was pulled away into the crowd of (mostly rogers).

When it comes to outlining the benefits of learning the Wakefield Doctrine, clarks are at the top of the list for extent to which the three profit from it. And, being a clark, despite our relentless desire to learn new things**. We are Outsiders. Unlike Predators (scotts) and Herd Members (rogers) who in groups are referred to as packs and herds, there is no common multiple of this type of relationship to the world.

…except to see and interact with another clark. to know they are out there and are managing. Like the old commercial: priceless.

*

* ha ha a semi-rogerian expression

** not to be confused with acquiring directly beneficial skills and education. clarks are endlessly curious because we hope to find one particular bit of information