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lordendsavior · 5 years ago

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In the latest episode of HBO’s new NSFW teen drama Euphoria, there was sex scene between Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. Well, kinda. One of the characters in the show, Kat (played by Barbie Ferreira), is famous online for writing One Direction fan fiction, specifically about Larry Stylinson, the name given to the theory that Styles and Tomlinson were, in fact, lovers. The sex scene in the episode actually comprised of versions of the two former boyband members in an animated scene lifted from one of this character’s stories. It’s unfortunate that the animation left Styles looking a little like Lord Voldemort and Tomlinson like a sweaty teenage boy.

But while that aspect of the show might not have been real, the conspiracy of Larry Stylinson very much is. Since One Direction were launched off the back of The X Factor in 2010, Tomlinson and Styles have been dogged by rumours that they are embroiled in a love affair. On Tumblr – a breeding ground for fan theories, fan art, fan videos and fan fiction – fans would collect GIFs, images and videos of the pair that “proved” that they were in a relationship. A lingering glance was decoded as a lustful stare, the brush of knees during an interview a sign of a secret intimacy. These in turn would mutate into smutty fan fiction about the pair, where these unspoken sexual wants could play out in full explicit glory.

In the tradition of Bennifer and Brangelina, their names, like their desires, were brought together for the portmaneu Larry Stylinson. Shipping them – the act of wanting two people to be together romantically – became a way of life for some fans. To this day, these fans, known as Larries, are unwavering in their belief, love and support of Larry Stylinson.

The same cannot be said for Louis Tomlinson. For nearly nine years, he has been dogged by rumours and speculation about his relationship with Styles. This latest outing of Larry in Euphoria is just another example of the theory’s pervasiveness. After the scene aired, some fans on Twitter messaged Tomlinson to see if he had been consulted about the scene. His reply was telling. “I can categorically say that I was not contacted nor did I approve it,” he wrote.

For years, Tomlinson has categorically denied that Larry is real. In 2012 he responded to a fan stating that “Larry is the biggest load of b——- I’ve ever heard”, and in a 2017 interview with The Sun, the Doncaster-born singer said that he found the rumours disrespectful of his relationships with women and shared how it had also affected his friendship with Styles. “It took away the vibe you get off anyone. It made everything, I think on both fences, a little bit more unapproachable,” he revealed. “I think it shows that it was never anything real, if I can use that word.”

The decision to include the animated Larry sex scene in Euphoria has provied divisive. On Twitter, One Direction fans have dubbed it “disrespectful”, “vile” and an “embarrassment”. Even self-professed Larries called out the scene and some fans went so far as to start a Change.org petition to have the scene removed from the episode. (At the time of writing it has over nearly 17,000 signatures.)

The fandom’s rejection of Larry, at first, seems hypocritical. How can the very people who have spent years perpetuating the narrative that Tomlinson and Styles are romantically linked show annoyance when that same narrative gets utilised in wider media? However, fandom, specifically fan fiction, is a contradictory and confusing beast. The thing is, Larry Stylinson is bigger than the two boyband members at its core. Their supposed romantic relationship really has nothing to do with them at all.

To give a brief history of fan fiction, the medium, while it always existed in some form, came to prominence in the 1970s in fanzines for the TV show Star Trek. Then known as slash fiction (the slash refers to the forward slash that divide the two characters, for example “Kirk/Spock”), these early writings reexamined scenes within Star Trek episodes where it appeared that there was coded queer behaviour, language or sexual tension. A chance meeting on the bridge of the USS Enterprise could result in steamy sex behind a computer console. A violent clash with a Klingon that left either Spock/Kirk injured, may end with a restorative tryst in a hospital wing.

As fan communities evolved from zines to online forums, so fan fiction became more widely accessible. Forums gave birth to sites like fanfiction.net and archiveofourown.org, where every intellectual property from Harry Potter to Bob the Builder was free game. And not every story written was sexual, either. Many fan fictions, while romantic in nature, kept their plots suitable for all ages. They also mainly took fictional characters and queered formerly heteronormative (or platonic) senarios.

Incorporating of real people – celebrities, public figures, popstars, actors, artists – into these stories propagated during this online boom of fan fanction. Portals like nifty.org had dedicated sections for celebrity fan fiction, while sites like Wattpad, a sort of social media site for writers to share their work, filled with stories about famous people. During One Direction’s imperial phase, Wattpad especially became a hive of 1D fan fiction.

And not all of it was slash fiction, either. Anna Todd’s popular YA novel After, which became a movie this year, had its beginnings as One Direction fan fiction on Wattpad. That story featured a heterosexual relationship. Her literary success follows in the footsteps of EL James, whose Twilight fan fiction was repackaged as 50 Shades of Grey.

Nevertheless, it’s fair to say that much fan fiction, smutty or not, specifically draws on queer narratives. The reasons for this are multi-faceted. Demographically, fan fiction is predominantly written by women. In the case of Spock and Kirk, it has been argued by academics that in queering their relationship, women were able to carve out safe sexual spaces in the world of fiction away from the dominant glare of patriarchal sexuality.

According to fandom academic Camille Bacon-Smith, the fact that the gender of the characters was the same allowed women to reconstruct men without the toxicity of masculinity. The American writer Joanna Russ added to this, suggesting that in this safe space, women were able to explore their fantasies outside the confines of heteropatriarchal normalcy.

In fact, Constance Penley, a professor of Film & Media Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, wrote in her book Nasa/Trek Popular Science and Sex in America that the gender of the characters was irrelevant. The act of having characters acknowledge their homosexual desires, she argued, was a metaphorical one, grounded in a desire to change “oppressive sexual roles”.

Still, exploring sexual desire with fictional characters doesn’t feel like an ethical problem. Neither, really, do private fantasies about real people. But fan fiction takes those private fantasies and makes them public. If authors like JK Rowling and Annie Proulx (Brokeback Mountain) take umbrage with fans writing their own stories using their made up characters, how do real people feel about having their lives dissected and fictionalised for entertainment?

The problem is the blurred line between celebrity and the human being. As celebrity’s lives playout on websites, television and physical media, their real life stories – often fabricated for headlines or sales – become a sport. There’s a twisted sense of ownership over these people. The public, as a throbbing and beating entity, made them famous. Their payment is their lives. The boundaries begin to disappear, and these human beings become characters in a soap opera. The internet, which its unending ocean of content, only helps to conjure more moments that fans can decode or adapt for their fics.

The implications of this are different for everyone. Stars like Benedict Cumberbatch and Andrew Scott, who played Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty respectively in the BBC’s cult favourite Sherlock, take the fictionalised versions of their lives in their stride. In an interview with MTV, Cumberbatch, while acknowledging that he found some of the racier stories weird, called it “flattering”. Daniel Radcliff and James McAvoy also seemed to be able to find the humour in it (although, again, acknowledging that they find it “really weird"). There’s also those who just outright ignore that this phenomenon exists.

Harry Styles, despite being one half of Larry Stylinson, has only ever alluded to it once. After the release of his debut solo album, fans speculated that the track Sweet Creature was about Tomlinson. In an interview with a radio station, Styles said: “I think people are always gonna speculate what songs are about, and I don’t think I’d ever want to tell anyone that they’re wrong for feeling what they feel about a song. Even when they’re not necessarily right. But I think if you really listen to the lyrics, I think you can work out if it’s really about that or not, and I would lean towards no.”

However, this level of ambivalence isn’t always easy. In a recent interview with British GQ, Taron Egerton expressed his discomfort with people writing fan fiction about him. “I don’t know why people think I’d want to see that,” he said. “I don’t love it at all.”

It seems that Louis Tomlinson exists firmly in this camp. And unlike these other celebrities, the ship he was involved in evolved into a full blown conspiracy theory. Fans accused management of keeping his and Styles’s relationship a secret. Paparazzi pictures, performances, interviews, press cuttings, tweets and Instagram posts were dissected for clues that the pair were linked. Tomlinson and Styles were bombarded on Twitter by fans, the first comment under every post on social media almost always being “Larry is real”. That level of scrutiny would have been difficult for anyone, but for a teenager progressing into young adulthood it was unbearable.

What’s debatable is whether any of these fans and their libraries of “proof” and “receipts” actually believe that Larry Stylinson is real or whether shipping them is just an extension of their fan fiction fantasies. For the millions of One Direction fans, the members of the group, while clearly real people, were also mythic, so far removed from their realities that they were almost imaginary.

Anyone who has ever truly obsessed over a band or musician can understand that this distance between true human interaction incubates a need to develop an alternative form of intimacy, be it through listening religiously to their music, attending concerts or cooking up fantasies.

And because of the inequalities in knowledge between celebrities and non-celebrities, where we know everything about them and they know nothing about us, these fantasies, and in turn our perceptions of them, become skewered. This mutation is the perfect breeding ground for fan fiction and conspiracy theories as we attempt to fill in the blanks in our intimate knowledge of celebrity lives.

In the case of One Direction, whose fans were mainly young girls and gay boys, this fantasy became a way to explore their own sexual wants and desires. It’s what the showrunner of Euphoria, Sam Levinson, told The Los Angeles Times he was trying to convey by having the character of Kat write 1D fan fiction.

The fact that the members of that boyband were in a similar age bracket only intensified things. Intimacy and a coarse understanding of celebrity saw the lines between fantasy and reality blur, accelerated and magnified by social media. In a way, it stopped being about Styles or Tomlinson and became about the fans, the community they’d found, a safe space to explore their desires in which those desires were often mirrored and supported by others in their community.

Does all that make real person fan fiction okay? Speaking to i-D, sex psychologist Jess O’Reilly, put it like this: “How might is make someone feel? How would their parents, partner(s), kids or friends feel about reading it? How would they feel if their friends and family read your work? How would you feel if someone published a similar story about you, your child, your partner, your best friend, your sibling or someone else you love?”

For Tomlinson, who has repeatedly shared the impact the sexual speculation had on his relationship with Styles, maybe a line has been crossed. His discomfort with the theories and fan fiction, along with countless other public figures who take issue with it, should be respected.

And, really, in the pantheon of fandoms, Larry Stylinson was its own perfect storm of burgeoning internet cultures, the proliferation of social media and cute boys singing pop bangers. The need to share sexual desires in fan fiction and, by extension, romantic celebrity conspiracy theories, feels more complicated than mere right or wrong, but rather an expanse of grey, ethical ambiguity.

It also feels too late for it to stop, too. Perhaps, as the role and makeup of what constitutes celebrity evolves, accepting fan fiction in its myriad of forms, like with gossip and rumours, is par for the course. Clearly, it’s up to the individual to figure out if they’re okay with that.

#this is a very decent take on RPF

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jerdle-typology · 8 years ago

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Enneagram 1

THE ONE IN PROFILE

Healthy: Conscientious, with strong personal convictions: they have an intense sense of right and wrong, personal and moral values. Wish to be rational, reasonable, and self-disciplined, mature and moderate in all things. / Highly principled, strive to be fair, objective, and ethical: truth and justice are primary values. Sense of responsibility, personal integrity, and of having a higher purpose often make them teachers and witnesses to the truth. At Their Best: Become extraordinarily wise and discerning. By accepting what is, they become transcendentally realistic, knowing the best thing to do in all circumstances. Humane, inspiring, and hopeful: the truth will be heard.

Average: Dissatisfied with reality, they become high-minded idealists, feeling that it is up to them to improve everything. Crusaders, advocates, critics, they embrace “causes” and point out how things “ought” to be. / Afraid of making a mistake: everything must be consistent with their ideals. Become orderly and well-organized, but impersonal, rigid, emotionally constricted, keeping their feelings and impulses in check. Often workaholics—"anal-compulsive,“ punctual, pedantic, and fastidious. / Highly critical both of self and others: picky, judgmental, perfectionistic. Very opinionated about everything: correcting people and badgering them to "do the right thing"—as they see it. Impatient, never satisfied with anything unless it is done according to their prescriptions. Moralizing, scolding, abrasive, and indignantly angry.

Unhealthy: Can be highly dogmatic, self-righteous, intolerant, and inflexible. Begin dealing in absolutes: they alone know "the Truth”; everyone else is wrong. Make very severe judgments of others, while rationalizing their own actions. / Become obsessive about imperfection and the wrongdoing of others. Begin to act in contradictory ways, hypocritically doing the opposite of what they preach. / Become condemnatory, punitive, and cruel in order to rid themselves of whatever they believe is disturbing them. Severe depression, nervous breakdowns, and suicide attempts are likely.

Key Motivations: Want to be right, to have integrity and balance, to strive higher and improve others, to be consistent with their ideals, to justify themselves, to be beyond criticism so as not to be condemned by anyone.

Examples: Pope John Paul II, Mahatma Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, Al Gore, Elie Wiesel, Barbara Jordan, Bill Moyers, Katharine Hepburn, Harrison Ford, Ralph Nader, Sandra Day O'Connor, William F. Buckley, Noam Chomsky, George Bernard Shaw, Joan of Arc, and “Mr. Spock.”

AN OVERVIEW OF THE ONE

Voicing the common theme of evangelical consciousness of the self before regeneration, John Greene, a New England Puritan of the mid-seventeenth century, acknowledged that God had let him “see much of the wretchedness” of his heart, and he “thought none so vile as I none so evil an heart so proud so stub-born so rebellious and I thought God would never show mercy to so vile a miserable wretch as I was.” This vision of the inward self, a vision experienced in greater and lesser degree by most evangelicals, was the source of the despair and hopelessness that so often preceded conversions…. Not until individuals could bring themselves, or be brought by God, to reject their very selves as worthless, sinful, and justly damned creatures, could they ever hope to be born again. (Philip Greven, The Protestant Temperament, 75.)

The Puritans’ desire for self-regeneration by striving after ideals is an expression of the personality type One. Not content to be as they are, Ones and Puritans alike feel the obligation to be better. They must somehow rise higher, beyond human nature, into the realm of the Absolute.

To this personality type, the advice of “Desiderata” sounds foolish and dangerous: “Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.” As far as average to unhealthy Ones can tell, the universe is emphatically not unfolding as it should. People are not trying hard enough to improve either the universe or themselves.

What Ones typically do not see is that, given their fundamental premise, they are locked in conflicts between opposing forces that cannot be reconciled either in themselves or in the universe. They keenly feel the struggle between good and evil, the flesh and the spirit, the ideal and the real. For Ones, the battle lines are sharply drawn between the chaotic, irrational side of their natures and the clarity of their convictions, between their dark, libidinous impulses and their self-control, between their metaphysical aspirations and their human needs—between their heads and their hearts.

In the Instinctive Triad

Ones are the type in the Instinctive Triad who “underexpress” instincts and drives. Ones, like Eights, are people of action, who respond at a gut level to the situations they encounter, but while Eights give free reign to their instincts, and Nines are “out of touch” with them, Ones try to pull them in, to limit and direct them toward the goals which their superegos deem worthy. Ones are full of passions, mostly expressed as a strong sense of conviction in their beliefs and actions, but they feel compelled to keep their instincts in check lest they be overwhelmed by them.

Anger, in particular, is a powerful motivation for Ones. When they are confronted with circumstances which disappoint or displease them, anger becomes a form of fuel which launches them into action. Indeed, anger, rightly understood, is an instinctual response to a situation we are not satisfied with. It is the energy that allows us to say no. Some Ones become conscious of this and use their anger constructively.

I have learnt through bitter experience the one supreme lesson: to conserve my anger, and as heat conserved is transmuted into energy, even so our anger controlled can be transmuted into a power which can move the world. (Mohandas K. Gandhi, The Words of Gandhi, 13.)

It is striking, however, that Ones are often unaware of their anger, and almost always underestimate the degree of it. When their anger is brought to their attention, Ones often respond with a disclaimer. (“I’m not angry! I’m just trying to get this right.”) Whatever Ones may wish to call their intense feelings, and under whatever guise they may appear, their angry feelings are the force which truly directs a One’s actions. Ones often portray themselves as rational, but they are rational in the way that common sense is rational, not in the exploratory, intellectual sense. Ones do like ideas, but they like practical ideas, and unlike Fives, will not be long interested in ideas or concepts that do not lead them directly into constructive action.

Instinctive energy has much to do with a person’s ability to assert himself, and accordingly, Ones appear to be very sure of themselves, although their self-confidence lies less in themselves than in the tightness of their ideals. Despite appearances, Ones relate to the world by seeing themselves as “less than” an ideal toward which they strive. They subordinate themselves and their powerful instinctive drives to an abstraction—usually an intangible, universal value such as truth or justice—and strive to be as perfect as it is. Unlike Nines, who are also idealistic but are often detached from the inner drive to attain their vision, Ones are determined to make their ideals a reality. Ironically, by definition, the ideal is something they must work toward but can never fully attain. Nevertheless, as we shall see, average to unhealthy Ones certainly feel lifted above the run of ordinary mortals by the attempt to do so.

This is where Ones begin to have problems. As they deteriorate toward neurosis, average Ones begin to identify with the ideal so completely that if they become unhealthy, they think they have attained it—and that everyone who has not should be condemned. On one level of awareness, even unhealthy Ones know they are not perfect, yet on another level they think and act as if they were already perfect to avoid being condemned either by their consciences or by anyone else. Average to unhealthy Ones are convinced that the more zealously they strive for perfection, the more they are made righteous by the attempt. They think that by aligning themselves with the ideal, they will always be in the right, no matter how badly they fail. The mere act of identifying themselves with the ideal makes them feel that they are better than the rest of the world. They are among the saved because they know the right way, the way everything ought to be.

Problems with Repression and Aggression

Like the other two personality types in the Instinctive Triad, Ones have a problem with the repression of some part of their psyches. Ones repress the more irrational side of their natures, their instinctual impulses and personal desires, attempting to sublimate them in a quest for perfection. Their normal human desires gradually become more and more repressed as Ones are caught in conflicts between striving after ideals and implementing them in the real world. The picture is further complicated, however, because Ones relate to the world dualistically: they see themselves as less than the ideal, while giving the impression that they are also greater than the environment, which they are obligated to improve. They constantly measure not only the distance between themselves and the ideal, but also the distance between their present perfection and their past imperfection. Simply put, Ones feel that they and their world must be “making progress.” Anything that is perceived as blocking or frustrating progress toward the ideal is met with anger and criticism.

Actually, there is a double dichotomy in Ones. The first is the external dichotomy we have just seen: the pressure of living up to an ideal versus the conviction that the One is perfectly right, that the One knows better than others what is needed in any situation. The second is an internal dichotomy, which is less obvious: a split between the tightly controlled, rational side of themselves, which they present to the world, versus their repressed drives and feelings. Ironically, Ones are often emotional and passionate about their convictions, but they are not always aware of this. They like to see themselves as rational and balanced, but they are nevertheless keenly aware of their emotions, particularly their aggressive and sexual impulses. Although they attempt to keep their impulses in check as much as possible, they are never as successful in this as they would like.

Because of these dichotomies, average to unhealthy Ones always feel caught in conflicts: between the perfection of their ideal and their own imperfections; between feeling virtuous and feeling sinful; between their actions and their consciences; between their desire for order and the disorder they see everywhere; between good and evil.

The personality type One corresponds to the extroverted thinking type in the Jungian typology; it is one of Jung’s clearest descriptions.

This type of man elevates objective reality, or an objectively oriented intellectual formula, into the ruling principle not only for himself but for his whole environment. By this formula good and evil are measured, and beauty and ugliness determined. Everything that agrees with this formula is right, everything that contradicts it is wrong…. Because this formula seems to embody the entire meaning of life, it is made into a universal law which must be put into effect everywhere all the time, both individually and collectively. Just as the extroverted thinking type subordinates himself to his formula, so, for their own good, everybody round him must obey it too, for whoever refuses to obey it is wrong—he is resisting the universal law, and is therefore unreasonable, immoral, and without a conscience. His moral code forbids him to tolerate exceptions; his ideal must under all circumstances be realized…. This is not from any great love of his neighbor, but from the higher standpoint of justice and truth…. “Oughts” and “musts” bulk large in this programme. If the formula is broad enough, this type may play a very useful role in social life as a reformer or public prosecutor or purifier of conscience…. But the more rigid the formula, the more he develops into a martinet, a quibbler, and a prig, who would like to force himself and others into one mould. Here we have the two extremes between which the majority of these types move. (C. G. Jung, Psychological Types, 347.)

From our point of view, we can see that Jung is describing various points along the Levels of Development of the One: average Ones are reformers and public prosecutors, whereas unhealthy Ones intolerantly try to force others into their mold, and so forth. As we will see, the full spectrum of the One’s traits encompasses some of the most noble and least admirable aspects of human nature. When they are healthy, Ones can be the most objective, principled, and wise of all the personality types. As much as humanly possible, they try not to let their personal feelings get in the way of dealing fairly with others. They are deeply concerned with justice, not merely for themselves but for everyone.

But to contrast this, when they are unhealthy their lives are a relentless application of their ideals to every conceivable situation. Unhealthy Ones become extremely intolerant of anyone who disagrees with them, and since they are convinced that they alone know THE TRUTH (writ large, in capital letters), everything follows from that. What does not is to be condemned and severely punished. The problem is, however, that human nature keeps cropping up: unhealthy Ones find that they cannot control themselves as perfectly as they feel they must. Their impulses can be repressed for only so long. The flesh will have its day.

Parental Orientations

Ones develop as they do because as children they were disconnected from their protective-figure, that adult in their early childhood who was responsible for setting limits, giving guidelines, and disciplining the child when necessary. This is the person who occupies the traditional patriarchal role in the family. Often the protective-figure is the father, but not always. In many families, the mother is the protective-figure, while in other families, a grandparent or sibling may play this role in the child’s development. The disconnection from the protective-figure, and what that person symbolized, was of central importance to the development of the superego: these children felt that they could not rely on the structure and guidelines provided by their family of origin. They may have experienced the rules of the family as arbitrary and unfair, or too strict, or too unstable. Whatever the particulars, Ones were dissatisfied and frustrated with the structure and limits that they received from the protective-figure and so felt that they had to develop their own guidelines. Ones tried to transcend the rules of their family of origin by creating a code of ethics that is even more rigorous than what is expected of them. In this way, Ones came to believe that they can avoid condemnation by always attempting to be blameless.

This created in Ones a relentless superego mechanism whose constant message is “You are not acceptable as you are; you must be better, always better.” In more authoritarian or chaotic family systems, these superego messages could have become severe and inflexible. In such situations, their own wishes and feelings were rarely if ever countenanced; instead, these children felt that they always had to toe the line to avoid being criticized or condemned. As a result, their emotions and other impulses were repressed by forces symbolized by an internalized punishing father. (Freudians see toilet training as the arena in which the anal traits of the obsessive-compulsive type which correspond to the One were learned. While the Freudian anal traits of orderliness, parsimony, and obstinacy are seen in Ones, especially those with a Nine-wing, we do not have to restrict ourselves to toilet issues alone to understand the origins of this personality type.)

As children, Ones may have become disconnected from the protective-figure for any number of reasons. The protective-figure may have been absent from the family, or been abusive, or have treated the child unfairly. Or as a result of a stem moral and religious upbringing and the threat of eternal punishment, the child may have feared offending God the Father and being condemned. The child may have feared being sent to hell for being impulsive, pleasure seeking, or selfish, or for other actions which were, after all, merely the natural behavior of a child. In other cases, the One may have experienced a fairly peaceful and normal childhood, but still felt that there was something more to strive for—some higher ideal than was part of the values of the child’s family or peers. Often, Ones felt uncomfortable being children, or were not allowed to behave as children, and thus struggled to become little adults before their time. For one reason or another, Ones decided that they had to rely on themselves for guidance, structure, and discipline. They would have to parent themselves, and they would have to do a better job of it than their protective-figure.

It is also worth noting that they did not rebel against strictures on themselves; rather, they internalized control in their consciences by feeling guilty for their transgressions. Nevertheless, they felt angry that the burden of perfection was placed on them, and more angry still when they saw others who were not subject to the same control of their feelings and impulses. The freedom of others (to Ones, the license which others grant themselves) antagonizes them and makes them chafe under the weight of their own prohibitions.

Problems with Anger and Perfection

Ironically, Ones vent their anger most unfairly at others when they are primarily angry with themselves for not being perfect. Instead of resolving their own disordered feelings, average to unhealthy Ones find fault everywhere else. Their self-righteous anger makes Ones aggressive; however, the One is not an aggressive personality type as such. Actually, Ones are compliant to their ideals, to their superego, since the ideal is the yardstick by which they measure everything, including themselves. The aggression in their personalities is an expression of anger at themselves and others for not complying perfectly with the ideal.

Moreover, their anger signals the fact that they put too great a load upon themselves and others: perfection is a burden that human nature cannot bear. What is difficult for Ones to accept is the interdependence of flesh and spirit which is the natural state of man. The irrational part of themselves cannot be perfected or controlled in the same way that the rational part of themselves can be. Nevertheless, they try to control their irrational selves, denying all that is base, all that is human in themselves, in order to conform to the ideal. Ultimately, Ones feel guilty for being human. They fear being condemned because they are not angels.

When Ones are healthy, however, their objective orientation to life allows them to remain firmly in touch with human realities, including their own. They are the most discerning, moral, and reasonable of all the personality types, tolerant of others and of themselves. They recognize that their ideals may not apply equally to everyone in all circumstances. When they are unhealthy, however, their behavior is a twisted caricature of their virtues because their humanity has become perverted. Unhealthy Ones punish others for their least faults while absolving themselves of their greater sins. They are completely without mercy, because they have lost contact with humanity. If ideals do not serve human beings, what purpose do they serve?

ANALYZING THE HEALTHY ONE

Level 1: The Wise Realist

Very healthy Ones allow the full range of their humanity to surface, discovering that their impulses are not as chaotic or threatening as they feared. They do not repress their needs and feelings, except to the degree necessary for healthy functioning, just as everyone must. Thus, the parts of themselves banished by their superegos as irrational or chaotic come into balance with the rest of their psyches and are integrated into their total personalities. Their subjective side comes into alignment with objective reality, and they become exceptionally realistic and accepting of life, even of themselves.

Because they are so realistic about themselves, very healthy Ones are unusually mature and well-balanced. Although they are still attracted to ideals, very healthy Ones do not see them as unilateral, stifling commands but as something which they personally find fulfilling. They do not feel the need either to make everything perfect or to become absolutely perfect themselves. Further, as Ones release the rigid rules and categories of their superegos, they see that they cannot come up with a single set of ideals and rules applicable to every situation. It is a hopeless enterprise, and therefore not a proper moral imperative. Becoming a full human being is sufficiently challenging. And, paradoxically, by becoming full human beings, Ones will come as close to perfection as is humanly possible. When they are this healthy, Ones are “a little less than the angels,” embodying great nobility of spirit.

Very healthy Ones are the wisest of the personality types because of their extraordinary discernment. Their judgment is superb because Ones are grounded in the real rather than the ideal. They go beyond logical reasoning to discern the best thing to do in whatever circumstance they are in. Just as very healthy Fives have the most penetrating vision and understanding of the world, very healthy Ones have the clearest sense of right and appropriate action in the world, prompting others to seek them out for guidance.

Just as they are tolerant and accepting of themselves, very healthy Ones are also accepting and tolerant of others. When most people use the word tolerance, they usually mean permissive, that people should be allowed to do whatever they like. However, tolerance and acceptance of others is not the same as permissiveness. True tolerance is the ability to respect the differences of opinion well-informed people of good will have arrived at. The tolerant One who is a Protestant allows the Jew and the Catholic, the Muslim and the Hindu, the same freedom to worship God which he himself enjoys. This does not necessarily mean that tolerant Ones think that all of the religious beliefs of others are correct, or that religious differences do not matter, but that Ones allow others the freedom to discover the truth on their own, in their own way. They can see the deeper truths underlying opposing positions and views and communicate these truths without getting caught up in any particular way of expressing the truth. Further, very healthy Ones can speak the truth in a way that others can easily hear. Others are not threatened by the One’s ideals.

Very healthy Ones are able to be this tolerant because they keep ultimate values before their minds. By keeping the transcendental, spiritual realm in view, healthy Ones attain a larger perspective on reality, which endows them with the ability to see everything in its proper context. The depth of their discernment is such that healthy Ones are able to focus on what is truly most important in any situation. They know virtually at a glance what “the greater good” is. (And if they do not know, their ignorance does not cause healthy Ones alarm because they are able to wait until reality presents them with an answer.)

They are so convinced of the reality of truth and the objectivity of transcendent values that they recognize the right of others to be wrong. The faith which very healthy Ones have in the moral order is so deep that they allow others, in their view, to be wrong all of their lives because they believe that error will not ultimately prevail over truth. They believe that what is true will always prevail because truth is of the nature of reality itself. This is why to be completely realistic is to be wise. Wisdom goes beyond reason, encompassing the irrational, taking it into account. It is to see the real order of things, and hence always to know what is right and good.

Thus, very healthy Ones are transcendental realists because they have transcended their own personal understanding of reality to see that, on some profound level which cannot be comprehended or expressed, all is well—"the universe is unfolding as it should.“

Level 2: The Reasonable Person

Unfortunately, healthy Ones are not always this healthy. They may succumb to the fear of being imbalanced, corrupted, or "bad,” and compensate for this fear by desiring to be right in everything. They want to have total integrity, to be in right relations with the world, with others, and with themselves. Their sense of self is based on being reasonable and conscientious at all times.

Healthy Ones are indeed the soul of reason. They are extremely sensible and prudent, exemplars of rational good sense. And even though Ones at Level 2 are somewhat less healthy than at the previous stage, they still possess exceptionally good judgment, enabling them to know what is more or less important in virtually every circumstance. They are able to sort out issues clearly (moral issues in particular) because they can see the consequences of whatever decisions are being made. They are also not afraid to make value judgments, to say “This is right or wrong,” “That is good or bad,” and to take responsibility for their judgments and for the actions that follow from them. To describe their judgment this way makes it sound more logical than it actually is. In fact, their judgment comes from a deeply felt sense of conviction—from their gut. For Ones, right and wrong are not abstract categories: they are passionate matters, and central to living a good and balanced life. Ones believe that living a balanced life is absolutely necessary in order to maintain the objectivity they need to make sound judgments. Healthy Ones do not want their personal whims and feelings to stand in the way of objectively discerning what is right and wrong.

Healthy Ones are so objective that they can stand aside from themselves and evaluate their own actions, attitudes, and feelings. They do not want to be in error but are glad to admit their mistakes as soon as they are aware of them. They feel that nothing is to be gained by clinging to mistaken notions. Righteousness and truthfulness are important to them, not holding erroneous opinions out of pride.

Within the limitations of personality and culture, Ones know right from wrong and good from bad because they have healthy consciences. Their consciences motivate them to do what they believe is right. Healthy Ones are aware of whatever selfishness, pettiness, and wayward passions they may harbor in themselves, and they would like to see these kinds of feelings come more into balance. They are at peace with themselves when they are virtuous and, of course, feel remorse when they fail.

Above all, Ones want to be righteous, and when they are healthy, they are. Further, they are righteous without being self-conscious about it—and certainly without being self-righteous. Being righteous does not necessarily mean being religious in a traditional sense. It is more encompassing than that: Ones want to be upright, responsible people, aligned with the Divine Law and natural order, however they may see that. The righteousness of healthy Ones is perhaps best expressed in the ideal of Chinese Taoist philosophy: a person in whom Heaven, Earth, and Humanity are balanced. To achieve this goal, healthy Ones want to live a life of moderation and integrity.

Understanding how valuable reason, moderation, temperance, and impartiality are in their lives, healthy Ones do not feel that the restraints they have internalized limit them in any way. Indeed, they believe that without constraints of conscience, human society would not be possible. Many of the most worthwhile gains of civilization result from their willingness to delay personal rewards for long-term, higher goals.

Nor do Ones feel that whatever virtue they possess, or even the fact that they desire to be good, spares them from evil and suffering in life. They have not made a pact with God to bless them for being virtuous; they do not feel exempt from the conditions of life because of their attraction to the good. For example, healthy Ones do not see anything happening to others which could not also happen to them. Instead of asking “Why me?” when suffering strikes, they are as likely to ask “Why not me?” They do not expect that life will be easy or carefree, but on the other hand, healthy Ones are not pessimists. They are simply being realistic.

Level 3: The Principled Teacher

Having a conscience enables healthy Ones to lead outstandingly moral and useful lives because they not only want to be right, they want to do what is right. They want to put objective values into practice and to be unswayed by their passions, so that, as much as is humanly possible, they can do what is objectively right.

Whereas righteousness was the primary virtue at the previous stage, truth and justice now enter the picture. Thus, healthy Ones are extremely concerned that others be treated fairly. They hate injustice wherever they find it, whether it is their friends, total strangers, or they themselves who are harmed by injustice. Healthy Ones are on fire for justice and righteousness—these are not arid principles, they are their passions. More than those of any other personality type, healthy Ones willingly put themselves on the line for their moral beliefs and would rather suffer injustice themselves than act unjustly toward anyone else. (In this respect, healthy Ones can be mistaken for healthy Eights.)

Healthy Ones have enormous integrity and are extremely ethical: to lie or to cheat someone is virtually unthinkable. They are extremely principled, having personal standards from which they will not deviate, making decisions based on what they see as objective, rational foundations, doing things regardless of their immediate self-interest. They possess a healthy self-discipline and an ability to look at the long-range implications of their actions. In civic life, for example, they vote their consciences rather than their pocketbooks. As parents, they decide issues on the basis of what will benefit the entire community rather than what will favor only their own children. As religious persons, they act on their religious principles, even if it means disobeying civil authorities. However, Ones can be extremely courageous in this regard, jeopardizing themselves, their possessions, their reputations, even their lives for their principles. They do not want to sacrifice their principles because to do so would corrupt their integrity, and by violating their integrity, they would ruin something essential, their capacity for goodness and virtue, sources of deep satisfaction to them. Indeed, Ones want to feel more than anything else that they have made some positive contribution to the world, and often experience themselves as having a sense of mission—a serious purpose.

Their integrity, truth, and sense of mission combine to create individuals who are highly responsible and reliable. In this respect, they strongly resemble healthy Sixes, but whereas Sixes tend to look outside themselves for reassurance that they are doing the right thing, Ones return again and again to their own inner moral compass. Their sense of responsibility stems from an inner drive to fulfill their ideals, their mission in life. This also gives them great focus and drive to accomplish their goals (like healthy Threes). Healthy Ones are nothing if not self-disciplined. They are able to stay on track, putting distractions, comforts, and the temptation of easy solutions aside to accomplish their purposes.

Ones at this stage stand up for what is right, appealing to the conscience, good will, and fairness of others, fearlessly and articulately expressing their beliefs, no matter whom they please or displease. Thus, not the least good that healthy Ones do for society is to be moral teachers and “witnesses to the truth,” communicating their principles and moral vision to others. This is perhaps the highest form of teaching, not limited to merely passing on a body of knowledge but communicating a vision of a balanced way to live. Without a clear notion of right and wrong, and of the consequences of acting rightly or wrongly, Ones fear that they would have no direction in life and no means of finding one.

The hallmark of healthy Ones, however, is that their consciences speak primarily to them—they are not obligations laid on the whole world. Healthy Ones teach by personal example, not by preaching to others. They are confident that, whether or not others listen to them, the truth will ultimately be heard because the truth speaks to the soul in a voice which cannot be ignored.

ANALYZING THE AVERAGE ONE

Level 4: The Idealistic Reformer

Increasingly guided by their superegos, Ones are always subject to guilt and anxiety when they disobey. If for some reason they begin to fear that others are indifferent to their principles, that their efforts are not even “making a dent,” they begin to strive after an even higher standard of excellence in everything. They want to make everything better. They become idealists, reformers, and crusaders, people with a cause, exhorting themselves and others toward perpetual improvement.

The difference between healthy Ones and average Ones is that average Ones become convinced that they alone have the answer for everyone. They alone can “fix up” the disorder they see around them. Personal conscience has intensified into a feeling of obligation to strive after the ideal in everything. Thus, average Ones begin to relate to the world from a position of moral superiority, as if they were saying, “I know the way things ought to be, so you should listen to me.” They begin to experience others as less organized and directed than themselves and feel a sense of noblesse oblige by virtue of the loftiness of their ideals.

What average Ones personally define as the ideal becomes the norm for everyone else. They are convinced that they know the way everything ought to be. The weight of moral “shoulds” and “oughts” makes itself felt: not only should Ones do or not do this or that, but so should everyone else. They feel it is up to them to right wrongs, to educate the unlettered, to guide the aimless, and to instruct others in the “correct” view. The problem is, they do not trust other people to do the right thing. (“If I don’t do it, who will?”)

Average Ones take an Olympian view of human nature, seeing themselves as more levelheaded and sensible than others. Thus, they feel obligated to be the lawgivers and legislators of humanity, making rules which everyone should follow. Nothing is too small or too personal to escape their notice or their value judgments. Smoking, drinking, seat belts, the quality of television, pornography, and rock music are just a few of the subjects about which average Ones will debate others. Ones at this stage are not necessarily aggressive about this, but they frequently feel compelled to “point out” things to others, or explain the ramifications of others’ actions. (Of course, they may well be right in their opinions, but they do not trust people to find out for themselves.)

They are ever mindful of how they are approximating their ideals, so progress is an important concept for them: they very much want to measure—at least by their moral yardstick—their improvement in whatever spheres concern them. Thus, they are extremely purposeful, always having a higher goal in view. They may feel that they should never watch television for entertainment, only for education, since they should always be improving themselves and doing something worthwhile. This is also why average Ones associate themselves with, and often lead, high-minded causes, whether it be picketing for migrant workers, or organizing the neighborhood for a political party, or rallying for environmental concerns, or organizing voters to pass a levy for the local schools.

As reformers and crusaders, average Ones know precisely where they stand on every issue, and they argue for their positions with the zeal of a missionary. Usually quite articulate, they love to debate and are able to propound their views effectively. And because they truly believe that their position is correct, they have an enormous amount of self-confidence, taking on the world like sculptors eager to get their hands on a shapeless mass of clay. Of course, therein lies the beginning of their real difficulties—and the difficulties of others with them. The world, and particularly other people, are not lumps of clay to be molded according to their re-forming impulses. Reality already has its own shape, although average Ones want to give it another.

Level 5: The Orderly Person

Since by this stage Ones have made public stands and assertions of some sort, if only among family or friends, they do not want to have any inconsistency between their private feelings and their official idealistic positions. They want to have control over every area of their lives, particularly over their own impulses and emotions.

Their healthy self-discipline has deteriorated into brisk efficiency and orderliness. Average Ones want their sense of order to rule everything. Their strict superego is pitted against their feelings and desires, revealing the dualistic nature of their psyches. They see everything as black or white, right or wrong, good or bad, done correctly or incorrectly. There is and can be no room for subjective preferences, which they view as mere self-indulgence. Impersonal discipline and order become the principal ways in which average Ones attempt to control themselves, others, and the environment.

Meticulous and thorough, they attempt to organize the world into neat categories (as strictly as they control, or would like to control, their own inner life). They are sticklers for detail, planning and working out every conceivable contingency so that “everything will be under control,” a favorite phrase. (Flow charts are virtually symbolic of their approach to reality.) Although not all Ones are compulsively neat, by this point all are constantly concerned with being organized. Orderly everywhere, they make lists and plan their schedules carefully so they will not waste time. Time is extremely important to them, and average Ones are always able to account for their use of it. They are always on time and insist that others be equally punctual. No other personality type so personifies the Protestant work ethic, the person who feels that life is serious business. There are few vacations from their obligations, rarely a moment during which they feel they can relax and do whatever they want.

The way they think is highly orderly, too. Methodical and always precise, they are adept at making logical distinctions. They find ambiguities troubling, and so strive to have a clear, black-and-white understanding of things. Unfortunately, few things in reality can be so readily categorized, but average Ones are determined that reality not be vague. They develop hierarchies in their minds, ways of judging everything and automatically assigning a ranking or evaluation to it, as if to say, “This is better than that"—as if they were schoolteachers on holiday who cannot stop grading everything. Average Ones believe that there must be a logical reason for every occurrence and bristle when someone presents them with information which contradicts their views. They seek concrete explanations for events, because without clear and direct causes, how can people be held accountable for their actions? How can reward and blame be assigned?

In sum, average Ones at this stage are the referees, accountants, and critics of reality—Freud’s anal type. They have clear priorities, and those areas of their lives which are less important to them get fewer of their organizing impulses. To areas of high priority, however, average Ones will give a great deal of attention. In these matters they want everything to be tidy, clean, and neat; nothing should be out of place, and there should be no loose ends. Clock-like precision is their goal. Of course, the orderliness of Ones can have many positive effects, especially for the organizations in which they work, and for society as a whole. Everything runs more smoothly if things are organized, from business meetings to railroad schedules to wrapping Christmas gifts. Very little would get done if people could not count on a certain amount of order in the world and on those who provide it.

However, as with anything else, orderliness is a matter of appropriateness and degree. It would be good for average Ones to relax. They seldom allow themselves to be spontaneous, but even when they do, there is a stiff, forced quality about it, as if they had decided that it was time to be spontaneous. In interpersonal relationships, they tend to be proper in a slightly stuffy, "correct” way, relying on propriety and etiquette to express themselves. Having proper manners allows average Ones to function socially without reference to their personal feelings.

Since self-control is their desire, average Ones take sides against their impulses, doing the opposite of what they would like to do, as if their personal inclinations were somehow suspect. If Ones want to do something, like going to a movie, they will give it up, because they feel that they must devote their time to more serious projects. On the other hand, if they do not want to do something, such as work on the weekend, they will force themselves to do so, because they feel obliged to. The irony is that average Ones begin to be more controlled than ever by their impulses because of their constant resistance to them.

Although much depends on which wing they have, there is, in general, an ascetic, austere, antiseptic quality about average Ones, especially in matters pertaining to pleasure and their desires. In some Ones, sexual impulses can be particularly threatening, since these impulses are not only irrational, but may be of a forbidden nature, contrary to their strict consciences. Their musculature is frequently tight: lips pursed, teeth clenched, neck and face stiff. Tense, taut, stiff, and rigid are words that can be applied to much of their behavior, as well as to their emotional world at this stage.

Although they are self-controlled, they seldom see themselves that way. Average Ones are very much aware that they have irrational impulses and forbidden desires. From their point of view, they are doing the world a favor by being orderly and efficient. But not only that, they are protecting the world from their passions—which would wreak havoc if they ever let them loose. They fear that if they ever allowed themselves to do as they please, their emotions would get out of control and they would be swept away by their wildest impulses, inevitably falling into the darkest sins of the heart. Who knows what lives in the unconscious? Ones think it wise not to tamper.

This stage is a turning point in their deterioration along the Levels of Development because life is not as orderly as Ones would have it, and they are not as orderly as they would like to be. Their restrained impulses keep breaking through the barricades of repression. From this stage onward, Ones attempt to control themselves and the environment ever more tightly so that their prohibitions will keep their irrational impulses in place. Not lessening their desire for internal and external order, they begin to become obsessed with rooting out disorder everywhere.

Level 6: The Judgmental Perfectionist

The more tightly they try to control their impulses, the more average Ones feel that they cannot let go. On top of this, they begin to fear that others will “mess up” the order and balance they have worked so hard to achieve. Their inner voice of guidance and idealism has become shrill and critical. Now orderliness is not enough. Perfection is required.

They become extremely threatened if the orderliness and self-control they desire for themselves and the environment does not materialize. Although it is difficult to perceive, Ones at this stage are often harder on themselves than they are on others. Their superegos have become harsh and demanding, and their overall attitude can be summarized as “nothing is ever good enough,” an echo of what their protective-figures once told them. They constantly pick at things, not able to let well enough alone, and overcompensating for the fear of being judged by others, they become “judges” themselves. The one emotion they regularly allow themselves is anger in its many forms: impatience, irritation, resentment, and indignation. Strangely though, Ones are usually unaware of the degree of their anger or sometimes even that they are angry at all. To be angry is to be disordered and irrational, and their severe superegos will not allow them to acknowledge these feelings.

Highly critical of everything, they interfere with others, brusquely interrupting them, constantly telling them what to do, pointing out their mistakes, and preaching about how they can improve themselves. “I told you so” and “If you had only listened to me, this would not have happened” are often heard from judgmental Ones. They are critical of everything—didactic, pontificating, lecturing, and scolding. They lose their tempers easily over trivialities and are stem disciplinarians, impatient and faultfinding, quick to slap a wrist, literally or figuratively. Average Ones view others around them as lazy and irresponsible. (“Why are they fooling around while I’m working so hard?”) They have an opinion about everything which they present as the Truth, not merely as a personal opinion. It does not occur to judgmental Ones that they could be wrong. (Out of politeness or false modesty, they may occasionally allow that it is possible they could be wrong, but at this stage Ones really do not believe their disclaimers of infallibility.)

Moreover, they almost never change their opinions because their opinions are based on their ideals, and their ideals are fixed, like compass points enabling them to know where “right” lies in any matter. Life thus becomes a never-ending application of the ideal to particulars, the constant fixing of mistakes, the unending redoing of what was first done badly by someone else.

They become indignant and resentful about the errors and lack of perfection of others, as if they were personally injured by everyone’s behavior. It is a personal affront if someone litters the street or if someone they know does not pay taxes or is having an affair. Even if they are right in their criticisms of others, their manner is so abrasive and irritating that it practically invites defiance or disobedience. From impersonal efficiency they have deteriorated into ascerbic dogmatism. But no matter: critical Ones are concerned not with pleasing others, but with making them do what is right.

In their own lives, they are workaholics, feeling guilty if they are not being productive all the time. But perfectionistic Ones are so concerned with minutiae that, ironically, their efficiency is often reduced and they frequently accomplish less than their less driven counterparts. (They may, for instance, rigorously polish furniture to repair a few small flaws and end up removing the finish.) They constantly make specious improvements not because something really needs it, but because they have to improve things to justify their existence. Of course, their perfectionism also drives others crazy, making Ones difficult to work for (never “with”). They are very thin-skinned, and take criticism badly. They do not like to delegate work and decisions to anyone because they feel that no one would do as good a job as they. They feel it would take them longer to train someone else than it would take them to do the job right in the first place.

Naturally their perfectionism takes the enjoyment out of what they do, since nothing is ever good enough. Things are never finished until they are perfect, and it takes a lot of time to make them perfect, if they can be. Thus, workaholic Ones are caught in a conflict: even though they do not enjoy working, they do not enjoy not working. They are afraid to stop.

Interpersonal conflicts increase because Ones have all the answers and no one can tell them anything. Moreover, they get into the habit of making pronouncements about things they actually know little about, and highhandedly condescend to others, explaining things as if others were children who would do nothing right without guidance. They presume to tell people what they can and cannot do, putting prohibitions on them, like a priest who instructs couples about married life or a well-heeled columnist who lectures the poor about thrift.

At this stage, their superegos have become almost impossible to placate. Almost nothing Ones do can get the relentless inner voice of criticism off their backs. They are desperate to demonstrate that they have met the standards that have fallen on them, but the standards keep rising. Under such constant self-reproach, it is little wonder that Ones become impatient and critical with others, if only to displace some of the nasty condemnation they are heaping on themselves.

At the same time, Ones need a vacation from their perfectionism and self-criticism, but rather than do so in a constructive way, they begin to find secret sources of solace in the very pleasures their superegos most condemn. Ones may take to drink, raucous nights on the town, increased spending, sexual activity or pornography, or other “indulgences” as a way of reducing the pressure their superegos are putting on them. As much as possible though, Ones will hide these activities from others, lest they be seen as contradicting their strongly stated views.

As we saw in the Overview, Ones resent that they must be perfect. It seems unfair to them that the burden of perfection has fallen on their shoulders more than on others’. Of course, striving for perfection and having moments of feeling perfect still offer some relief to them because their sense of self depends upon feeling right and knowing where perfection lies. But still, something in Ones chafes over the freedom of others. Since they are not having much fun, why should anyone else?

ANALYZING THE UNHEALTHY ONE

Level 7: The Intolerant Misanthrope

Unhealthy Ones cannot allow themselves to be proved wrong, either by objective facts or someone else’s better arguments. They are utterly convinced that they are always right about whatever they say or do. Ideals have become severe and forbidding absolutes, and unhealthy Ones are completely inflexible about them.

Their ideals are rigid dogmas from which they cannot deviate. They see everything and everyone in the light of absolutes—right or wrong, good or evil, saved or damned. There is no middle ground, no gray area, no possibility of exceptions being made. They refuse to consider any circumstances which would call for a compromise with absolute perfection. As they see it, the slightest imperfection ruins the whole, and must therefore be mercilessly rooted out. However, living according to absolutes necessarily involves a corresponding negation of their own humanity. The higher they climb, the more of humanity they leave behind. They become misanthropes who love humanity but hate individuals.

The difference between perfectionistic average Ones and intolerant unhealthy Ones is that the former, at least occasionally, include themselves in their own criticism and feel guilty when they fail to attain perfection. This is no longer the case with unhealthy Ones, who exclude themselves from condemnation. Unhealthy Ones are supremely self-righteous, feeling that their adherence to the strictest ideals of perfection justifies them, whether or not they put the ideal into practice. (“I am right, therefore everything I say and do is right.”)

In fact, the One’s superego has become so toxic and destructive at this stage that the One must displace its vitriol onto others in order to survive psychologically. If nothing Ones can do is good enough, seeing the greater “evil” and disorder in others may be the only relief. Thus, unhealthy Ones increasingly focus their attention on the wrongdoings of others as a way of escaping the wrath of the internalized protective-figure.

Anger remains their most prominent, and perhaps only, emotion. Unhealthy Ones would like to think that they are completely impersonal about administering justice to wrongdoers, but an unmistakable element of vindictiveness is beginning to motivate them, although they cannot admit it to themselves, much less to anyone else. Their fragile self-image depends upon seeing themselves as entirely good and righteous as a compensation for their extremely negative superego. They simply cannot admit anything less than a perfect motivation.

The fact is that they are completely intolerant of the beliefs and behaviors of others, considering anyone who disagrees with them as immoral and evil. Angrily forcing their views on others, unhealthy Ones feel that others must be made to do the right thing, as defined by them, of course. Religion, justice, truth—any or all of their ideals—may be invoked to bolster their position and make others feel wrong or sinful. But in doing so, unhealthy Ones ironically get themselves into strange positions, propounding doctrines which can be defended only by sophistry. They will argue that to save a village, it may be bombed into annihilation. To convert people to their religion, they may be sold into slavery. To protect the lives of unborn fetuses, the lives of adults may be taken. Realizing that they may be using sophistry does not deter unhealthy Ones for a moment, since their psychological survival depends on rationalizing whatever they do, no matter how much their actions conflict with their stated beliefs.

However, they are so enraged at others that the irrationality of their anger disturbs even unhealthy Ones themselves, although, of course, they feel their anger is justified. Even so, they attempt to increase self-control lest their anger get out of hand. The irony is, however, that unhealthy Ones are becoming less self-controlled than ever. They are so tightly wound that their very tightness acts as a lightning rod for repressed feelings and desires to erupt unexpectedly.

The powerful repression of their feelings and impulses also leads to periods of prolonged and severe depression, which appears in marked contrast to their angry, driven qualities. Try as they might, unhealthy Ones are not entirely able to displace their superego attacks and rage onto others. Some of it is turned against the self as well, leaving Ones disillusioned and exhausted. Alcohol and drug abuse and a precipitous decline in the maintenance of their homes and professional lives are not uncommon.

Level 8: The Obsessive Hypocrite

Unhealthy Ones now become obsessed (neurotically preoccupied) with whatever has become the focus of their fury, but which, because of their need to control themselves, they cannot act on directly. As a result, they act compulsively, controlled more than ever by their irrational impulses.

At this stage, the double dichotomy, noted in the Overview, becomes more apparent. On one hand, there is a split between their impulses and the strength of the forces necessary to maintain the repression of those impulses. On the other hand, there is a split between their need to control themselves and moments when their control utterly breaks down. Obsessions and compulsions are both attempts to control, respectively, their irrational thoughts and actions, as well as symptoms of the fact that the control they seek is crumbling.

Obsessive thoughts go repeatedly through their minds. Obsessions are extremely threatening to their consciously held beliefs, however, since they may be obscene, sacrilegious, or brutally violent. The intensity of their obsessions may be so troubling to neurotic Ones that they may feel possessed by demons. In a certain sense neurotic Ones are possessed, although their demons are the repressed feelings and impulses they have not allowed themselves to deal with. These obsessions are often normal needs and desires that have become twisted or distorted through constant and extreme repression. But now Ones lack the basic ego strength to hold back the torrent of repressed impulses—their vanquished desires will have their day. Moreover, neurotic Ones are unable to resolve their obsessive thoughts because they are not able to acknowledge what is really disturbing them: their bitter resentment and hatred of others—particularly the people they feel are responsible for their torments. As a result, they spend a great deal of time trying to control their thoughts so that even more upsetting ones do not overwhelm them.

To focus their thoughts on something other than their real problems, neurotic Ones may become obsessed with cleanliness or rooting out other kinds of “dirt” and disorder associated with impulses and feelings they have repressed. Obsessions about sexual feelings and control of the body may be displaced onto food, possibly resulting in anorexia or bulimia, or compulsive “cleansings” of their systems with fasts and enemas. Or they may throw themselves into obsessive-compulsive cleaning or counting, the compulsive nature of their actions ironically contradicting their normal orderliness and self-control.

Obsessions are strangely adaptive, however, because neurotic Ones neither completely admit them into consciousness nor wholly act on their impulses. On the other hand, their obsessions profoundly disturb them, and they act out just enough of them to become compulsive, and thus arbitrary, contradictory, and hypocritical.

When neurotic Ones are unconsciously controlled by their erupting impulses, they may act contrary to their stated beliefs, for example, preaching the virtues of absolute sexual purity while falling into the grip of compulsive sexual activity. They do what they condemn, like a censor who is “forced” to watch pornography, or a sex researcher who must hear the lurid stories of rapists, or a judge who is a shoplifter. Compulsive Ones may even put themselves in the way of temptation to prove that their moral strength is so solid that it can withstand testing. Thus, they can have it both ways: they can flirt with, and occasionally succumb to, vice in the name of virtue. This, of course, further threatens their position, as such compulsive behaviors will eventually be scrutinized by others, leading to scandal and ruined reputations.

Corruption of any sort is always more shocking in the Lord High Protector of Public Morals than it is in the ordinary person. Neurotic Ones are drawn into perversity because, having repressed their feelings so thoroughly, they have denied and twisted their emotions until they have become deformed. The deformity of their emotional lives is what makes neurotic Ones and their impulses dangerous, not necessarily the original impulses themselves.

Level 9: The Punitive Avenger

Someone or something has stirred up such unacceptable feelings that neurotic Ones cannot deal with them directly. Neurotic Ones are now no longer even remotely motivated by ideals, but by their overriding need to restore self-control before their obsessions and compulsions get completely out of hand. But they cannot resolve obsessions by being obsessive, or compulsions by being compulsive. They therefore “solve” their neurotic conflicts by attempting to do away with the apparent cause of their disturbances, whipping themselves into a fury over what they see as the evildoing of others, although what is really at stake is their own sanity.

Their contradictions are so deep, their obsessions so intense, and their compulsions so threatening, that neurotic Ones cannot back down. The possibility that they may have been wrong is too much for their disintegrating ego to take. More than ever, they must justify themselves. Not only must others be proved wrong, they must be punished. And since others are hideously evil, they can be condemned and destroyed without guilt.

No love, no mercy, no human sympathy can be shown to those who have become the focus of their righteous retribution. Neurotic Ones become inhumanly cruel and, with whatever power they have, they make sure that others suffer. “They are only getting what they deserve!” is the rallying cry, and since the end justifies the means, any means can be used.

Completely unmerciful and unforgiving, they set in motion injustices and atrocities while trying to portray them as the work of an impersonal agent. Neurotic Ones act as if justice itself were responsible for their sadistic punishment of others. Because their twisted mortality now sanctions it, they are capable of having others thrown into prison, tortured, or burned at the stake.

The personality type which fears being condemned, condemns others mercilessly. The personality type which once may have been so concerned with justice has become the perpetrator of gross injustices. The personality type which was once the soul of reason is now completely unreasonable.

THE DYNAMICS OF THE ONE

The Direction of Disintegration: The One Goes to Four

Starting at Level 4, under conditions of increased stress and anxiety, Ones will begin to act out some of the traits of average to unhealthy Fours. Average Ones are perhaps the most strict and self-controlled of all of the nine types, thus the move to Four signals a hidden desire to be free of the burden of their responsibilities. They want to relieve some of the pressure of their relentless superego demands and allow the backlog of repressed desires some time to “play.” Having done so, however, without having examined the sources of their self-criticism, Ones will feel guilty for being “irresponsible” and become even more strict with themselves.

When Ones go to Four, they begin to fantasize about being someone else, being free of the burdens of their obligations. They seek out things of beauty and try to surround themselves with an aesthetically pleasing environment as a refuge from the pressures of their work. A certain “aesthetic elitism” develops. Average Ones see themselves as people of taste, and defend this sense of themselves all the more when they are under pressure. They may harbor romantic longings for unavailable others in their life, but, as Ones, would be very unlikely to inform the object of their admiration of their interest. Such fantasies and desires are soon attacked and repressed by the One’s vigilant superego.

By Level 5, Ones begin to tire of the constant pressure to meet their ideals, and become moody and temperamental in their move to Four. They often experience periods of melancholy, feeling that no one understands how hard they are trying and how important their contributions have been. Their discipline and restraint give way to turbulent feelings, and Ones become much more emotionally reactive and self-doubting. The aestheticism of Level 4 can give way to a more forced, affected quality at Level 5. The Four’s drama and hypersensitivity combine with the One’s heightened sense of propriety and manners to create an individual who is extremely awkward and self-conscious in social situations. This only heightens the One’s stress and desire to “measure up.”

If the pressure continues, at Level 6 average Ones will begin to pick up behaviors from the Four at Level 6. Their relentless superego provides few rewards for their efforts, so Ones become self-indulgent, giving themselves a few exceptions to the rules: perks and pleasures that provide ways of escaping the strain of living up to their impossible ideals. If they have been extolling the virtues of sobriety, they will begin to have a drink once in a while—while no one is looking, of course. If they’ve been shocked at promiscuity, they may seek out anonymous sex or have an affair. Ones are desperately looking for a way to escape their cruel superegos, but at this Level, they are unable to find healthy and balanced ways of doing so. Their superego is so extreme that they unconsciously seek extreme pleasures to compensate for it.

At Level 7, under increased stress, unhealthy Ones begin to behave like unhealthy Fours. When they are unable to maintain the intensity of their rigid intolerance and rage, Ones collapse into depression. Their depression can be severe and long-term, and in this regard, Ones with strongly dysfunctional family backgrounds where stress was a constant factor may mistake themselves for Fours. The depression acts as a means of containing the One’s rage, but can also be a strong indicator to Ones that something is seriously wrong with the views they have developed about life.

At Level 8, the obsessive concerns and behaviors of the One are joined by additional compulsions from the unhealthy Four. This can include irrational self-hatred, morbidity, and turbulent feelings of hatred and sexual desire. Although unhealthy Ones tend to focus on the wrongdoings of others or on exaggerated views of imperfections in their environment, at Four they also turn against themselves with equal fury.

They increasingly come under the spell of their unconscious processes, although they are completely unprepared to be plunged into the maelstrom of the unconscious. They are strangers to that territory, and what they discover about themselves fills them with horror, disgust, and self-loathing. With appalling clarity, they suddenly see the extent of their emotional chaos and the evil they have done. They begin to panic that the ideals by which they have lived and controlled themselves are no longer of any help.

At Level 9, when deeply neurotic Ones go to Four, their last moorings break loose. The hideousness of their punitive attitudes and actions crashes down upon them. They see their own corruption and are horrified. (“Oh my God, what have I done?”) They fear that they have transgressed so grievously that they cannot be forgiven.

Their convictions now convict them. But while deteriorated Ones rightly are aghast at their hatred, intolerance, and cruelty, they go overboard and condemn themselves as harshly as they have condemned others. From a position of finding nothing good in others, they now find nothing good in themselves.

They become profoundly depressed, hopeless, and emotionally disturbed. Deteriorated Ones are prey to extreme guilt, self-hatred, and emotional torment from which it is difficult to reemerge. There seems to be nothing worthwhile outside themselves to which they can reattach, no ideals with which they feel worthy of associating. Now the only way to resolve what is tearing them apart is to do away with the self. An incapacitating breakdown or suicide becomes very real possibility.

The Direction of Integration: The One Goes to Seven

As we have seen, Ones exercise too much control over their feelings and impulses. The essence of the move to Seven is that integrating Ones relax and learn to take delight in life. They learn to trust themselves and reality, becoming life-affirming rather than controlled and constricted. They discover that life is not always grim and serious: happiness is a legitimate response to existence. Pleasure can be taken without sinking into the morass of sensuality; people can please and fulfill themselves without becoming irresponsible or selfish.

Integrating Ones no longer feel that they must make everything perfect. Thus they progress from obligation to enthusiasm, from constraint to freedom of action. They are more relaxed and productive, and are able to express their feelings spontaneously. Integrating Ones are more responsive to the world, more playful, and much happier.

A great burden has been lifted from them, the burden of unnecessary perfection. They realize that they can enjoy what is good in life without constantly feeling obligated to improve it, especially in those areas in which perfection is not an issue. Things do not have to be perfect to be good. (“This is good, but so is that.”) They realize that much in life is already very good, even wonderful. Integrating Ones marvel at nature, the beauty of the arts, or the extraordinary accomplishments of others who, like they, are imperfect, yet have been able to make valuable contributions.

Moreover, they discover that it is frequently possible for them to be flexible without compromising genuine values. The old adage “The good is not the enemy of the better” becomes meaningful. They stop preaching from the abstract and experience life as it is. Integrating Ones have come down from Olympus to join the human race.

THE MAJOR SUBTYPES OF THE ONE

The One with a Nine-Wing: “The Idealist”

In people of this subtype, the idealism of the One is heightened and reinforced by the Nine-wing. Both component types tend to be removed from the environment: the One because it relates to ideals, and the Nine because it tends to relate to idealizations of people rather than to people themselves. The result is that Ones with a Nine-wing are somewhat disconnected from others, and more cerebral, remote, and impersonal than Ones with a Two-wing. The main type and wing are also somewhat in conflict in that Nines want to avoid stirring things up while Ones definitely want to provoke change. On the other hand, both types share idealism and a resistance to being affected by others. In this wing subtype there is a distancing, a sense of being an outside evaluator of culture. Because of their apparent detachment and logical orientation, Ones with a Nine-wing are often mistyped as Fives. Noteworthy examples of this subtype include Al Gore, Sandra Day O'Connor, Michael Dukakis, Carl Sagan, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Katharine Hepburn, George Harrison, George F. Will, Noan Chomsky, Eric Severeid, William F. Buckley, Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, C. S. Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, Cotton Mather, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, and “Mr. Spock.”

When they are healthy, people in this subtype are unusually objective and moderate in their judgments and dealings with others, since they have a special interest in remaining dispassionately involved. They are civilized in the best sense of the word, and often display a “scholarly” quality and erudition. There is a spiritual, mystical side to people of this subtype, and an attraction more to nature, art, and animals than to humans. Their emotional selfexpression is restrained, but they are often generous and loyal friends. As Ones, they strive to be exemplars of their principles, teaching by embodying what they believe in, yet the Nine-wing gives them a more gentle, retiring approach to life than Ones with a Two-wing. They can be gifted, articulate speakers and writers and frequently use their talents to raise awareness of society’s ills.

Average persons of this subtype actively campaign for their beliefs, although they can be pessimistic about whether people will take their advice and improve. This subtype is also more idealistic than the other, and because of the withdrawn qualities of the Nine-wing, is less likely to engage in the politics and sweat necessary to bring about the reforms they believe in. Although they have a heightened sense of public responsibility, their withdrawn tendencies often cause them to be perceived as elitists. The impersonal-ness of Ones and the disconnectedness of Nines produce people who preach to others almost entirely from abstract notions while trying to exclude anything personal in their behavior. Their emotions are subdued, and they have a tendency to be unconcerned and even obtuse about human motivations and human nature in general. The anger of the One is also harder to detect in this subtype, tending to be expressed in stiffness, impatience, and sometimes biting sarcasm. They increasingly prefer being alone and look for situations where they can work by themselves—again, like Fives—in order to avoid dealing with the messiness of interpersonal relationships.

Unhealthy people of this subtype are almost completely dissociated from their emotions and contradictions. They resist seeing what does not fit into their worldview. They tend to be inaccessible emotionally and intellectually, barricading themselves behind stubbornly held opinions. They may also literally distance themselves from others, “heading for the hills,” and leading a hermitlike existence. They can be bitter and misanthropic because their severe judgments are not checked by any real compassion for or identification with other human beings. Unhealthy Ones with a Nine-wing tend to abstract themselves and others completely, seeing them as problems to be solved or eradicated. They readily become obsessed with what they see as the evildoing of others and compulsive about taking measures to rectify it, while dissociating themselves from contradictions in their own behavior. They can cause others a great deal of harm because they do not understand the nature or extent of the suffering they inflict upon others in the name of their ideals.

The One with a Two-Wing: “The Advocate”

The traits of the One and those of the Two support each other in many ways. Both the One and the Two strive to comply with the dictates of the superego—to be “good” according to the lights of their internalized values. Ones want to be righteous and balanced, Twos want to be selfless and all-loving. On the other hand, Ones are rational and impersonal, while Twos are emotional and involved with people. Although One is the basic personality type, there is a noticeable degree of warmth as well as an interpersonal focus in people of this subtype, compensating for the One’s emotional control. The Two-wing also makes them more fiery and action-oriented than Ones with a Nine-wing. Ones with a Two-wing want to roll up their sleeves and get involved, whereas the other subtype tends to have more of an “ivory tower” quality. Noteworthy examples of this subtype include Pope John Paul II, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, Mario Cuomo, Bill Moyers, Tom Brokaw, Leslie Stahl, Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave, Ralph Nader, John Bradshaw, Jerry Brown, Gene Siskel, Margaret Thatcher, Alistair Cooke, Joan Baez, Joan of Arc, Saint Thomas More, and Anita Bryant.

The Two-wing softens the One’s tendency to be overly harsh and judgmental. To the extent that thoughtfulness and love of neighbor are among their ideals, Ones with a Two-wing will attempt to be caring and personal; they try to temper the rigor of their ideals so they can take the needs of individuals into consideration. Healthy people of this subtype mix tolerance with compassion, integrity with concern about others, objectivity with empathy. They can be generous, helpful, kind, and rather good-humored, markedly offsetting the One’s more rigid demeanor. They are more willing to “get into the trenches” to bring about the changes they desire and are often found in many of the helping professions (such as teaching, ministry, and medicine), since their idealism is much more effective when it has an interpersonal focus.

Average people of this subtype are well-intentioned and seek to educate others, both from a feeling of idealistic obligation and a desire to exert a personal influence over them. They are convinced not only that they are right, but that they are well-meaning. They are frequently involved in idealistic public causes and reforms of one sort or another out of a sense of personal responsibility for the welfare of others. Average Ones want to control themselves, while average Twos want to control others: these motives reinforce each other, making it difficult for those around Ones with a Two-wing to break away from their influence. People of this subtype allow themselves clearly defined emotional outlets as a reaction to their self-control. Tendencies to perfectionism, a strict conscience, self-satisfaction with their own goodness, and self-importance are also possibilities here. They tend to be more vocal about their discontents than Ones with a Nine-wing, since other people, rather than abstractions, are the focus of their attention. They are prone to anger and resentment when others do not follow their “suggestions.” But they tend to be thin-skinned, and do not like their ideals, their motives, or their lives to be questioned.

Unhealthy Ones with a Two-wing may be intolerant of and condescending to those who disagree with them. They may attempt to manipulate others emotionally, making them feel guilty for being less perfect than they should be. These people have a tendency toward self-deception about their own motives, and self-righteousness when their motives or actions are questioned. Like Ones with a Nine-wing, they are also prone to depression, but with the Two-wing, are more likely to act out sexually or with drugs or alcohol, in ways that are completely contrary to their expressed values. Self-deception and feelings of entitlement make their defenses particularly difficult to break. There is a tremendous amount of covert aggression in persons of this subtype, both from the repressed aggression of the One and the indirect aggression of the Two. Unhealthy Ones with a Two-wing may have physical problems (conversion reactions), compulsive habits, or nervous breakdowns as a result of the anxiety generated by their contradictions.

SOME FINAL THOUGHTS

Looking back on their deterioration, we can see that neurotic Ones have brought about the very thing they most fear. They are so intolerant and cruel that they are certain to be condemned by others—and condemned even by their own consciences. They have done something so contrary to their principles that they can no longer rationalize their actions. Justice now works against them rather than for them.

We can also see that many of the propositions which average to unhealthy Ones preached as objective truths were at least partially personal predilections. The truth of many of their dogmas is not usually as self-evident as Ones think it is. This does not mean that they should not act on what they believe, but that they should recognize the role which the subjective and the irrational play in their lives. After all, reason is not the only faculty human beings possess, and once Ones pit reason against their feelings, they begin to get into trouble. Reason alone is a trap which leads to unreasonable behavior, because it does not take other parts of human nature into account.

At the heart of the One’s dilemma is a fundamental contradiction. More than anything else, Ones want to have integrity congruency of thought, word and deed. But to have integrity is to be integrated, that is, whole. Integrity means oneness; however, as soon as Ones have judged some part of themselves unacceptable and repressed it, they have already lost their wholeness, their integrity. The way out is not by judging and evaluating themselves. This leads only to more and more internal conflict and division. To return to wholeness, Ones need acceptance of themselves—to see that here and now, who they are is good enough.

Unless they are very healthy, however, Ones are motivated by an underlying fear that they must constantly adhere to the strictest ideals or they will precipitously and calamitously fall into the depths of depravity. Life to them is like walking a tightrope over a chasm: one slip and they are doomed. There is so little hope or joy in this view of life that Ones should not be surprised if others do not follow them more readily. When Ones understand that there is no foolproof set of rules to guide them through life, and that even the best principles they have learned do not apply in every situation, they may discover that beyond the rules and dictates of their superego is a deeper, quiet wisdom. It is a living relationship to the truth of each moment, and a wisdom that transcends all principles. As Ones begin to accept themselves and reclaim those parts of their psyches that their superegos have banished, they find that this wisdom is always available to them. And as they live from this deeper truth, they find that they no longer need to convince people of the Tightness of their way of life. Others are eager to learn and to be touched by the One’s true wisdom.

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