#i feel like my cognitive function and just. general maturity. ability. anything.

[pallas-cat]

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[elaho]

Stardew Valley MBTI x Enneagram: Alex

Following my last post about the Stardew marriage candidates and their MBTI types, I've been learning more about Enneagram, how it pairs with MBTI, and how it changes some of the typical characteristics of each type.

The Enneagram and MBTI complement each other wonderfully, providing greater depth and understanding of how a person interacts with the world [Cognitive Functions] and their motivations why [Core Desire/Core Fear]. So without further ado, here are my thoughts on each marriage candidate's Enneagram paired with their MBTI, starting with Alex.

Alex - ESTP 3w2: “The Ultimate Showman”

“ESTP 3w2 lives for the limelight and adoration. However, there’s more. The ESTP 3w2 is goal-oriented with a touch of generosity. They are the game-changers and dealbreakers. Because they have type 2 as a wing, they also want appreciation for their heroics. They turn the aggressive nature of the ESTP into something more entertaining to watch.” – Personality Hunt

Alex’s Core Desire: To be successful

The core desire of the ESTP 3w2 is to be successful. Alex's dream is to become a professional gridball player -- and enjoy all the fame and fortune that comes with it. He measures his success and sense of self-worth on external admiration and appreciation from others.

"You know, I used to want fame and fortune, but lately I've been starting to sing a different tune.”

“Yes... I know. That's why I've been so determined to be successful with my sports stuff...Make it or not... As long as I try my hardest, I think [my mom]'d be proud. Thanks.”

Alex’s Core Fear: To be seen as a failure

The core fear of the ESTP 3w2 is to be seen as a failure. Alex fears being viewed as a failure or worthless, especially by those closest to him. He perceives his sense of failure or worthlessness from external criticism or other's lack of appreciation [whether real or not].

“… [my dad] ruined everything for me and my mom… he'd drink all night and tell me I'm worthless, that I'd never amount to anything.”

“That's insane. You're just jealous that I'm talented and popular and you're not.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

How Enneagram 3w2 changes typical ESTP behaviour: New Strengths

1. Extra Charming

ESTPs are naturally charming, but ESTP 3w2s take this to a new level. Type 3s are excellent at persuasion and subtle manipulation, enhancing the ESTP's natural Extroverted Feeling [Fe] ability to woo and flatter others.

Examples:

“Hey, now that's what I'm talking about! You're cooler than I thought.”

"Heard you caught some kind of rare fish? I'm impressed. Your arms must be stronger than they look! pinch … not bad!"

"Hey, Farmer. Did you do something different with your hair? Something keeps grabbing my attention.",

"Hey, you look like you're getting into some good shape this summer! All that farm work is paying off, huh?"

2. More Helpful

Type 2s are known for being helpful, and because of this, ESTP 3w2s often find joy in helping others. Their motives might sometimes be questionable due to being type 3 but mature 3w2s can make generous and inspiring leaders.

Examples:

“If I ever make a lot of money, I'll make sure all my friends and family are taken care of. That means you, too.”

“I've been setting aside a few scraps for Dusty. He deserves a treat now and then.”

"Hey, honey! I made you a hot breakfast. If you want to get strong, you have to eat like you mean it!” "I'm still getting used to cooking and doing laundry… It's not exactly my favorite, but I knew what I was getting into when I married you." "There's a couple things around the house that I'm going to try and fix today. Don't worry about me, I'm not bored."

3. More Tactful

ESTPs are known for being blunt and tactless, but 3w2s realize that to help get what they want, being tactful has benefits. This only applies if they want to get close to someone or if it's with someone they respect. With everyone else, they typically don't care.

Examples:

“Oh wow...your shoes are a little dirty... but that's fine, too! Different people have different tastes I guess.” [Four Hearts] [Beach invite accept] "Of course you do. If you didn't I'd think you were crazy. Or some kind of nerd" [Beach invite rejection] "Really? You must be some kind of weirdo."

4. Better Work Ethic

The combination of Type 3 and ESTP makes them highly self-motivated and goal-oriented. As a result, ESTP 3w2s are true powerhouses of determination who go hard for their beliefs and stop at nothing to achieve their dreams.

Examples:

"I'm going to be the first professional gridball player from Stardew Valley… There's no doubt in my mind. I already led my school's team to the regional playoffs… Now I'm just training and getting stronger so I can claim my spot on the roster of the Zuzu City Tunnelers. You just wait!

5. More Disciplined

ESTPs aren't the most organized people, but because of the ESTP 3w2s' need to be successful, they are a bit more disciplined than typical ESTPs; However, they still tend to be scatterbrained in other aspects of life.

Examples:

“I'm going to do two hundred sit-ups tonight. I'm pretty dedicated, aren't I?”

“Oh, I almost forgot! It's my day for doing push-ups! Every time I do push-ups I try to do one more than last time.” “You have to work really hard if you want to achieve your maximum potential.”

“ My arms are really sore, but that's the sign of progress for a guy like me. I must've done a thousand push-ups yesterday.”

"Sorry my room is so messy. It's just hard to always remember to clean. I'm trying to get better, though."

6. Better Fashion Sense

Due to their primary function [Extroverted Sensing], ESTPs typically have an eye for beauty or aesthetically pleasing things. ESTP 3w2s, however, take their appearance much more seriously than just simple appreciation. Because type 2s and 3s are highly concerned with public appearances and reputation, ESTP 3w2s have a strong sense of fashion.

Examples:

“Did you get new pants? You're doing something right.”

“Did you do something different with your hair? Something keeps grabbing my attention.”

“If my hair wasn't so popular with the ladies, I swear I'd shave it all off in a second.”

"There's some weird people living in this town…like that guy Sebastian. Why does he wear black all the time? I don't get it."

New Weaknesses

1. Loss of Identity/Self-Awareness

ESTP 3w2s are masters at adapting to people's desires and emotions but they also risk losing their sense of self in others. As a result, ESTPs wear a facade for long periods. And when they have to drop the mask, they can't remember who they are.

Examples:

"I've started to realize that… well, that I've been really rude towards you in the past. You know, about going pro and all that. I guess I might not actually be cut out for professional sports… maybe it was just a childish dream… you know? " "Look at all these books. I haven't read a single one. Just the thought of cracking one open makes me nervous. But you can't make a decent living in this world without a brain…I'm worthless…"

2. Need for External Validation

Because ESTP 3w2s are self-image-focused, they highly value motivation and encouragement through external validation - it gives them the drive to keep pushing. The dangerous side is that they can view their accomplishments as less valuable if they don't receive recognition for their efforts. They can fish for compliments or get cranky if they don't feel appreciated. At worst, this can lead to serious self-doubt. But ESTPs are tenacious and will quickly bounce back regardless.

Examples:

"*sniff*... "Oh… Farmer. You saw me crying. ... "So… What are you thinking right now? "Well, there's no sense sitting around sniveling… let's head back to town. "Um… Farmer? Don't tell anyone I was crying. Okay?"

“Hey, can I ask you something? Do you think the ladies like my haircut?”

“Hey, I've been practicing twice as hard so I can turn pro and prove you wrong. You just wait.”

"Well, I'm not going to give up! If I work hard, I can do anything!"

3. Mild/Moderate People-Pleasing

"The need to be appreciated and to excel makes the ESTP 3w2s mild people-pleasers. However, make no mistake. The act of people-pleasing is only done when it benefits them. This personality type is always playing the long game. If people pleasing can get them there, so be it." - Personality Hunt

Examples:

“Hey Farmer girl. You've got a nice tan going. The more I practice this summer, the easier it'll be for me to go pro. Then you'd be able to say you knew me once. Cool, huh?” Hey, when I turn pro you can say you were my first "fan". Not bad, huh?

"Hey, you must be getting pretty strong working on that farm all day. Maybe you'll reach my level some day. Something to look forward to, huh?"

4. Chronic Workaholics

ESTP 3w2s have an incredible work ethic, but this can also be detrimental if they aren't careful. ESTP 3w2s who don't prioritize their health and relationships alongside their goals risk becoming workaholics. This is especially true if they become competitive or are trying to help someone else achieve their goals alongside their own. Their personal well-being and relationships often suffer as a result.

Examples:

“I've been trying to do more reading lately... I feel like I've been neglecting my brain for years because of my athletic obsession.”

5. Bad Financial Decisions

ESTPs aren't the best at managing money, and being a 3w2 makes this even worse. Because they want to impress others, they will often make extravagant purchases to look more successful or affluent than they really are. This can also apply if they want to appear helpful to others, giving expensive gifts beyond their financial means.

Examples:

“I got these new shoes yesterday 'cuz my old pair had a brown smudge. I just threw them into the garbage.” "Hey, Farmer. Before you head out…I hate to ask this… but can I have 5,000g? It's for a secret project I'm working on… I know we have a joint bank account, but I thought I should ask anyway."

"Thanks again for the money, Farmer. It was a fun project for me, and all the guys seem happy with it!"

------------------------------------------------------------------

Conclusion

Though it can be challenging to type Alex [or any fictional character, for that matter] with 100% accuracy, given everything we know about his character and his personal growth throughout the game, I believe is strong evidence to suggest that Alex is an ESTP 3w2.

His Enneagram type 3 desire for fame and recognition, paired with his MBTI cognitive strengths as an ESTP, makes watching his character transform from an arrogant, superficial man with an unhealthy obsession with becoming a professional athlete into a caring, supportive, and devoted friend/partner to the farmer incredibly satisfying. Do you agree that Alex is an ESTP 3w2? If not, what type do you think he is? Let me know your thoughts in the comments :)

--------------------------------------------------------------------- References:

Personality Hunt: ESTP 3w2 - The Complete Guide

[funkymbtifiction]

IDK who I am?

Ok so this is kind of a whole ass mess, I started off with a question that would make it a useful read for everyone and not a waste of time, but it ended up being a bit of a personal advice question so I hope that’s ok.

What would cause unhealthiness in a type? Most of the time, i feel like i’m a healthy ENTP, but multiple arguments with my ESFJ (or ESTJ?) mom have caused me to seriously doubt myself in many ways over the years. I read that an unhealthy ENTP can be argumentative, unwilling to drop arguments, etc. These are all things my mom tells me I do, along with not taking responsibility and making excuses. I’m 18 now and we don’t argue that much but we did a lot when I was around 13-15 and kind of, ya know, going through it as teenagers do. And since my mom has basically always used these same digs at me, I’ve assumed that maybe that’s the reason that it really hurts whenever those same digs are brought up now, and basically I have a lot of self doubt and am insecure about being an immature version of my type (because that would mean that i’ve been in the wrong in so many instances in my life if everything my mom says about me is true, and i think that sentence in itself proves my mom right in that i don’t like taking accountability.) As I’m typing this, I’m wondering if maybe that fear of being an unhealthy version of my type or admitting my faults could be related to enneagram ?? Anyways, I know that nobody’s perfect and can definitely appear even worse especially in conflict, I just sometimes wonder if i’m unhealthy or a completely different type altogether. That’s another thing, I’m always trying to find an answer to things, but have a hard time settling on just one. This could be another reason for my self-doubt. I guess my question, after that exhausting story, is WHY? I go back and forth between caring or not caring about personality type, but I’m in a particular stage right now where i care and really just wanna know why i am the way i am (i’m in a bit of desperate state of mind rn lol.) I don’t know if i gave enough info for you to answer this, but what causes me to fear failure so much? Does it have to do with being raised by an ESxJ? Or is it related to enneagram? Or something else altogether? Also, am i even an entp?? you’d probably need to know more about me, but from the way I wrote this, could you give me anything? I’m asking for so much right now, I’d honestly be annoyed at me. But I’ve been so unsure about so many things lately and I just want one thing in my life I can be at least a little more sure about.

I’m sorry you are in a place of feeling like you aren’t sure who you are; if it helps, most people who embark on MBTI journeys face that, sooner or later. And it often precedes a period of self-understanding that helps you find your type, because you start focusing on how you respond to things and how you get things done, rather than what others are telling you about yourself, and linking that to specific functions.

So much hyper-focus on what your mom says about you either indicates you are a high feeler (FJ seems more reasonable than FP at this point, since it’s not about defending self from the outside world, but wondering if what others say about you is true; but if you are sure of Ne-dom, I’d look into ENFP also) or in a Fe-loop. EFJs often mistype as ETPs at first, because they don’t realize how much they lack a specific sense of self, because their entire identity is built on how others perceive, relate to, and speak to them. If this has been a persistent concern for as long as you can remember, consider EFJ (most ETPs at your age care way less what others think, and way more about how they can ‘use’ them to get what they want, since Fe is just a tool for them and not a place of ‘being’).

If you are an ENTP, you sound as if you are in a Fe-related loop, excessively ruminating on others’ external views of  you and causing you to wonder if you are really the irresponsible jerk they tell you that you are. To break this loop, you need to get back into Ti and return to building inner frameworks of logical understanding and consistency. Your natural, healthy tendency will be to notice flaws in arguments, belief systems, and logical inconsistencies, and point them out to yourself and others. You should be learning ‘how things work,’ and not worrying so much ‘how others are reacting to me.��

To gain a better understanding of oneself, you need to put your mother’s criticisms into perspective. Is she the sort of person who finds something harsh and critical to say about everyone, all the time? Or is it just you? What is the objective truth in her digs? Can you come up with specific examples of you doing the things she is accusing you of, or is it just generalization on both your part?

Immature (and at 18, you can’t be anything else, cognitively) ETPs are prone to not taking personal responsibility for themselves and making excuses about it, yes. Ti can rationalize, argue, avoid, and shift responsibility away from self (a natural behavior of unhealthy Fe) rather than simply admit, “What I did was wrong, and I’m sorry.” Arguing, for an ETP, is like breathing – they are so good at it, and so self-assured of thinking up an excuse for everything they do in order to justify their “what I want” based thinking, they forget that their “fun banter” is actually seen as “aggressive behavior” from feeling types. (Sherlock is a great example of what I am talking about.)

If you think your mom has a point, and you can come up with times when you did avoid taking personal responsibility, you have a choice – to work on next time refusing to give an excuse, humbling yourself and admitting you didn’t do what you were supposed to do, or you were selfish and ate the last bag of chips in the house, or whatever else she “gets on you” for. You can also start taking “adult initiative” and doing “mature” things around the house, to show her you are taking responsibility for your stuff, your chores, your bills, etc. The only way to convince an ESJ that you are a mature adult is to consistently act like one and show them you are being responsible with your decisions. Part of being a mature adult, regardless of type, is admitting when you are wrong and taking responsibility for the problems/pain you cause.

If she is criticizing / nitpicking needlessly, analyze her and think about her reasons why she might be doing this, or feels the need to bring others down, or is being “hard” on you in particular. There are many factors that go into people’s behaviors. Do you remind her of someone she used to know, who went the wrong way in life, and is she associating your behaviors with that person’s downward path? High Si’s are prone to instant sensory comparisons of that nature. SJs are also highly responsible people, very driven, who have a specific idea of “how the world works,” and how YOU will have to be, to succeed in it. (IE, 9/5 job, be responsible, buy car insurance, save for retirement, take care of your family, etc). This is how and why they clash with the “when I see it, I’ll know I want to do it, and do it for awhile, and then find something else to do” fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants EP types.

With parents, it’s also important to remember their bias. Their opinion of you is just their opinion. What matters more out in the world is what your boss, your coworkers, and other people who have a direct financial impact on you as an adult in the workforce think of you. Your parents have watched you grow up. Seen all the good and bad things. Things that do not matter at all in the workforce, and that nobody knows about, outside the family. Things that do not have to ‘define you’ as an adult. EJ parents can also have a lot of trouble transitioning from being “parent” to “friend” – she is used to being your “mom.” So, prove her wrong. What can you do to show her you’re an adult?

You might also be an Enneagram 9 or 6 (both, Tritype-wise, is likely) which is messing with your ability to have a concrete sense of self.

Once you’re in college, your functions will show clearer. Heavy school work / an environment where you need to please peers and teachers will bring out lower functional development.

- ENFP Mod

[leahazel]

7KPP MBTI - over-long and completely unedited meta

I’m just copy/pasting this from my notes software with no editing. If you’re brave enough to read the whole thing, more power to you. It’s about 3K words all in all.

I was in a doctor's waiting room this morning (I have the flu and I was waiting for a chest x-ray) and while I waited, I was thinking about some recent thoughts I had about D&F, and how they've changed my mind on some MBTI typings I've had for the 7KPP NPCs. I've been musing on the MBTI subject on and off for as long as I've been playing the game (first post here: https://leahazel.tumblr.com/post/126655090075/congratulations-on-the-kickstarter-also-if), and I've typed most of my own MCs and other OCs. In fact, for some of them, their MBTI and enneagram types are pretty central to their character arc.

But some characters are more well-developed than others, and some are quite difficult to type. And, of course, impressions are subjective. Since I'm fluish and too tired to actually write any fanfic (I have several unfinished), I might as well do a proper post of all my typings.

If I were at full strength, I'd so a whole resources section with links about what MBTI is and how it works. Since I'm not, I'll give the bare minimum background. MBTI is a personality typing system based on Jungian cognitive function theory. You can find everything from official descriptions written by professionals, to jokey quizzes and Tumblr memes, all over the internet. My favorite fannish MBTI account is @funkymbtifiction. I love their character typings and I rely on them for nuanced takes on the different types.

Without getting too much into my typing philosophy, here are the 7KPP NPCs, grouped somewhat arbitrarily.

Introverted sensing types

The four types marked SJ use the introverted sensing function as either their primary or auxiliary cognitive function. Stereotypically, Si-using types are hidebound, dutiful and traditional, reliable but also stubborn and rigid. Certainly unhealthy SJ types act like this a lot of the time. More mature, healthier people of the same types have access to all of Si's strengths -- an eye for detail, conscientious work ethic, a strong sense of honor -- while being aware of their weaknesses, and compensating for them.

ISTJ - Cordelia and Jasper are both ISTJ types. They share some of the same strengths and vulnerabilities. Both are very emotionally contained, but have difficulty expressing affection openly. At the same time, they have a strong moral compass and inner sense of right and wrong. This is typical of the Te/Fi function pair in the secondary/tertiary positions. Both of them have personal dilemmas and character journeys revolving around the tension between tradition and novelty. When frustrated or at a loss, they're prone to retreating into loops of rumination (Si-Fi loop), or spiraling into anxiety about future possibilities and everything that can possibly go wrong (inferior Ne). Cordelia is the more stable of the two. When we meet Jasper, he's already in the midst of a personal crisis. I suspect Sayra is also an ISTJ and generally write her with this type in mind, but not enough is known of her to pin her type down.

ISFJ - Penelope and Ria are both ISFJ types. Both of them are kind, gentle and helpful as ISFJs often (stereotypically) are, and are prone to putting other people's needs ahead of their own, as Fe-users often are. ISFJs thrive on the power of friendship and community, and excel at promoting harmony for the benefit of all. Disharmony, cruelty and rudeness make them anxious and upset, but they also possess hidden reservoirs of both fortitude and courage, especially in defense of others. As Si-users, they have a keen appreciation for the aesthetics of small, everyday details, and as Fe-users, they feel a strong need to put up a persona that reflects what others expect of them. When their desires are at odds with group harmony, they can struggle to assert themselves. Both Penelope and Ria have character arcs that show them to be strongly motivated by a sense of justice and fairness, being stronger than they initially appear to be, and willing to come into conflict with established mores when necessary.

ESTJ - General Falon is an ESTJ, and I believe he's the only one out of the characters I've named here (there are some characters that I don't feel I know enough about to type). As Falon is a minor character and not very well-developed, he adheres closely to ESTJ stereotypes and doesn't provide much nuance. He's driven by duty and honor and values tradition, hierarchy and efficiency. When driven out of his comfort zone he becomes easily flustered. He has a hard time seeing things from other people's point of view, is weak at diplomacy, and his discourse style lacks tact. Many traits that are typical of the extroverted thinking function.

ESFJ - Emmett and Lisle are both ESFJ types, and both pretty typical, although in slightly different ways. Here's the controversial part: I now think Jarrod is also an ESFJ, and I'll explain why, but I want to start with the simpler, more linear characterization.

ESFJ types use extroverted feeling as their leading cognitive function. It's a powerful emotional function that excels at both reading people's behavior and intentions, and reflecting that behavior back at them. Fe-dom types, when healthy, switch handily between personas appropriate to their surroundings, they know how to read the room's mood, and when they want to influence people, they know how to form an argument that's tailored to their conversation partner. On the downside, Fe-users can get lost in their masks or lose sight of their own goals, because they read other people's desires so readily. When supported by Si, introverted sensing, their desire for stability and continuity can hinder them from considering the possibilities of positive change. They can be cautious to a fault. Lisle is a typical ESFJ and his difficulty in opening up about negative emotions can be attributed his the Fe-driven desire to promote social harmony above all. Emmett does not initially seem like an SJ type or a J type at all, because judging types are not usually perceived as being as open-minded and easy-going as he is. This however is more of an adaptation to the circumstances his family life thrust him into, not by his own decision, and Emmett several times expresses a desire for a more stable home and family life.

Now, about Jarrod. On the face of it, his behavior is more consistent with a thinking type than a feeling type. He has no patience for anything soft or tender, he's quite aggressive and demanding, comfortable handing out orders. These are behaviors associated especially with extroverted thinking, which would make one think he should be an ESTJ or ENTJ. Likely ESTJ, since he shows a clear preference for a stable subjective sensory environment, typical of an Si-user. In fact, I'd initially typed him as ESTJ and I was comfortable with that typing until recently. However! You can't type a character based only on a type's weaknesses. If he's really an ESTJ, he should have an ESTJ's strengths, too. Looking at General Falon, he might be hidebound and inflexible, but he's also hard-working, efficient, and has the kind of natural air of authority that's so useful to a general. Jarrod yells at servants, but struggles to get them to obey his orders. He's not very organized or efficient, and can't manage to wake up on time even with a battery of servants at his disposal. The only sphere he shows any discipline in at all is his physical training. He's... not very smart, and his week one dialogue shows a lack of basic strategic understanding, quite aside from being tragically ill-informed. Jarrod doesn't act like an ESTJ, he acts like someone trying to be an ESTJ and failing, badly.

In MBTI circles, a lot is made of statistics that show that thinking types are disproportionately men, and feeling types are disproportionately female. This affects a lot of people's self-typing, because it introduces bias. Gender norms in the 7KPP universe are based on our own, and while we haven't seen a lot of direct evidence of the idea that men are inherently more logical and less emotional than women... it's not implausible that this belief is just as common in the Seven Kingdoms as it is in reality. Jarrod's particular flavor of "rationality" looks a lot more like the rationalization of a feeling type, in the grip of his inferior thinking function. The Si/Ne function pair still fits, and so ESFJ is my conclusion. I would elaborate and say that the mimicking abilities  of extroverted feeling as a dominant function are especially suited to a young person attempting to emulate a stronger personality in order to gain acceptance and social cachet.

...Wow. That was long.

Extroverted sensing types:

SPs, sensing perceiving types, are very different from sensing judging types. The sensory cognitive function they use is extroverted, less subjective and personal than Si, more grounded in external reality. This makes them more flexible but also more disorganized. Part of the reason why so many cast members are Si-users is because the Summit itself is such a socially rigid environment, where perceiving types in general are less likely to fit in. Se-users especially are more impulsive and that's reflected well in the two main SP types in the cast, Hamin and Anaele. Both of them struggle with the strictures of the Summit's schedule and rigid behavioral codes, and are constantly seeking outlets for their enormous physical and social energy.

Aly has said explicitly that Hamin is an ESFP, and that tracks. His superficial behavior is driven overwhelmingly by the demands of the energetic Se function, which demands a lot of attention and forms most of his public persona, his reputation. His quieter, more hidden side is emotionally driven and has a strong moral core looking for an outlet, both in terms of his desire to do right in the world, and in terms of his strong interpersonal relationships. Subtler still, you can see the signs of his tertiary function, Te, in his leadership ability and his efficiency in accomplishing tasks -- as long as he deems them important enough to be worth his attention (Fi-Te). Thinking about the future makes him anxious, because his future-oriented inferior Ni function is weak and under-developed. That's the main thrust of his personal character arc.

I went back and forth on Anaele, but eventually typed her as an ESTP. ESTP and ESFP types can appear similar some of the time, simply because the leading function is so extroverted it can overwhelm the expression of the auxiliary function, especially in public. Ana's Ti function isn't always super obvious, but her tertiary Fe is evident in her constantly struggling with the idea of social consensus and social responsibility. Her reputation and the reputation of her warriors is important to her, as is Skalt's standing among the kingdoms and her standing with her mother. At the same time, she resents the need to fit in and to conform herself to other people's ideas about who she is and how she should behave. She also has some of the positive aspects of tertiary Fe, she can be charming and reassuring and supportive, and generally has a good grasp of how to influence the mood of the room, when she's willing to put in the effort. Her insistence on speaking with Skaltic cadences even though she knows they sound wrong to the speakers of the common language is exactly the kind of stubborn oppositional behavior typical of ESTPs who like to provoke a reaction, without necessarily thinking through what they're provoking.

Jaslen and Blain are also probably ESP types, but I'm not confident about their typing, at least not enough to pin a specific type.

Introverted intuition types:

NJ types are targets for all sorts of stereotypes and mystification in MBTI communities. In fiction, they often appear as extraordinary characters, world-changing types, great heroes or villains or even mentors. The Ni function is described as being big picture oriented, very abstract, intuitive and futuristic. Judging intuitives sometimes seem to be reaching for "a target no one else can see", which is probably why they're often seen as being intellectual or artistic geniuses. Or, at least, really good at faking it. NJ types in the 7KPP universe are usually characters who are hiding important secrets, mostly about things bigger than themselves. They're driven by great conviction and not easily derailed from their plans.

ENFJ: Aly has stated that this is her type and also Clarmont's type, and in fact a significant part of his characterization seems to revolve around it. Feeling types are more ethically-driven than thinking types, at least stereotypically, and Clarmont is not an exception. He has a vision for the future that he's willing to sacrifice for. He has deep convictions, but he's also able to dine and dance with his mortal enemies, without betraying his true thoughts or feelings. In fact, he so excels at hiding his intentions that the Matchmaker makes a point of remarking on it.

INFJ: Look, I know I just said that feeling types are ethical, but the prototypical INFJ in the 7KPP verse is Gisette. It's easiest to explain by contrasting her with Avalie. Both Gisette and Avalie show certain common traits: they are contained, composed, ambitious, manipulative, and unscrupulous. They both know how to pull people's strings and like peeking inside people's heads to see through to their true intentions. The difference is, the way they do it is different. Avalie is a thinking type, and she operates like a chess player. She sets people in scenarios that cause them to reveal themselves. Gisette is an INFJ, and her auxiliary function is extroverted feeling. To execute her grand vision (Ni), she manipulates people through social convention, using gossip to tear down reputations and carefully curating her own public image. Gisette's weak one event is absolutely typical of an amoral FE-user. She doesn't hesitate to use the power of social convention to position people according to her needs. He tertiary Ti function shines through in her tactical thinking skills, and her inferior Se function is apparent in her love of fashion, as well as her ability to pounce on opportunities when her carefully laid plans go awry.

As a side note, I believe that Countess Yvette is also an INFJ, but it's harder to gather evidence for it, since she has a fairly minor role, all in all.

INTJ: Avalie and Woodly are both INTJs. INTJ is often touted as the chessmaster type, and it makes perfect sense as a type for people who prefer pulling strings in the background, as opposed to openly passing out orders, like General Falon. Not much more to be said about that, except that the manifestation of INTJ functions can be affected by social convention. Avalie is an attractive young woman and Woodly is an older man who is much more socially established, and naturally this affects how agreeably they interact with others. Thinking types are not stereotypically known as being particularly polite or graceful, in the social sense. But, the introverted intuition function is very calculating, and the extroverted thinking function is results-driven. With time, a woman with a TJ type can learn to mimic behaviors that create the illusion of the feminine softness that's expected of her. Avalie in particular does this very well.

ENTJ: My second controversial typing, I insist that Zarad is an ENTJ. The persona he puts up is that of an ESFP, like Hamin, but as his opening narration says, no one whose reputation is that consistent can be exactly what he seems. Zarad's public persona, that of the careless flirt and black sheep, is a bit too much of a textbook description of an ESFP. It lacks the depth and nuance of Hamin's internal conflict. Putting up an elaborate facade for years on end is not something that an Fi-user, like an ESFP, is typically proficient in. A judging type is more likely to succeed at this, specifically either an Fe-dom or a Te-dom. The reason why I zeroed in on ENTJ for his true type, is that ENTJs and ESFPs have the same cognitive functions, but in a different stacking. This commonality would allow Zarad to more effectively access the thought process that would be typical of the type he's assuming -- it's all there under the surface, it's just not his natural, instinctual behavior. I also think part of the reason that he and Hamin collaborate so well is that they're not the same type, but rather they complement each other's strengths and weaknesses. The confounding factor is that the difference between Hamin and Zarad is not just in type, but in environment. Hamin definitely couldn't maintain the type of long-term deceit that Zarad engages in, but maybe an ESFP who was raised in the secretive and backstabbing Corvali imperial court could.

Extroverted intuitive function:

The only NP type in the cast, as far as I can tell, is Lyon. He is canonically an INTP, which Aly has confirmed is based on several of her family members. His introverted thinking function fixates on the idea of an internal, consistent and logical inner world, at the cost of interacting with the messy and subjective outer world. This causes him to rationalize emotional behavior patterns and close himself off. As part of his character arc, the auxiliary function of extroverted intuition opens up possibilities for him, because what Ne excels at most is offering up lots of alternative explanations based on existing parameters. For example, "what if not everyone hates me?" or, "what if sometimes things actually go right?" I'm being sarcastic about this because I'm an Ne-user myself, so I'm allowed.

Odds and ends:

Minor characters like Imogen and Mrs. White don't have types, because we don't know them well enough. Specifically, we don't get to contrast their typical, healthy behavior with their behavior under stress. Kade, Leala and Greer don't yet have types or enough characterization for typing, but based on my intuition and what I've learned about Aly's writing, I have preliminary predictions. Leala is probably an ESFP like Hamin. Greer is most likely an INTP, or else possibly an ISTJ or even ESTJ. I would guess that she's an introvert, but as her leading function is definitely a thinking one (as her blunt speaking style reveals), Te-dom is also a possibility. Kade is a bit of a wild card, but I'm placing bets on either ISTP or ENTP, just for the sake of novelty.

Among my own problem princesses, I have an assortment of at least three quarters of the types. Least represented are the FP types, excepting Princess Felicity, who's an ENFP, and widow Selene, who's an ISFP. If you add in the supporting OCs, they really run the gamut.

[ganymedesclock]

A question about your Lance meta - you keep calling Lance the heart of Voltron but isn't Allura herself the heart of Voltron? Like Lance himself calls her the heart in show

You don’t think it’s a titch ironic that someone would call another person the heart while providing them with emotional certainty and support?

To be a bit more direct, what Lance is explicitly saying is this is the role of the Blue Paladin. He prefaces it by saying “The Blue Lion chose you for a reason” implying everything that follows is what Blue seeks in a paladin.

My personal take on the whole Lion choices is that the first paladin they chose reflects their virtues the most clearly. Thus, with the information that the Blue Paladin is the heart of the team, it makes sense that Lance, who was Blue’s first choice, embodies those virtues to the core.

Furthermore, I would argue that Allura is essential to Voltron, but she’s not the heart. Not the way that’s usually conceptualized in ensemble shows. So let’s talk character roles for a second.

Simply enough, protagonists have a tendency to come in sets of five, and, they fall roughly along these lines.

There’s the Leader. This is usually the main character. When you see people assuming the Black Paladin is the most/only important character, that’s because they’re falling into this cognitive trap. The Leader is virtually always the face of the team and the final decision maker, the one who is thematically opposed to the main villain, and usually the show is named after them.

The leader has a Right Hand. Virtually always, a dynamic force who thematically opposes the Leader. If the Leader is fiery, passionate, and tactless, the Right Hand will be a cool, aloof perfectionist. If the Leader is compassionate, the Right Hand is callous. They’re set up as a significant foil. This sense of opposition basically means that they usually walk a fine line between the Leader’s best friend and worst enemy.

Then, there’s the Brains. While the Leader and Right Hand are usually more flexible, able to accommodate a wide variety of characters, Brains is a bit more rigid- they are, in short, the intellectual, the cognitive, They-Who-Exposit. Usually fits some manner of nerd stereotype and is often framed as lacking in “street smarts” or social skills.

The second skill-defined character is the Brawn. Sometimes stoic and honorable, sometimes bloodthirsty and brash. Usually the physically largest member of the team and defined by strength. Sometimes set up as an opposition to the Brains as someone with more “practical” skills versus the erudite manner of Brains.

And then, of course, the Heart. The Heart is the compassionate, emotional, nurturing member of the team. If there’s a healer, it’s probably them. While this sounds wonderful... it’s worth noting the Heart is one of the most chronically disrespected roles in the hero team. Virtually always, if you have a hero team with only one girl, she’s the Heart. There’s often a point made that the Heart is weaker than all of their associates, has less cool abilities, and struggles with feeling useless or not being able to keep up.

Keep in mind that TVTropes, which, for better and for worse, reflects popular media attitudes pretty well, calls this role “The Chick” and defines it thusly:

The "feminine", "spiritual", and "heart", aspect of the Five-Man Band... and generally the only woman.

It's the people she gathers and keeps at her side who'll do a lot of the heavy lifting. She'll encourage loyalty and teamwork, give them the courage or hope to unlock their true potential, be a Token Good Teammate that keeps her friends from Jumping Off the Slippery Slope. She's usually a Nice Girl, but her demeanor can go anywhere from shy and demure, to brave and adventurous. She is rarely The Heroine of a story.

Her functional role will often be The Heart, the social influence of the group. Sometimes this means she'll serve as the Team Mom, taking care of the smaller details, both within the group and in the world outside. She looks after innocents, delivers The Aesop, mediates the arguments, and slaps some sanity on The Lancer before he ends up getting too dark. It's not the coolest job in the world, but it's helpful.

Note the implications: passiveness, especially in the sense that, when written poorly, this character sacrifices their own emotional depth to be a sounding board, support, and voice of reason for the entire rest of the team. At a glance, they’re flattered by being treated as so mature and wise, where their only “problem” is not being able to help enough- but, like I said. I think that the Heart is probably the single most widely disrespected hero out of this formation. 

Their work is devalued and they’re are often regarded as far more passive than they really are. This is especially true in more individualistic stories, because the Heart is in essence defined by being not just a team player, but the team player. So they’re treated as someone who “settles” or is less ambitious than their peers.

Now, I think because the Heart is, for lack of a better word, traditionally feminine, pretty much every previous incarnation of Voltron has had Allura in this role.

In prior versions of Voltron, the formation went like this:

Keith was the Leader, with Lance as his Right Hand. They usually contrasted in that Keith was the calmer and more sensitive one, while Lance is virtually always the literal and figurative hothead. Pidge and Hunk slotted into Brains and Brawn, this left first Sven (for his incredibly brief tenure on the team), then Allura, as Heart.

Here’s the thing: VLD is a complete departure from that setup on the most fundamental level of how these characters were conceptualized.

Shiro is the clear and obvious Leader archetype. Thematically he’s set as Zarkon’s rival, much emphasis and significance is placed on his relationship with the Black Lion. And he has multiple connections to the team and to the conflict, which is significant, when...

Keith is an equally obvious Right Hand. Again, it’s worth noting his prior incarnations, which have held Shiro’s position, are far more levelheaded, sometimes to the point of being stoic and hard to read. When the Leader archetype is a joining thread to the team, Keith, in a much more classic Right Hand manner, largely defines his position on the team by his loyalty to Shiro- and his connections with the team, and his ability to lead and inspire them, is incredibly tenuous.

Pidge and Hunk are the only ones who have remained in their usually established roles of Brain and Brawn- in this case, playing up not the difference in intelligence versus brute strength, but, the difference between highly cognitive, erudite, stereotypical intelligence versus highly tactile, practical, and even artistic intelligence. (Look at the careful presentation and flair Hunk puts into his cooking, for example)

(I’ll get back to Lance)

Now, when the formation changes in s3e1, I would say that people’s narrative roles actually don’t change as much as they appear to.

What appears to happen is that Keith becomes the Leader, Lance the Right Hand, and Allura steps up as the Heart. This is what would be implied by Lance telling Allura this in s4e6.

But remember, the Lions are arguably connected to these roles- and our heroes are limited by how much they can act like this given role.

Keith is shown to be repeatedly frustrated by Black, demanding answers they do not give, struggling to maneuver their larger and heavier body. He’s framed as unworthy of the Leader mantle as illustrated partially by the fact that the other two Leader figures- Zarkon and Lotor- both have very disproportionate fights with Keith, in which both are shown to utterly dismiss Keith, and not just in a, “I am evil and greater than you” manner, but, in that they do not, in any meaningful thematic manner, recognize him as a rival, nor does he give them any reason to. (more on that, here)

Rather... the person who steps into the Leader mantle, who emerges central to plot lines, and is the one person acknowledged by Lotor (again, when the Leader is often defined strongly by their role as the equal-and-opposite to the “head” of antagonist forces)?

It’s Allura’s armor, Allura’s obtaining of the Blue Bayard, that’s given screentime when we don’t see Lance or Keith obtain their respective new bayards. It’s Allura who turns the tide in s3e2 by allying with Blue, Allura who fends off Lotor and rescues the team in s3e3- and in s3e4, it’s Allura who has a personal reason for challenging Hira and gets a big dramatic fight with her when everyone else is, uh, football tackling each other. And, reading more speculative... it’s incredibly likely that Lotor, who emerges as the main antagonist of s3, is a ghost from Allura’s past, one who she has a connection to even more than implied by their subtle “honor duel” on Thayserix.

When Shiro vanishes in s3, Keith remains a Right Hand figure. If anything, he doubles down on his aspect working with Black, embodying the traits that are so stereotypically a Right Hand thing- the risk of going too far, losing control and focus and getting everyone in trouble, obviously destabilized without his appropriate counterpart of the Leader.

Instead, it’s Allura that rises to the Leader position. Who is defined by her nobility, strength of will, and intimate connection to the overarching conflict of the show.

Now... where is Allura heavily shown to struggle- on many occasions?

S1e2- Allura decides the best way to unite and motivate her team is, in Coran’s words, “[be] really, really mean to him.”

S1e4- Allura attempts to get Pidge to open up to her in probably the least reassuring manner possible.

S1e10- Allura makes plan based on the assumption that her team will leave her to her doom for the sake of the greater good, genuinely thinks this is a smart idea and definitely won’t get shot to hell by these heroic dorks.

S2e1- Allura is manifestly bad with children.

S2e3-thru-s2e8 (Blade of Marmora plotline)- Allura has significant trust issues that, while entirely understandable, weaken the team and make their connecting with a powerful potential ally very difficult.

S3e1- Allura is frustrated by and struggles with the idea of engaging in pleasantries rather than “serious business about the protection of the universe?”

S4e4- Allura is very bad at acting.

Allura’s Vlog- by her own admission, she had to learn to be a diplomat, even though this is something her culture prioritizes.

This isn’t a complete list, per se- but there’s a clear thing here.

Where Blue’s role in Voltron is defined heavily by empathy, emotions, interpersonal bonds, and connecting with others, Allura is not a sentimental team-mom nurturer. She’s an amazing, essential person with some incredible talents and skills, and, like I said, the writing does the furthest thing from disregarding her.

But Allura shares the Leader position with Shiro. As mentioned, where the Leader often is directly opposed by a main antagonist, at the head of the empire are two equals in power: Zarkon and Haggar. Shiro thematically is Zarkon’s equal and opposite, and the two have their dramatic showdowns, but Allura has her own rival- Haggar, and they’ve had their own brawls of magical might.

The point is that Allura is not merely defined as something other than the Heart, she’s shown frequently to fail at the things that are the integral qualities of the Heart.

Now... conversely... I think we’ve left Lance hanging long enough.

Let’s bring back what I said about the Heart, shall we?

The Heart is the compassionate, emotional, nurturing member of the team. If there’s a healer, it’s probably them. While this sounds wonderful... it’s worth noting the Heart is one of the most chronically disrespected roles in the hero team. Virtually always, if you have a hero team with only one girl, she’s the Heart. There’s often a point made that the Heart is weaker than all of their associates, has less cool abilities, and struggles with feeling useless or not being able to keep up.

Lance:

Out of a whole team of people dealing with emotional issues, Lance is by far the most stable and the most prone to discussing his issues before they blow up.

Relationships with other people are a major preoccupation for him. Consider one of the major things he talks about frequently is that he wants to make a romantic connection- not just “obtain hot girlfriend” but as he discusses in s2e2 and his vlog, he’s actually looking for someone more like a soulmate- he only wants to make a connection that will be incredibly meaningful and lifelong, but he’s easily charmed by people being happy or enjoying his presence.

Of the team, he’s the only character who forms an obvious emotional relationship with every other member, in the case of Coran and Allura, within seconds of meeting them. Also with both Coran and Allura, Lance is the first to interact with them.

He flat-out has an obvious struggle in s1 and s2 with “not having a thing”, feeling like everyone else has neatly defined roles and contributions, and actually carefully interrupts Allura and distracts her right before she lists Blue’s virtues.

On that note- Lance is shown to have such a keen sense of feelings and other people that he’s able to flat-out manipulate situations by inducing certain emotions at key points. What I mentioned with Allura he did before, in almost the exact same manner, to take Iverson’s attention off Pidge. He very specifically annoyed the person at a key moment so they’d be frustrated with him and forget what they were talking about before.

Also, in s4e4, Lance is the only good actor on Team Voltron! In both that episode and prior events, Lance is the one who has a good sense of “the show” and is putting on a consistently good performance.

Lance’s weapon is even, to me, a pretty blatant allusion to his status as the Heart rather than the Right Hand. Force- which did characterize Lance as a Right Hand figure, also gave him guns, but they were simple pistols designed to accommodate a very independent, up-close-and-personal fighting style which supplemented his shots with a lot of brawling, frequently putting him literally back to back with swordsman Keith.

However, in VLD, Lance’s weapon is a long-range rifle and his specialty is precision sniping. In action, we see Lance sweeping the battlefield, not hunting the single top-priority targets and taking them out, but, rather, repeatedly checking on his allies and offering precise assistance where it’s needed.

Lance fights, and thinks, like someone whose first priority is supporting others. And his big hero moment in s4e6? He’s not the one doing the glowing superpower boost that saves everyone. That’s Allura.

But Lance is the one who made it happen. It’s Lance who put personal glory second, who defined his own virtues in the same moment he verbally gives them to someone else.

It’s Lance... whose growth as a hero seems to have, as one of its major plot points, setting aside his desire for personal glory to focus on being there for other people, not because he isn’t important, but, because time and time again, he’s shown to do better and be happier when he’s not doing things for personal reputation.

And this is actively framed with the Lions: when Lance is trying to have his “moment”, Black ignores him. When Lance makes the move to support Keith because this is what Keith, and the entire team, needs at the moment, Red- the difficult to please, stubborn Lion, declares that Lance is worthy and calls for him without Lance having ever even presented himself to Red as a candidate.

Because ultimately, Lance was the Heart all along. His strongest actions, his emergence as a true hero, comes from his compassion and comes from his awareness of emotions. And to me- I think the writers are actually setting up a really interesting analysis of the historical devaluing of the Heart role- about how much Lance seems to try to avoid acknowledging his actual heroic qualities.

And how much Lance specifically tries to emulate the classic sort of Suave Casanova, Ruggedly Heterosexual Hero Man- when again, his true position as a hero is very stereotypically feminine. With the obvious implication being- Lance knows what kind of person he really is, and he knows that this is viewed as “unmanly”, “passive”, “weak”.

But these qualities are embodied by a fifth of Voltron. They’re qualities that, in this setting, are written in the stars as the domain of heroes. Not just part of the strongest force in existence- but one of the two things that literally holds the Defender of the Universe aloft.

[generational-intersectional-blog]

-- Emotional Algebra

-- Emotional Algebra of a Feral Spirit

How would Compassionate Nihilism work?

Because I needed to reject the stereotypes of 'white male' starting early with anti-racist and pro-feminist influences, it became easy to deconstruct ideological narratives in the culture. There's no difference in the process of transcending 'whiteness', 'maleness' and ideas of national bonds and nationalism, that is easily seen as the psychological impetus of war.

It's a matter of a single thought-process for understanding the agendas of socially-constructed ideologies. I lost religion by age thirteen using the same process for understanding the function of religious ideologies. None of those explanations came from a book. That was just my life.

Whatever label you'd like to put to that, it's a matter of the heart being stronger than the influence of society.

-- Early Essentialist Compassion  

Cognitive development is such, that we should expect everything to be in essentialist terms for children under twelve.

The entrenchment of a pure heart really happens before age six. The conclusion is there is no complex reasoning needed to entrench a pure heart.

--- Self/Worldview Constant

There is ones idea of the self in relation to the world, which is a *constant* over life, in the sense that while the character of ethics may change and develop, the *position in ones perceptions* does not change as we grow older.

All of our ethical/moral decision-making made throughout life is rooted in that 'crux': the way we see ourselves in the world. Our 'self/worldview' becomes the initial premises of any words (argumentation) and deeds (behavior) people express in the world.

-- The Crux of Social Change

There is an ethical/moral character to the way anyone sees the world. It always begins essentialist because perception always begins essentialist in childhood. The conclusion is one can nurture ethical development in the next generation if that is their will.

The world we want to see in that 'crux' of perception and ethical development.

-- Stages

In early life, and throughout life, we reach a different stages in ethics through learning, experience and revelation. Ethics become the 'initial premises' of all behavior. When we reach a new stage of ethics, our behavior changes.

-- Slippage, Shift and Redemption  

An example here is how sexual urges led me to be a bit of an opportunist when it came to sexual relations. Shitty ethics and sexual urges lead me into more than one purely sexual relationship when it was obviously hurting feeling of others.

I came to the ethics of an opportunist in the my early to mid twenties, but I needed to transcend that, because there was too much emotional conflict with the earlier entrenched 'universal ethics' of an anti-racism and pro-feminist upbringing.

The pure heart entrenched as a kid won the battle. That's 'demisexuality' as redemption. Redemption in any context comes from self-reflection when the heart wins the battle.  

-- Compassionate ID

I can speak in the context of universal ethics for days and days and days, because it's the emotional root of every expression all through life, while education and experience just gives me fancier words and logic to express the same root emotional repertoire.

-- Neptunian Ethics

"Either you repeat the same conventional doctrines everybody is saying, or else you say something true, and it will sound like it's from Neptune." - Noam Chomsky

Of course, I live on Neptune, and don't live in the "Real World" of NYC Earth where my brethren call my compassionate ethics: "Kumbaya". (/sarcasm)

When people believe opportunism is "the natural way of society that will always be", they see universal ethics as unreasonable and foolish.

That puts me on Neptune, or might as well, for my Brooklyn brethren. They dismiss compassion and say: "Kumbaya doesn't work in the real world".

-- Kumbayarchy

My apartment is my real world to the best of my control. I call mental space under my control: Kumbayarchy. People who know me, know that I insist on keeping the ethics of NYC Babylon Kyriarchy out of my mental Kumbayarchy, at least in the physical space I control.

There are only universal ethics in that space, to my best ability.  

--- Hypocrisy and Cognitive Dissonance  

It seems most people see universal ethics as unreasonable and foolish, yet that's what they expect to speak in their defense. Along with the ethics of opportunism comes hypocrisy.

We get the psychology of capitalist USA in NYC, because that's the ethics the people here believe is 'normal'.

NYC is the Babylon Kyriarchy.

When I ask people who call my ethics 'Kumbaya' how to create solidarity without compassion, they generally don't know, and answers get convoluted.  We have not learned the lesson about 'using the masters tools' in regard to ethics.  Cognitive dissonance in this context is often exposed in the thought: "I can't really provide a reasonable rationalization, but I just don't like what you are saying."

--- Compassionate Nihilism

Who is to blame for systemic violence in a collective culture, but everyone?

Nihilistic attitude creeps-in to that battle between a pure heart and a culture in which there are no innocents and no organized spiritual maturity.

Emotions have a memory of their own. Notice we don't generally remember every detail of experience, but rather the emotions of certain particular experience.

A center of emotions: The Amygdala in that scenario doesn't care about ideas and rationalizations, it just feels the negative emotions of everything in one spot. The details of the world get very fuzzy in the struggle and the world just seems like a big stinky chaotic cloud of shitty ethics. ("It's the smell!" ~Postmodern Agent Smith)

Compassion leads to a nihilistic attitude in the 'causal/see-saw/hydraulic/algebraic' mechanics of emotions, which is to say the intrinsic connected relationships between emotions.

You know a pure heart only gives one path, and that the ethics of the culture at large are the ethics of a school-yard. At some points in the path, you'll feel like you hit it a wall, and the force of 'cultural hegemony' of shitty ethics kills your spirit.

--- The Amygdala remembers probability differently

It's also a matter of understanding probability. The Amygdala looks at probability differently than the reasoned mind, and often creates bias. The reasoned mind looks at details, but when the reasoned mind gets tired analyzing, the Amygdala sees the chaotic psychology of the culture as one big scary thing that can not be transcended.  

The institution-machine that maintains childish ethics in the culture is bigger than a scattered and random array of pure hearts and informed minds.

We get dispirited…but..

-- Re-Energizing

I've found the next stage in the compassion/nihilism progression is finding something for myself to re-engage happiness, and I expect at some point after that, the pure heart will send an urge to be heard again.

Natures beauty engages happiness for me, and spring is coming. The birds and squirrels of NYC have much more to say to me, than do the people of NYC.

Social Justice Argumentation uses perception, i.e. Mirror Neurons that allow us to feel the emotions of other animals, and perceive as through we are in place of another.  

- If I try to imagine seeing through the eyes of the people around me with anything but light discourse, I usually eventually see and feel the nastiness of NYC Kyriarchy, or at least get around to the subject.

- If I try to imagine seeing through the eyes of squirrels and birds I see and feel the beauty of nature. Being a fan of science helps with that, since it gives me lots to contemplate. With stuff like clouds, thermodynamics, and all the rest of wondrous existence outside of the human ego.  

I know how to make the getaway back to 'the core', which is significantly knowing that being angry about living in a structurally violent society is not a problem, and that I really don't want to be anyone but an ethical person, regardless of the fact I need to live in an alternate Neptune to maintain my core ethics.  

--- Art gets trashed by the system

I have personal experience in having my work assimilated by corporate capitalism, but that's only context for what I see in the larger scope of cultural change.

For more context, I realize now that there's no way to separate my anti-racist and pro-feminist upbringing from the fact that it happened from within a creative family that also imparted the vocations of music and art.

I see now there's no way to separate my concepts of art from both my ethical development and my present emotional repertoire and view of culture.

There is no way to separate the Art of a culture from the emotional repertoire of a culture. All art that is systematized serves the ethics of the system.

Mechanized, systemic Art has for me become part of the stinky capitalist chaos. Individuals can enjoy it, but no art is capable of changing the ethics of the system itself.

Oops. That's a hard realization when you've seen yourself as an artist all your life. Now the heart demands that I save the culture so that art means something other than service to the machine.

Add that to the nihilism connection that 'comes with' universal ethics in my experience.

Art in a general sense is dead to the degree the culture is spiritually dead. The ethics of a spiritually dead culture must be reconciled before art has meaning to those who love, more than they love art.    

-- Art as Identity

There's no way to really divorce my understanding from the world as I understand it through the sense of ethical and social justice argumentation. I go for broke on that. I try to be scientifically and culturally informed. The pure heart chased me to those pursuits.  

I need to mix-in my concept of art as an individual with art as a historic and cultural force. Anything I spit out into IT is judged by the measure of IT.

That leads to wanting a sledge hammer to smash the system. Except it wouldn't matter if I smashed the system, because people would demand putting the same thing right back in place.

What can I do? I can try to be iconoclastic, expect that been done to death itself.  All mediums have been assimilated by the B/K system and so there is nothing to do for artists but change the ethics of the culture.

-- Art as the Psychology of Cultural Change

Ideals - If you want to bring art, don't bring it to an electronic medium, bring creativity to the psyche of every new child in the culture, and then don't hand them electronics at all, so they may model genuine creativity for the electronically addicted.

The pure heart says that Art can not be an expression in the material world until the psychology of the culture is reconciled.

--- Art as Portal to Political Philosophy

This puts a lot of context to changing the view of art for new generations, and changing the view of what art means to ongoing social justice activism.

Art functions as a portal for all 'cognitively aware' education and child development.

Art functions as a portal for math, logic, particularly in relation to emotional development concerning ethical development during the most formative years.

A socially conscious child development strategy can function as a force for social change if adopted as working-class consciousness.

Art doesn't necessarily need to be "The Portal", but functions well as an intersectional point of understanding.    

In this interpretation, Art is connected to the ethical development scheme of Kohlberg, which understands the development and character of ethics from a universal measure.

This approach teaches Ethics, and Art, encapsulated in the same emotional repertoire.  

The aim in the strategy is to allow cognition to the level of critical thinking to develop in sync with universal ethics during pre-school and early school development.

Art functions as a portal for critical-thinking, only if we are aware of the connections between art, science and logic, and provide a 'scaffolding' of knowledge, which is to say appropriately prepare the ongoing lessons, education and social environment for a new socially-conscious child development strategy.

Every kid gets to use creative thinking as part of their emotional understanding of themselves in the world.

Social justice activists should understand that if ones ethics are not universal by age twelve, it's a very hard path to get to universal ethics once the character of more complex thinking emerges.  

Since simple visual Art which is easy to relate to the early emotional stage of childhood connects to more complex concepts like geometry and optics, and Music in early child development should be seen as connection to logic in the most general sense.  

A child's extended personal connection to music and art should be seen as an imperative for 'socially-aware' child development in the digital age.

At the level of mental development, composition engages creativity in any context of expression.

If we have a different way of seeing the relation between emotions and art, we should see it is the same emotional mechanism we use for social justice advocacy.    

The point is not that we necessarily intend to create a generation of artists, but do intend to teach critical thinking and an understanding of self in a more enlightened way.

It's taking art from control of capitalist mechanisms, and putting in the peoples intellectual and spiritual enrichment.  

-- Collectivist or Bust

I've jammed my political philosophy in a systematized and relational way. So OK, that must be something like a political art, right?

I'm not looking to be appreciated as a good guitar player or electronic musician unless it is from with a trajectory of social change. My art must be contained within my political philosophy for social justice and cultural change.

That art is not material but psychological. Right now it's just me, but it must be collective to manifest as cultural change.

Maybe we can think of it as the kernel of a new political theory of art.

If you buy-in to education as relevant to social justice, and science as relevant to education, and art as relevant to science, you should be able to see there is a purely psychological component to art in the context of social justice advocacy and cultural change.

-- Scaffolding

I'll contemplate in that realm where art is the portal for other aspects of education. Kohlberg's work gives me the structure for stages of education.

Art begins as a simple portal, but grows to be a comprehensive 'socially-aware' education strategy. The connection between disciplines will take work to get clear.  We can consider such an idea: "Art with a purpose"

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This is to me where a discussion of emotions, child development, ethics and art belong in the context of intersectional activism.

I wouldn't know any other way to relate them in a way that gives more insight into cultural change.

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#transnational #intersectionality