NEAT & SIMPLE LIVING: 3 posts from May 2008

May 02, 2008

Is it ADD or Creative Personality Type?

This Article has been updated and posted on my new Lotus Bridge blog! Inviter to come and real the new and improved version!

Is it ADHD or Creative Personality Type?

UPDATED: 8/14/2009

I have found that many ADD traits are the SAME as those of people with "creative personality types" Having a creative personality type doesn't mean you are an "artist" necessarily, though you may well be. It's broader than that. We ARE creative types who love to write, explore, take risks, try new things, solve problems, research and learn new things all the time, and get bored with anything that is too repetitive or that stays the same for too long.

I frequently wonder how my ENTP creative personality type and ADD are connected - because when you compare the traits of both, it's striking how similar they are. The main differences seem to be in the degree, frequency, and impact these "traits" have on our lives. Both ADD and the Creative Types share many characteristics. Below is a list of ADD traits that I've culled from reading tons of ADD books.

COMMON ADD TRAIT DESCRIPTIONS INCLUDE:

High energy and restless / Hyperactivity
Impulsivity
Takes on too many projects
Loses interest easily
High impatience
May fail to follow through, forget appointments
Tendency to hyperfocus and not be able to easily break out of it
Tendency to see everything at once, to think "globally" and see many possibilities at once, making it difficult to make certain kinds of decisions
Higher than average tolerance for chaos and change
Often exhibit high risk taking, high stimulation seeking
Often hyperREACTIVE - High reaction to thoughts, noise, people talking, everything in their environment, sometimes hypersensitive
Tend to criticize themselves
Tend to always be scanning or hunting
High intuitive thinking
Inconsistency of attention, mood

Now compare that list with the list I made from the descriptions of MBTI "creative personality types" which have both an "iNtuitive" and a "Perceiving" preference. I have never seen anyone group the "NP" preferences as an archetype or temperament the way Keirsey and Bates identified four temperaments in "Please Understand Me", but in my work with hundreds of people who have been labeled as disorganized for most of their lives, or as ADD, I am seeing undeniable patterns that are helping me better understand the roots of painful chronic disorganization, and more importantly, how to help people best overcome disorganization forever - not just organize "for" them and then hope they can maintain it after I leave.

The "iNtuitive" + Perceiving personality types are:

ENTP (5%) INTP (1%) ENFP (5%) INFP(1%)

The percentages indicate what percent of the population has each personality type. As you can see, these types are CLEARLY a minority. Combined they are found in only about 12% of the population and 4-6% of women. (Source: "Please Understand Me" by Keirsey and Bates)

Interestingly, ADD is thought to occur in 6 - 12% of the population. It varies according to who you are reading. But, regardless, it literally is so close that it BEGS for closer scrutiny.

So now, take a look at the list of traits I summarized from Please Understand Me" by Keirsey and Bates with my notes in brackets about how this could impact organizing and/or look like ADD.

ENTP/ENFP TRAITS

Unusually Enthusiastic, [high energy and high enthusiasm is VERY characteristic of ADD)
"Apt to express interest in everything" [this makes it very difficult to focus and make choices about how to use your time]
Characteristically have an eye out for a better way [leads to constantly changing and not sticking to systems you create to organize yourself]
Always on the lookout for new projects, new activities, new procedures [ a clear link to all those unfinished projects ADD is famous for]
Always seem to be several jumps ahead [Another hallmark of ADD brains that process informationally globally and often see patterns before others do. Many famous inventors and scientists who made significant discoveries are thought to have had ADD]

The list is stunning, for example, Alexander Graham Bell, Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Issac Newton, Louis Pasteur, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Galileo and many more.

Prefers to "improvise" rather than create a detailed plan [Could look like impulsivity, being uprepared, etc.]
Tends to proceed into action without necessary preparation
Can succeed in a variety of occupations as long as the job "does not involve humdrum routine"
In a routine job "they become restless. If a project in which they are engaged is no longer challenging, they tend to lose interest and fail to follow through - often to the discomfort of colleagues"
"Orderliness in the routines of daily living is not apt to inspire them." "Not likely to be interested in the routines of daily maintenance"
"Life with ENTPs is likely to be a daring adventure: this could lead families into physical and economic danger"
"Apt to react with delight at having an opportunity to improvise a solution to a crisis"
"Likely to be inconsistent with their attention
"May show undependable, fickle characteristics, and be easily discouraged"
"Always berating themselves for being so conscious of self"
"Can become bored rather quickly with situations and people, and resist repeating experiences"
"Enjoy the process of creating "but not interested in follow-through"
"Can have difficulty picking up on the ideas and projects initiated by others"
"Extravagant generosity punctuated with periods of frugality"
"Somewhat unpredictable"
"Characteristic in their pursuit of novelty"
"Outstanding intuitive powers"

INTP / INFP TRAITS

"Can concentrate better than any other personality type" [Obviously similar to hyperfocusing]
"Once caught up in a thought process, that thought process seems to have a will of its own for INTPS, and they perservere until the issue is comprehended"
"Impatient with routine details" [Obviously impacts ability to "maintain" traditional organizing systems]
"The INTP must be given an efficient support staff who can capture ideas as they emerge and before the INTP loses interest and turns to other ideas" [How I would LOVE this! and How unrealistic this is. The book is obviously old enough to remember when most managers had their own secretaries. I had my own Exec Assistant once...it was AWESOME!!!]
INTPS are often forgetful of appointments and the rituals of daily living unless they are reminded. [Need I say more?]

I think the links between creative personality types (not artistic creativity) and ADD are more than clear. And the link between creativity and difficulty "MAINTAINING" organizing systems is also clear. The key question for me is "how does my understanding of these specific personality traits help me help others become more organized by designing organizing solutions that they CAN MAINTAIN?

That's what my class on "The Link between Creativity and Disorganization" is about.

It comes as a free bonus when you purchase:

P.S.

I want to send a HUGE THANK YOU to a few great friends whose support and encouragement mean the world to me! They also inspired me to write this post which I've been working on for WEEKS!

1) To Terry Matlen, M.S.W., of www.ADDconsults.com for featuring me in an article called The Many Faces of ADHD - Ariane's Profile at www.ADDCentral.com! Terry is the author of the excellent Survival Tips for Women with AD/HD: Beyond Piles, Palms, & Post-its She is a leader in the field of Adult AD/HD, a former member of the board of directors of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association, and a wonderful and compassionate friend. She has been so supportive of me I can't even begin to thank her enough.

2) To Liz Strauss of www.successful-blog.com who wrote this post in support of my "coming out" about having ADD: Do You Think You Have ADD? Should You Tell Anyone? I was so touched by her caring, compassion, and complete support of not only me, and not only ADD, but for anyone who feels "different" from everyone around them. Liz was one of first bloggers to ever give sincere recognition to my blog and made me feel that the effort I put into this blog might be worth it after all. She writes about all kinds of cool stuff and stuns me with how much great stuff she is capable of writing so often and so well! Thank you Liz!

3) To Dwayne Melancon of "Genuine Curiousity" for his incredibly insightful and compassionate article "GOT ATTENTION?" referencing my experience with getting a diagnosis of ADD and wondering if I really do have ADD. I was so surprised that even my friend Dwayne often wonders if his tendency to "get bored easily" and "flit from one interesting thing to another" is ADD or not. And so do other people I would never have suspected in a million years!

Ariane Benefit, M.S.Ed. | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBack (0)

Living with Undiagnosed ADD

Bryan Hutchinson, author of "One Boy’s Struggle: A Memoir - Surviving Life with Brianhutchinson Undiagnosed ADD" sent me his book to read a while ago and I finally got a chance to read it. Wow. It was not easy for me to read this because any story of child abuse is painful for me to hear, but I'm glad I did.

His book gives a very heartfelt account of what it was like growing up with quite severe undiagnosed ADD that resulted in his being the victim of some very violent attacks by own father and other people as well.

What It's Like to Have ADD

It's not easy to help people understand who don't have ADD understand what it is really like, but stories like Bryan's really help. Whenever I hear someone talk about how frustrating it is to work with or live with someone who has ADD, I wish I could tell them how painful and frustrating it can be to actually have it! Those of us with ADD often feel so much worse about ourselves than you can imagine. We don't want to disappoint people, but it happens, in fact we really tend to dissappoint ourselves most of all.

Can you imagine what it would be like to get up one day and being able to walk just like everyone else, but then the next day you wake up and you can't. People might think you are lying or doing it on purpose because they saw you walking yesterday and then saw you walking again the next day. THAT IS WHAT IT IS LIKE to have ADD. It's like you can't control when your brain is going to work with or against you. It feels like sometimes your brain freezes or gets paralyzed and you can't control it.

It's like when you have too many windows open on your computer and it suddenly just CRASHES without warning. If you can relate to having any kind of inconsistent problem, like back pain, or shoulder pain, or even having your computer crash on you, then you can better understand what it is like to have ADD. The agony of being able to function well sometimes, but not others truly destroys your sense of self-worth and self-confidence.

Bryan's story is an incredibly touching and poignant account of what it's like to have ADD. What many people don't realize is how painful it is to the individual who WANTS so desperately to be able to be consistent and to meet the expectations of others AND of themselves but literally CAN'T.

In his book, Bryan shares the struggles he experienced as a child and even now as an adult living life with undiagnosed ADD. His story is one that I and many others with ADD can relate to even if our symptoms weren't as severe and we weren't beaten up physically for them. Once he was finally diagnosed and got treatment for ADD, his life dramatically changed and improved. He became more able to accept who we was and design a life that worked for who he was instead of twisting himself into knots to fit into what he thought he "should" be.

Importance of Treating ADD/ADHD

Bryan’s story highlights the importance of understanding and treating ADD/ADHD as early in life as possible. If you are feeling like you are the only one, hearing others stories is a great way to realize that you aren't and begin the process of accepting who you are and working with what you have. It also helps you become more compassionate with yourself.

Interview with Bryan

Tara McGillicuddy of ADDClasses.com recently interviewed Bryan on her Blog Talk radio show call Living with Adult ADD / ADHD. They share their stories of how they found out they ADD, how their spouses deal with it, and much more. Listen Here

Bryan's Book "One Boy’s Struggle: A Memoir - Surviving Life with Undiagnosed ADD"

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