I had come up with the Trash, Roller, Leader divisions in college, upon moving to a very southern city from the effete northeast. It pretty well languished until I took some formal teaching courses. [No teaching, just teacher wife.]
There was put into another context the characteristics I'd seen: Trash were known in educational circles as Concrete [aka Literal, and Real.] All children start this way. They count on their fingers, place holders in Math would be useless without pennies and dimes. [Locally, they don't even have access to them-they are parents real money!]
At the other extreme is Abstract. These two create a continuum, an axis. Few people become proficient in abstract thought. But simple, normal intelligence generates it in adults. The difference between our abstract systems of Math, Philosophy and the typcal is that his units are real. Real people generate thoughts about feelings based on expression and previous history. People with real things, like cars, abstract when troubleshooting.
Additional to the axis of real and abstract, are related axis. How wide is your comfort zone, how far can that zone stretch. Clinton, born and bred to a real culture, can only do abtract as a stretch. He will snap back to normal. Under stress he goes to his comfort zone, which is quite real.
These axis are separate and combinable with morality axis, kindness, axis, etc.
Religious people tend toward real, more from the cultures where religion is important. Abstract religion is fully legit.
Moving to a rural southern hamlet kept my original three divisions in my head, until Clinton's scandal came up. Only recently did I see fit to incorporate Trash, Clinton, Real. |
