I wrote this for my college writing class...thought it might apply here...lemme know what you think.
I have always been the misfit, the teased child, the outcast; nothing made sense. I could not even fit in during class time. Nothing teachers said ever seemed to sink in to my mind. I tried as hard as possible to memorize math problems, grammar, history, and all subjects presented, without success. Memorization and rote work seemed beyond my capabilities. It was not that I could not understand the information; actually, the information itself was simple to me. The problem was concentration on repetitive, seemingly unnecessary work that did nothing to teach me the knowledge I craved. I consistently scored among the highest in the nation on standardized tests, but my grades did not reflect my potential. Homework seemed useless to me. Why should I take work home to learn something I already knew, just so that I could demonstrate that knowledge to my teacher? Is that not what tests are for? Why should I memorize a given example when the concept is what I was interested in learning? Why was every bit of everyday life so overwhelming, and yet abstract reasoning and logic so consistently fluent and native to my consciousness?
Some teachers suggested that I simply work harder, implying that laziness prevented me from scholastic success. I replied that I knew not how to try harder. I would attempt to do the homework, only to be unable, despite all my conscious effort, to complete the assignments. Unwillingness to work was not the issue; inability to do their work was the problem. This point was proven upon encountering high school biology. For the first time, a teacher seemed to understand how to teach to me. Memorization was mostly unnecessary; homework assignments taught concepts, not examples. Testing and in-class participation carried the most weight in grading. For the first time, I was legitimately challenged to do well in a class. The result was that I received the highest percentage grade in the history of his course at the end of each semester. It took years for me to realize exactly why this change in my performance occurred, and subsequently to understand the answer to the questions I posed as a younger child.
Answers came in the discovery of the Meyers-Briggs Type Index (MBTI) personality typing system. This system tests an individual and uses eight different functions to describe their typical behavior and thought patterns. Each person is asked a series of questions on how they perceive themselves, ranging from how they feel in crowds, to how they feel about facts versus truth. The cumulative data add up to one of sixteen personality types, consisting of four main functions each.
The first function is Extraverted (E) versus Introverted (I). Many have the connotations that these are the differences between outgoing and shy when, actually, it is quite possible to be a shy extravert, and an outgoing introvert. Mentally and behaviorally, extraverts focus on the external world, while the introvert focuses on their internal world.
The second function is iNtuition (N) versus Sensing (S), and refers to the method a person uses to gather information. Intuition is described as an ?irrational? characteristic. It describes leaps in thought leading to insights that do not seem to follow obvious, rational, concrete steps. The converse of this function is Sensing, referring to a person?s ability to gather information about the world through their five senses, and interpret this information literally.
The third function described in this system is Thinking (T) versus Feeling (F). This function simply describes the primary thought processes of the individual. A ?T? based person thinks in terms of rationality and non-emotional judgements. They will base their decisions on what seems to make sense in a logical way. ?F? types tend to make value decisions based on what feels right emotionally.
The final function is Judging (J) versus Perceiving (P). This function describes the person?s attitude toward the external world. Judging types want consistency, schedules, or to establish order. Perceiving types tend to be extremely flexible, dislike schedules, and want to leave decisions open-ended and spontaneous.
I found that personality types are not evenly distributed throughout the population; only 1% share mine: INTP. This discovery explained my inability to find others whom I could identify with, vindicated my self-image, and confirmed my goals, thoughts, and ideals to be ?normal.?
Delving deeper into the implications for these results, I became intrigued by Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADD, as I showed nearly every ADD characteristic, yet according to the MBTI, I was perfectly healthy and normal. How is it possible to be simultaneously normal and dysfunctional? This paradox sparked an intuitive leap, leading me to the thought that individuals with ADD are not necessarily deficient in attention, but that mainstream society is deficient in ability to cope with those who think differently.
Examining the inherent behavior characteristics of ?NP? types, and especially ?INPs,? many similarities to those personalities diagnosed with ADD become clear. Impulsivity with thoughts leading to disorganization, inattention for ?boring? activities or memorization, internal perfectionism, and underachievement are just a few of the many traits shared among these types (Keirsey, ADD Hoax). In addition, the overwhelming prevalence of the SJ type, who thrive on rote memorization, following schedules, rules, and generally enforcing structure, shows the first inklings of why a diagnosis of disability would even be conceived for those rare ?NP? personalities.
By nature, ?J? types tend to be unwilling to accept views other than their own. They make decisions based on what they know and see, but unfortunately do not typically accept differences as valid. Life becomes an either/or situation; there can be no two rights, only a right and a wrong. So, given that the overwhelming majority of the populace shares these characteristics, one can see that teachers, psychologists, parents and governments would have a large number of judging types present. They make the decisions about school curriculum, the decisions regarding mental disability diagnoses, raise children who they are unable to identify with, and are those who pass laws controlling each of the former parties. If they are unwilling to see past their own perspectives on how life should and should not progress, then the minority, those who do not function similarly mentally, will be stifled and trodden upon.
ADD is typically treated with amphetamines, and chemically related drugs. These drugs increase the ability for a person to focus by giving the perception that the task at hand is overly interesting, as well as causing the person to desire more structure and order. They tend to increase obsessive tendencies as well as impulse control, which leads to this desire for order in the external world. In effect, amphetamines change the personalities of these individuals to fit the masses. Only after these drugs have taken effect is the majority able to accept them and subsequently been given the ability to learn and to function in a ?normal? way. Unfortunately, these drugs are also very dangerous in the long-term. They are known neurotoxins, and can have extreme detrimental effects to chronic users. As David Keirsey writes, ?And make no mistake about the power of Ritalin to disable and eventually shrink the brain. It differs little in its destructive effects from cocaine and the amphetamines . . . ?
As those who control society, especially the medical and educational communities, influence the definitions of what normal is and what it is not, any deviation from their standard will be considered a deficiency of some kind, and in turn, disorders will be created in order to explain these differences. Instead of embracing the fact that every type of personality is needed to run this world, society is turning a blind eye toward those who are different, and attempting to train them, either through behavior modification or drugs, to fit with the established norm. This practice must stop in order to allow the development of each person as a true individual, and all must learn to accept that humans differ not only in skin color, sexual preference, and gender, but also in thought processes.
--------------------
True wisdom is the knowledge that nothing is impossible except for absolute knowledge.
Edited by UrQuattro (12/27/01 01:52 AM)
|
Threaded
Previous
Index
Next
Certified Organic All-In-One Grow Bags by Magic Bag 
Golden Teacher Liquid Culture For Sale 
Unfolding Nature: Being in the Implicate Order 
Mono Tub Substrate 
Autoflowering Cannabis Seeds
Some of these posts are very old and might contain outdated information. You may wish to search for newer posts instead.
EndlessJourney 
trendal
Edit 
Reply 
Gardener
Nuggetpouch
1 2 3 all )
sancho
Vats of Blood
Swami
