Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
People are always coming up to us, on the street, peristalsing through school corridors between classes, in the lull of a amatory pre-peak and asking, they ask, “Why are you still writing posts on your personality theory? We get it, and are amazed you don’t fall asleep at the keyboard, all morning-foggy, poster on the wall reflecting the LED glare, (the one showing Fabió flying towards a mountain-top castle where Helen Bonham Carter is semaphoring for help and across the top ‘It Was a Dark and Stormy Knight…)
One word: New Readers
We promise not to invoke Tennessee Williams other than to say, Readers from Mimi, to Cynthia, Denise to Kristi often write Comments that remind us to keep it simple and stick with the basics. Then, with their implied permission, a quick cut ‘n paste into a blank post and we’re off and runnin’
Last week, Misky wrote such a Comment. So,
“…figuring out which of three, or two or all three, people are if I don’t know them well. How do I anticipate a person’s response to the world if I don’t know them particularly well.”
Perfect set up! (Thanks!)
The beauty part, (as Lou Collins used to say), of the Doctrine is that we don’t need to know them that well. Hell, at all well. The biographical facts of the person in front of us, (or the one reflected in a mirror), are not the most important thing. Knowing the three relationships with the world that is the heart of the Wakefield Doctrine is…are… whatever.
The question, (at least when we are starting out practicing everyone’s favorite personality theory….theory), is not, ‘Which of the three is this person?’ The best (in the sense of being efficacious to our true goal*) is ‘On the basis of what I observe, see, feel from this person, which of the three makes more sense. Is most consistent with… (Look up the optometrist metaphor (somewhere in the pile of posts). …ok. we couldn’t find it either.
In a nutshell, (no, ceayr… not a word!), consider an eye test. The optometrist turns off the lights, flicks a switch and a bright rectangle appears on the opposite wall. Lowering a very cool, in a totally steampunk sorta way, mechanism with two lenses for you to look through, they say, “Read the first line you can comfortably see.” (one eye goes dark); “Now, is this clearer? [click], How about this?” Back and forth. That is what we do with the three perspectives of the Wakefield Doctrine.
We observe the behavior/dress/appetite, whatever, and look through the lens of: the Outsider (clark) … [click] the Herd Member (roger) [click] Is this clearer, i.e. makes more sense or [click] is this…
…as a wise woman once said, “That’s how it began.”
* The tool that the Wakefield Doctrine is, is focused on our being better able to ‘see the world as the other person is experiencing it’. (italics quite deliberate… remind us to discuss personal reality tomorrow.)
*
