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:
- Neat & Simple Guide to Organizing Your Home Office: Ultra-Simple, ADD-Friendly Strategies for Conquering Chronic Disorganization, Clearing Clutter, and Organizing Your Life or
- Getting Unstuck: 8 Keys to Overcoming Chronic Disorganization
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!
