Promethea

As I grow further away from typology as an explain-all for personality, I still can't shake a few areas of it completely. Oddly, the main one is the enneagram variant stackings.

Enneagram in general, just like mbti or socionics, is a system that makes more sense in the early application than in the later application. At first, the potential anomalies look like unknowns -- then at some point in the actual understanding of the model, the anomalies truly seem to not fit neatly within the model. (And I won't try to sever someones wings and tentacles so that they will fit within a box that isn't a good fit.)

However, very often, a persons variant motivations explain a lot to me - even if their 'type' is hazy.

There was a popular application of enneagram primary types to 'unknowns' for a while that I observed.. however, in examining it for myself I find that its often inaccurate - therefore not a reliable technique to count on. If the shoe doesn't quite fit -- mostly simply isn't good enough.

Socionics quadras are another thing that I am more likely to apply, though I still take issue with some areas of socionics.

A commonality between quadras, and variants, could be nothing other than they are more broad. I think that personality is too complex to really nail it down to detailed absolutes -- and though sometimes I find someone who fits an exact "type" in a full string of letters and numbers (sure, they exist) - its rare.

These models are -at best- incomplete theories; and the way they are usually applied has everything to do with the bias of the person applying them, through their own perception, and interpretation of the theory.

In studying people since childhood, I have stored in my memory my own archetypes. Some of them are only in vague impressions - but when I encounter one again, its the same. There is an overall energy, attitude.. the drives are the same. I have tried to apply things in typology to them many times but it doesn't always fit neatly.

I have spoken of some in the intp 'stream of consciousness' thread in the past, and recently two more came to mind. Sometimes it takes years to flesh out the words for things only known in vague energies and impressions.

I might feel compelled to post more about these two here at some point. For now my mind is starting to wander again.