Odd Ducks

Many Intuitives feel as though they aren’t quite like other people, and this doesn’t usually go away as they age. They are the odd ducks…not just the ones who won’t stay in line or eat their food, but the ones that collect snail shells, float down the river on rafts, and only sleep when upside down. They are often made fun of for their unusual behavior, even called names and bullied. But being an N isn’t something a person can change. They can certainly pretend, but no amount of falsification can fill the empty void of needing to do things differently.

Finding a Place

Many Intuitives report that after taking a Jungian type test and learning they belong to a certain group, they feel excitement, joy, and even relief. Finally, a place where they belong! This is a rare thing for Ns, some of whom go their entire lives without ever understanding what makes them different from most other people. Even for idiosyncratic Intuitives, learning they fit in somewhere and are not just a misfit puzzle piece is a life-changing experience. Once they know they are a certain kind of person, they can feel more like a part of humanity and experience greater joy

Relativism

Intuitives often see beyond what is to behold what may be. This is true for people as well as for things. They believe that each person has the potential to become great, and that part of that untapped greatness is being manifest right now in some traits or abilities that are unique to them. Every idea is a seed that can lead to bigger ideas, overthrowing prevailing ideologies in favor of social or scientific progress. Like Agent Fox Mulder, Intuitives believe that the truth is out there, and to grasp it is a process that requires examining it from all angles.

Perspective-taking

It can be frustrating trying to get an Intuitive to take your side. Not because they can’t see any merit in it, but because they can also see the value of the other side, and probably several additional angles you’ve never considered. Intuitives are good at getting into the mindset of another person, allowing them to understand them more fully. Some even get too close, their natural empathy magnified to a point that separating their own emotions from others can be difficult.

Developmentalism

Few things irk Intuitives like the reverence some people pay to the status quo. They believe that, as Dr. Horrible says, “the status is NOT quo”, or, as is implied, things as they currently stand are not fair, and are not good enough. Everything has upward mobility, and if it’s not moving, something’s wrong. Every person should likewise be seeking their own self-improvement, not just the improvement of their home’s value through remodeling. Of course, newer isn’t always better, and Intuitives must be wary of supporting something simply because it’s new or different. Intuitives excel at facilitating progress. They can see changes that need to be made, and have the courage to do what needs to be done to remove obstacles that may stand in the way.

Diversity-valuing  

There are so many kinds of people, and Intuitives want to find something good in all of them. While most people are hung up on biases and personal prejudice regarding those who are different from them, or perhaps trying to find a way to integrate them, Intuitives are exploring the various strengths they bring and looking for ways to help others learn from them. Intuitives believe that there’s no particular “right” way to be. Everyone is of great worth, and their choices cannot be measured against others, only against themselves. Everything must be weighed in the proper context, and that context has nothing to do with what the majority thinks is correct.  Cultural and personal values must always be considered when judging another’s actions.

Black, White, or Grey?

Where do you stand on Relativism? Do you think that there’s a standard everyone should seek? Or do you believe that everyone must find their own way? Perhaps taking the Trait Spectrum can help you decide.

Previous ArticleNext Article