Blogger Widgets Ender-Chan's Thoughts: January 2016

Saturday, January 30, 2016

The Cinnamon Roll Meme and LaHaye Blends

This has been done to MBTI, but it can apply to LaHaye blends!

Looks like a cinnamon roll, but can kill you: MelPhleg, MelSan, PhlegChlor
Looks like they can kill you, but is a cinnamon roll: MelChlor, SanChlor, SanMel
Looks like a cinnamon roll and is a cinnamon roll: PhlegMel, PhlegSan, SanPhleg
Looks like they can kill you and is likely to do so: ChlorSan, ChlorMel, ChlorPhleg

What do you think?

Introvert Privilege Checklist

I've seen a lot of "Extroverts oppress introverts and are the privileged social -version" content, but introverts are very privileged as well, just in different areas. That's why I made an introvert privilege checklist. 
  • You don't get bored because you have your musings to entertain you.
  • You don't feel as bad about social unavailability.
  • You are automatically regarded as more intelligent and authentic.
  • You can have your emotional needs met without worrying about being annoying or attention-seeking. 
  • You can call going the Internet and reading a few comments your social interaction for the day.
  • You are rarely or never accused of being a phony.
  • Your emotions are considered real and valid and are not dismissed as "stupid mood swings." 
  • Your emotional needs as a whole are considered more valid because you can fulfill them without worrying about being too obtrusive.
  • You don't need the validation and admiration of others.
  • You are perceived as more trustworthy, sensitive, and empathetic.
  • You can easily find relatable Internet content.
  • You can pursue a creative hobby and not need to show it off.
  • You cope with ostracism more easily.
  • You are seen more as an individual than an overly-specific archetype.
  • You don't "need" the company of others the way others do.
  • You have no worries about coming on too strongly.
  • You can create your own company.
  • You don't feel the compulsive need to win others' approval through absurd means. (e.g. eating 100 fruit stickers)
  • Your feelings of being misunderstood are readily validated and affirmed by others.
  • Your speech actually means something to other people and isn't received as content-free babble.
How it Works:
Your introvert privilege score is the amount of statements you agreed with out of the total (which is 20). 

My introvert privilege score: 3/20. What's yours?
Additional Information:
Temperament: Choleric-Sanguine (ChlorSan)
MBTI: ENTP-A
  • Keirsey Type: Inventor Rational
Enneagram: 8w7 sx
Sociotype: ILE (ENTp)
  • Relative Quadra: Gamma
  • Socionics Functions: 
    • Leading: Ne
    • Creative: Ti
    • Role: Se
    • Vulnerable: Fi
    • Suggestive: Si
    • Mobilizing: Fe
    • Ignoring: Ni
    • Demonstrative: Te
DiSC: High D



Thursday, January 28, 2016

Joy and Anhedonia


Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on Earth. Colossians 3:2

As you may or may not know, I am a Christian. God has been prodding me in the back to write something for Him, so here you go.

Because of God, I can be joyful, even in the midst of anhedonia. Anhedonia is the inability or reduced ability  to feel pleasure. Joy is defined as an intense feeling of pleasure. This combination is contradictory from a secular standpoint. However, joy has a different meaning for Christians. Joy is a kind of transcendent spiritual contentment that can only come from God. It is beyond what any possible mental illness I might have can take away from me. 

I am not promoting anhedonia in any way. It robs me of pleasure and makes me, for the most part, apathetic, lazy, and feeling like I'm tired all the time. However, God gives me the strength to pull through, even on days when I don't feel like it. Setting my mind on things above helps me to focus on God and not my current state of mind. I asked "God, why did you rob me of my passion?" when I woke up anhedonic, but then I remembered that the Lord gives and takes away, but will never take my faith. Anhedonia allowed me to reflect on my spiritual life instead of pursuing the things of the world. 

Though I really want God to take this away, at the same time, I am, at the same time, grateful that I had the opportunity to connect with God without any sense of pleasure to distract me. It is during the times that I have nothing when God reminds me that He is everything. Anhedonia has taken its toll on me, but I know that God can save me from this mess. If not, I will still choose to believe because God is the only viable source of hope I have. I don't know if this will end or if it will end, but I trust God and that's all that really matters.

Relevant Bible Verses (All are from the ESV Bible)

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Song: Fall Apart
Artist: Josh Wilson
Language: English

Hey, Wendy Katz! Not All Extroversion Is Sanguine

An autistic jobseeker under the name of "Wendy Katz" wrote about a specific form of temperamental discrimination known as extroversion bias here. This person learned how to feign extroversion on personality tests and answer lie scales to mirror a neurotypical person. As the official DiSCability blogger and pretty much the archetypal ENTP, I felt like I needed to deconstruct and analyze this piece and its ideas.

I am an extrovert myself. This person misunderstands the concept of extroversion (probably due to EEOC criteria) as "friendliness, preference for group interaction, skill with people, large amounts of happiness, etc." when this is a small facet of a specific variety of extroversion known in humoral theory as the sanguine temperament. Sanguines are generally friendly, upbeat, charismatic, and generally have the image people want to see. However, not all extroversion is sanguine as Katz seems to say.

This is not to say that I dislike this piece in its entirety. Actually, I rather relish the fact that someone bothered to point out the fact the adverse effects of temperamental discrimination. However, this person claims that extroversion is sanguine, which is wrong. Extroversion is also choleric. Cholerics are the "control freaks" (totally true) of the world. The people who ascend the corporate ladder, overthrow the system, and speak out with new, innovative ideas are most likely choleric.

The term "Extroversion bias" Katz uses actually refers to "Sanguine bias". The traits listed above all correspond to the sanguine temperament when lumped together into one temperamental pattern. They do not fit the choleric temperament although the choleric (especially the choleric-sanguine) tends to be good at being a "pseudosanguine" in order to ascend to more dominant positions. Introverts can be pseudosanguine, but it is generally more difficult. Choleric extroverts are generally more interested in getting the job done than having fun, which can make the choleric appear/be unfriendly despite the fact that the choleric is indeed an extrovert.

Please do not misunderstand what extroversion is based on this piece. The temperamental discrimination Katz describes is not extroversion bias, but it is sanguine bias. The EEOS stands for "Equal Employment Opportunity Commission", but its practice of temperamental and disability discrimination makes me wonder if they are what they claim to be at all. Sanguine bias is a problematic barrier for autistic jobseekers whatever their temperament is.

Discussion Questions

  • Have you ever encountered sanguine bias when being employed?
  • If you are an employer, what are you going to do to prevent sanguine bias?
  • Do you think sanguine bias is problematic? Why or why not?
  • Do you think "sanguine bias" or "extroversion bias" better describes what kind of temperamental discrimination Katz experienced? Explain why. 

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

What Is Anhedonia Not?

Anhedonia is the inability or a reduced ability to feel pleasure. This can be (mis)interpreted as many things. This is purely empirically-based and not based on science.

  • A character strength. Anhedonia robbed me of the passion that drives me to do well. It makes me apathetic and unfocused. Please do not praise me for "having the strength/discipline" to be anhedonic. Most of the time, I'm trying just to get by. 
  • A character flaw. Anhedonia is not garden-variety laziness. Because of anhedonia, I want to do nothing. I don't even want to have fun. It is this parasite that robs me of pleasure. Anhedonia is not just a negative mindset. 
  • A natural emotional orientation such as temperament. Every temperament has some source of pleasure and, even within a temperament, those sources vary. Feeling no pleasure for extended periods of time is not healthy or natural regardless of temperament.
  • A choice. One day, I woke up. My chocolate coffee tasted like sludge. My music arrangements just sounded like sound instead of music. My teachers' voices sounded boring and flat when they were stimulating before. I crawled into bed and fell asleep at the end of the day. Do you honestly think I would choose to live like this?
  • Laziness. Laziness means that one puts minimal effort into their day. Anhedonia means that I need to exert myself more in order to actually do stuff. I still feel compulsive urges to do things even though I don't have the energy to motivate myself to do them. 
I would have put more items, but, in my anhedonic state, even writing is tedious. 

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Anhedonia In a Song

I cannot bring myself to actually write something, so here you go.

Song: Je ne veux pas travaillier 
Artist: Pink Martini
Language: French 
Translated lyrics are here

Basically, what the song says is "I don't want to work. I don't want to eat. Flowers make me sick." That honestly reflects how I feel right now.


Possible Anhedonia

Anhedonia: An inability or reduced ability to feel pleasure

I've haven't bothered updating my blog lately because I have lately felt that I do not as much feel pleasure or motivation from blogging...or anything else for that matter. I don't feel like focusing in school or any other area of my life. It is taking me a great deal of energy to crank out a few sentences for something I used to be able to enjoy.

I still feel small spikes of pleasure from things I enjoy, such as playing the flute. I listened to some music that I had arranged and, instead of feeling proud, I felt nothing. I just heard some sounds. Since I love all aspects of music, not being moved by it is a foreign sensation to me. The words that I so cherish have become...just words. I also ran through my solo and ensemble piece, the vibrato just sounding jagged and harsh instead of having its usual sublime resonance.

The fact that I can actually bring myself to do things and to them reasonably well mystifies me. I guess that pseudo-motivation is a temperamental thing, but I definitely feel more apathetic than usual. I continue about my life du jour en jour and even the most wonderful things, to me, just do not feel good to me.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Hey, Old Sport.

Warning: Major Spoilers for The Great Gatsby novel

Now that I have dropped out of the honors institute and read The Great Gatsby, I have now come to wonder what would have happened if I stayed and if I had met all the requirements. Would I have been glad and exhausted? Would I have just pulled through my "phase" or cracked under pressure? I spent my time reaching out to the green light of the designation and, when I took a closer look, I was disillusioned. Somehow, I was not suited to the imposed rigors. I felt like I had to feign someone who I wasn't.

Gatsby is a character that represents the American dream gone awry. He ran away a penniless farm boy known as James Gatz, imitated the mannerisms of millionaire Dan Cody, started bootlegging, and threw parties in the hopes that Daisy would show up. After first meeting Daisy, he wore his army uniform to conceal the fact that he was poor. Five years later, Daisy married a man as careless as herself and had a child by the name of "Pammy".

It is not the present Daisy that Gatsby loved, the careless Daisy who, with her husband, left destruction in her wake. Gatsby loved a past image of Daisy. He rose to greatness, threw parties, and sold alcohol illegally all for this Daisy. Academic performance was the "Daisy" of my life. I strove and strove for better and better grades. I observed the most intelligent people I knew. I emulated them, tried to understand them and be them. However, when I came closer to my goal, I pushed on despite the fact that it was not for me. My stubborn internal casuistry kept me going. If I can pull this off, I will be great, I thought. However, I slipped away from my dream as I trudged on. I failed. I grew to hate it. It was then that I realized that the dream I had intended for myself was not for me.

Gatsby represents the American dream gone awry: having it all and, at the same time, having nothing. He did everything for Daisy. When he had her, he felt an immediate rush. He wanted to pluck Daisy from Tom's hand, succeeded for a moment, and then lost her again. However, that did not discourage Gatsby. He pined in futility after Daisy to the point where it led to him dying in the pool he had never used. If I continued with my quest for academic excellence, my fate would have been similar. I would never have enjoyed the pool called music and ended up either failing, literally dying from suicide, or figuratively dying from this infatuation with high numbers strip away my enjoyment of life.

The basic principle of the American dream is to be better off than you were. For Gatsby, it was having a relationship with Daisy. For me, it was proving that a student like me can achieve academic greatness. However, both of our dreams went awry rather quickly. Gatsby rose to greatness because he wanted someone (and by extension something) he could not have.When he came close to having it, he denied that it was not for him. It ended up costing him his life, which is a reminder that not all dreams should come true, not all paths should be paved, and that "great" in the traditional sense is not always truly great.

Image Description(s):
Leonardo DiCaprio portraying Jay Gatsby holding a drink and smiling. The image has "Old Sport" written on it with what looks like custom strokes in white. 

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

But You're So Smart: On Brandenn Bremmer and Self-Imposed Pressure

Actually, I can swap "smart" for "confident", "tough", "independent," or another one of my many strengths. However, strengths don't mean the absence of weaknesses.
"Smart" doesn't mean I never feel incompetent.
"Confident" doesn't mean I never feel out of place.
"Tough" doesn't mean I never feel weak.
"Independent" doesn't mean I never feel ostracized. 

As the image text states, Brandenn Bremmer was a genius--had an IQ of 178, read books at 18 months old, played the piano at age 3, and started college at age 11--who committed suicide at age 14 with no (known) depression, suicide note, or pressure to achieve from his parents. This is why I never understand why people wish they were smarter or why some parents put undue pressure on gifted children or leave them to their own devices. This source said that he was compelled to do so because his intuition told him to leave the world. However, another source which cites a dubious comment from someone named "Stan" extrapolates on how pressure to achieve may have been to blame although his parents were said by other sources to never have pressured him to achieve.

However, self-imposed pressure is a powerful thing. The pressure to achieve does not have to come externally to do harm. Internally-based pressure can do just as much harm, if not more. In a world that values intrinsic motivation, it is easy to ignore unhealthy levels of self-imposed pressure to achieve. I know what self-imposed pressure can do because I almost succumbed to its effects. I decided to drop out of my school's honors institute because it was not for me. Although I "could have been" capable of meeting the standards, it cost me my health and my grades. Self-imposed pressure made my grades drop by 20% of what they originally were. Not only did my grades suffer, but I suffered. I felt constant stress, felt tired all the time, and got very bad cases of acid reflux that have since went away now that I have (mostly) escaped self-imposed pressure. 

Being "so smart" does not mean that someone like Brandenn or myself cannot succumb to pressures both external and internal. This is not to say that I am against challenging one's self, but it should not come at the expense of one's health. Remember that academic intelligence does not equal emotional development. That comes with experience and experience alone. I am impulsive and stubborn. I need experience to hone my temperament. I usually end up doggedly finishing projects I should not have started. Now that the consequences have caught up to me, I want to warn others of the dangers of self-imposed pressure. If you feel like you are drowning in a sea of activities, academics, and other things, get out. If you genuinely feel happier with a thousand things to do, do them.

Please do not disregard the power of self-imposed pressure. It is not easily dismissed as what someone else says because this comes from within. Unhealthy self-imposed pressure is a parasite that feeds off of your energy and directs your reserves towards achievement while ravaging your health and happiness in the process. I am not against achievement or talent, but I am against the imposition of unnecessary pressure regardless of the source. I believe that it is self-imposed pressure that killed Brandenn Bremmer, almost killed me, and is a source of problems among many gifted students.

Optional Comment Questions

  • Have you ever wished yourself to be more intelligent? 
  • Can you relate to my experiences? 
  • Do you have any further insight on Brandenn Bremmer's case?
Use the tags #NotJustAProdigy and #GiftedLivesMatter to raise awareness of mental wellness among gifted individuals. 

Sunday, January 17, 2016

The Doctor (Alternatively: Through Tears and Bleary Eyes)



Image Description: A doctor with their hand over their face as if in pain. A stethoscope dangles haphazardly from the doctor's hand.


 A child came in screaming in pain
Hoping that I'd fix his leg.
Through tears and bleary eyes, he said
"Doctor, it hurts more than I can bear.
I wish it wouldn't. It isn't fair.
Doctor, can you fix my leg
So I can run and jump and play?"
And I said "Yes, I can."
And so I fixed his leg.

A woman came in with her X-rays
Knowing she'd need to count her days.
Through tears and bleary eyes, she said
"Doctor, this is more than I can bear.
This isn't right, This isn't fair.
Doctor, do I have many days
So with my children I can play?"
And I said "Yes, you do."
Away I filed the X-rays.

A man came in and a smile feigned
So only I could know his pain.
Through tears and bleary eyes, he said
"Doctor, it's more than I can bear.
This isn't right; nor is it fair.
Doctor, I fear I cannot live
To see my wife's face and my children's grins."
And I said "Yes, you can,"
But he died the next day.

Alone in my home, I screamed aloud.
My own pain came over like a shroud.
"Yes, it's more than I can bear.
It isn't right. It isn't fair.
My soul hurts deeply from life's wrongs
Why's it I who must be strong?"
Then someone knocked and said to me
The words I needed all along.

"I know you have a broken soul
That hurts much worse than what I know.
No cast or tonic can mend your ills,
Not syrups or shots, not IVs or pills.
Here I have come to call you home
And tell you that you're not alone."
And on that day, my pain had ceased.
The child I met was hugging me.

Image Credit: Healthfinch.com

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Why Do You Act The Way You Do? (Original Song Lyrics by Me)

Verse 1:
Perfection is a siren's cry.
I set my standards very high,
As much as it's my enemy,
I can't ignore the call.

Verse 2:
I was born to rule and reign,
But a tough face I do feign.
Although I seem to have control,
I'm just afraid to fall.

Pre-Chorus:
There's a piece I've got to find,
Both my freedom and my bind.
To know of it would clarify
So many things

Chorus:
Why do you act the way you do?
I need a piece, I need a clue.
I need to understand
This part that makes you you,
So tell me.
Why do you act the way you do?
Why do you act the way you do?

Verse 3:
I maintain a poker face,
Every time and every place.
It'd be nice if someone noticed
What lies underneath.

Verse 4:
Of course I'm so much fun,
But secret fears deeply do run.
Rejection hurts much more than
What you see.

Pre-Chorus and Chorus

Bridge:
Four basic types of people,
Neither one is good or evil.
It is just the way you are,
The way you act and live your life.
A plant that cannot live
According to its nature dies
And to a man the same applies.

Pre-Chorus and Chorus

I only have the lyrics. Feel free to sing this and create an instrumental!

Sunday, January 10, 2016

About Food Aversions From a Food-Averse Autistic

Trigger Warning: Extensive use of graphic imagery, passing for normal, and implied gaslighting. Do not read if you are emetophobic.

Food aversions do not mean that I do not appreciate the effort your put into your food. They do not mean that I am spoiled or have anything against you personally. When I refuse your food, do not be offended. Food aversions mean that I view triggering foods as poison. I avoid them at all costs. I will vomit if I eat them, so there is no point in eating triggering foods for me. If you think your food is "healthy" and think I should eat it on those grounds, keep in mind that I will not acquire any of its nutritional benefits if I throw it back up anyway.

They are no joke. My gut twists every time I see autistic peoples' food aversions and preferences presented as cheap comedy fodder. If they like eating spaghetti with ketchup, they like eating spaghetti with ketchup. (This is one of my preferences.) You may even consider investing in the manufacturer depending on the extent of the preference. Food aversions are not a means of manipulation or merely pseudosensations that are all in our head. They are as real as the hum and glare of fluorescent lights, the dog barking across the street, and the tag stabbing me in the back of my neck. These are understood more than food aversions and I have a theory on why:

Taste is a primarily pleasurable stimulus to most people. While other senses are neutral, taste is generally perceived as a good thing. Neurodivergence can take this pleasure away from someone. It can twist the sense of taste so that what a neurotypical might see as delicious I see as poison. It is human nature that we expect others to act the way we do when presented with the same thing, so someone who derives pleasure from food may be baffled and even insulted when someone else does not have the same experience.

Imagine that there is pressure all around you to take "just a bite" of a rotten durian. Try hearing "It won't hurt" when forced to eat a Carolina reaper. Envision having poison ivy shoved down your throat because it's "good for you". This is what food aversions, at least to me, feel like. Luckily, I have accommodating friends and family. However, this is not the case with everyone. Some people force their poisons down their throat in order to "pass for normal".

If you have an "Eat at least one new thing" rule for a child with sensory issues that they absolutely refuse to comply with, take my perspective into account. Is getting a piece of trigger food down their throat worth the meltdown and/or vomiting that ensues? Dismissing the reality of food aversions is a form of gaslighting.

There are several "lessons" that one can learn from having their food aversions dismissed. They are as follows:
  • Authorities are out to hurt you and not to be trusted.
  • New things are inherently bad.
  • Your bodily sensations are most likely "nothing".
  • You have no control over anything.
  • Your opinions are inherently invalid.
  • You are not worth anyone's time.
In the case of severe food aversions that limit nutrition, consider the origin and patterns of the aversions. See doctors and specialists. Know that there are alternative ways to get adequate nutrients. (Did you know that there are vitamin Pop Rocks?) Let the affected person (might be you) try new foods on their own time and of their own volition. I tried calamari despite never having eaten other seafood before because I wanted to, not because anyone told me to do it. Had it been shoved in my face, I would have resisted new foods and experiences further.


My advice for parents of food-averse autistic children and other food-averse autistics is to work around their aversions and let them try food on their time in their own way. I do a "fingertip test" because I am easily overwhelmed by strong flavors. Just trust your child/yourself when you say they don't like something after a fingertip test. Don't say something like "You didn't even taste it" because that is gaslighting. While it is reasonable to restrict unhealthy foods to a certain frequency, I think you should have safe foods at hand or at least present options between unknown foods. Find ways around food aversions. I have a fairly restrictive diet in the eyes of most Nts, but I can get nutrients into my system and use the energy I acquire to devote time to my passions. There is no right or wrong way to adequate nutrition as long as no gaslighting or poison-forcing is involved.

Friday, January 8, 2016

The Martyr Mommy's Primary Cognitive Functions

I am going to look at the martyr mommy (or daddy, but pattern occurs more in females) through the lens of cognitive functions. This is an archetype I am analyzing, not a specific person, so all accusations of personal attacks are null and void. I decided to look at this pattern through the lens of cognitive functions to examine why someone would make an active effort to exploit their children for pitiful praise.

Primary Processes:

The Base Function
The base function is the primary cognitive process one uses in order to execute various tasks. It is the function one naturally defers to, making it the default. This leads me to believe that the archetypal martyr mommy's dominant cognitive function is Fi, introverted feeling. Introverted feeling is about valuing, considering worth, using one's values to achieve accord, and telling whether one likes something. The martyr mommy uses their misguided values about their child in order to build communities and have others repeat the opinions they have formed. Not all Fi dom parents are martyr parents, but the archetype does heavily resemble Fi.

The Supporting/Auxiliary Function
The auxiliary function is the function one uses to support and affirm others. This function often works alongside the base function. The martyr mommy uses extroverted intuition, Ne, to pick apart what self-advocates say and make baseless accusations against them. She uses Ne, also, to read the stories of her kind and sympathize with them. Using Fi and Ne, the martyr mommy both cuts down self-advocates and builds up fear-soliciting parents by using her judgment of values and perceptions of formed contexts through what is said.

The Relief Role
The relief role is the role one uses to recharge and supply their energy reserves. This role is how one is creative and playful. When exhausted from their daily activities, the martyr mommy uses introverted sensing to review her past experiences with her child and uses them to generate her Internet content fodder. Since parents of this type are typically (or at least claim to be) under extreme stress, the relief function makes itself rather apparent. Recounting experiences and posting them for all to see and as a plea for pity is an example of the unhealthy Fi-Si loop.

The Aspirational Role
The inferior function or the aspirational role is used to project "shoulds", fears, and negatives onto others. It is this cognitive function that the martyr mommy's blog runs rampant with and may even be mistaken for her dominant function. The martyr mommy uses extroverted thinking, Te, to set and enforce her Internet locations' policies. She uses charts and graphs to organize data into effective propaganda for "awareness" and fearmongering. Using misleading statistics to promote snake oil cures is another way the martyr mommy uses Te as an aspirational role.

I am all about looking at disability issues through the lens of temperament theory. The archetypal martyr mommy most resembles an INFP Harmonizer Clarifier, but the martyr mommy neither harmonizes nor clarifies. Instead, she distorts and sows discord throughout the disability community. If you are an INFP, please be aware that I have nothing against INFPs. This is just a correlation resulting from the analysis of a specific archetype. Also be aware that the correlation is not the cause. Being an INFP does not cause martyr mommy-dom, but this type seems to be susceptible to it due to the nature of their cognitive functions. Again, this is just an archetype analysis. I am not accusing anyone of anything, just using Ne to make correlations and reveal patterns.

"Special Needs" Applies More to Temperament Than it Does to Disability

(Possible Trigger Warning: Ableist quotes with temperament in place of disability. This is intended to be humorous/satirical.)

Needing to eat, drink, excrete wastes, sleep, learn, live in adequate shelter, have society, be as emotionally secure as possible, and to have a means of meeting these needs are among the universal needs of humans. However, when those needs have to be met unconventionally, especially in the case of disability, they become "special".

The term "special"  means "specific for a person, place, or circumstance." Universal needs are not special needs no matter how they are met. Every human has these needs regardless of any other factors. The term "special needs" in reference to disability presents universal needs among the disabled as a foreign concept. Universal needs are universal needs regardless of who has them, how they are fulfilled, or which needs crop up at what time.

On the contrary, temperamental needs are not universal to every person, but are not called "special" needs. Most people recognize temperamental needs as valid although not everyone has the same temperamental needs. Temperamental needs are more "special" than disability-related needs as they are specific to one's temperament. However, most people accommodate the temperamental needs of others and discuss temperament in order to bridge rifts and promote morale in businesses. I have never heard of anyone being actively discriminated against based on their DiSC type or MBTI. However, discussion of disability-related needs, which are in direct correlation with universal needs, seems to create rifts between others rather than bridge them. Discrimination based on disability is more common than discrimination based on temperament. (I can't use statistics for effect because I don't have empirical data on this.)


I have also never heard anyone say the following:

"Oh, you're supine? That's such a pity. I had a relative who used to be a supine, but with (arcane pseudoscience/therapy/hard work/abuse), s/he became (other temperament).

"You're not a real sanguine. I know X, who is a real sanguine."

"You must be a very high-functioning phlegmatic."

"It's 'person with melancholy,' not 'melancholic!"

"I could see why X murdered their choleric child. Cholerics are such a burden on society. These pseudo-choleric 'advocates' have no idea what they're talking about. Haven't they walked in a parent's shoes?"

I see less active perpetuation of negative temperamental stereotypes than I do with disability stereotypes. Sure, there are negative temperamental stereotypes, but they are strongly discouraged and are rarely used to attack others. Temperament enthusiasts also take into account other factors that can play into making the individual such as upbringing, physical health, life experiences, gender, age, and other factors. With disability, however, diagnostic overshadowing leads one to overlook these factors along with temperament.

Diagnostic overshadowing can lead one to believe that temperamental characteristics are parts of a disability/illness when they are not. A choleric and a phlegmatic with the same condition will manage it differently. The choleric goes about their life with great levels of alacrity and energy no matter their
 circumstances while phlegmatics are more laid-back. Diagnostic overshadowing would lead one to believe that the said choleric's illness is "not that bad" when the choleric is just using their internal motivation to work around their illness. Meanwhile, the phlegmatic's fatigue may look like the main
issue when it is not. The choleric's temperamental needs are control and dominance, which a
phlegmatic avoids because assertion taxes their energy reserves.

My question is: Why are disability needs considered "special" and dismissed when they are just about how universal needs are met when temperamental needs, which are not universal, are considered and validated as actual needs?  I am an autistic choleric-sanguine, not a choleric-sanguine with autism or an autistic with choler and sanguine. My autism-related needs are as valid as my choleric-sanguine-related needs. These parts make the whole I am. Take away either part and I will not be who I am. My need for control is more "special" than my need to avoid foods that will make me vomit. I wish for all needs to be respected as valid no matter what they are and how they are to be met.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Disability and the Ten Terrains of Consciousness: An Introduction to the System

Since a poll told me to write about the ten terrains of consciousness, that is what I am writing about. Ten Terrains of Consciousness is a fairly new system (The test is under development.), so connecting it with disability will be more difficult than other systems, which have been around for hundreds (thousands in the case of the four original temperaments.

Ten Terrains of Consciousness is different from other temperament systems in that, unlike others, your terrain changes. A choleric-sanguine ENTP diamond can later become a choleric-sanguine ENTP toroid. Ten Terrains blurs the line between temperament and personality. According to Ten Terrains of Consciousness, your terrain is a set of instincts and beliefs that you tend towards.

In a nutshell, humoral systems (LaHaye blends, APS) are what you are, cognitive function and direction tests (MBTI, KTS, DiSC, Enneagram, and Socionics) determine how you are, and Ten Terrains enlightens you on why you are. Ten Terrains is the first dynamic system I have ever come across whilst researching temperament theory. This is what sets Ten Terrains from other systems.

The ten terrains are as follows:
Since a test is not available, I will wait until the test is available before extrapolating further on the Ten Terrains. The Ten Terrains theory is a relatively new system and is markedly different from other systems, so ask me questions about the Ten Terrains and disability. I think I might be a Diamond, but I cannot know for sure since a test is not available. Which path do you think you are on?