After taking time out for other things it is back-to-blogsite time, almost at the same time as children and students go back-to-school.  Maybe something to do with the season, sharpening pencils, new and old faces and stuff.

I have listed a couple of other blogs you might be interested in and exchanged info with them.  Please, if you think I'm off my head or totally deluded, feel free to say.  As I mention further down, other people have said so to my face so what's new?

A series of lectures on the subject of narcissism got my braincells thinking round these subjects some more, and I don't say I really got the hang of it.  I would be thinking along certain lines, someone else would ask a question and the lecturer's response was altogether different.  It may be in the eye of the beholder, or in the mould or mode someone is used to thinking in.  That's why, with humans, no size or theory fits all.  If one tries to force things ... (more)

2 other bloggers writing on this kind of theme:

'Out-of-character behaviour' at Toukanalia http://toukanalia.blogspot.com

'Unseen aspects of behaviour' which is at http://unseenaspects.blogspot.com

The subjects are pretty much linked so some of the stuff is shown on both but each has its own parts as well.

If a ship gets into difficulty it could jettison some stock or heavy equipment and put people into lifeboats where their future takes a different mode and direction.  These things and more have the aim of survival of important players and aspects.

Do we do this with our personalities too?  It would make sense.  I think all theories are worth consideration, but cannot see why people:

a) get so wound up about them
b) try to make money out of them
c) seek fame through them

We're all in the same boat of life, whatever journey we have, and whether we think the same, use the same strategies as anyone/everyone when the boat sinks or personal narrative dashes to the rocks.  Some theories can even be useful with a diametric approach.

The shipwreck theory continues: If your ship (you) hits something and things get thrown overboard, come the dawn and calmer sea you could have lost or forgotten ... (more)

Ask someone their favourite book or film and you tend to get an answer with a theme behind it, some hero or heroine who fought the odds or the world in general to up trumps, or remaining detached from horrendous things and getting along just fine.

I spent some time reading what some FBI psychological profilers said about people like serial killers and I don't recall the details.  But there was a recurrent theme about incidents in their past leading up to where the killers continue till getting caught - as if nothing else will do as a suitable end-piece.  Are they 'responsible' for how the killing or activity began, can they change without getting caught, can they change after getting caught?

I feel we should not generalise too much, because each person or 'soul' is different.  I do believe some killers and violent criminals gain significant insight either by their own efforts or with appropriate help.  It's as if they can see into their own ... (more)

This is the hardest part and something I've been thinking about for ages.  It makes sense to me but maybe it won't to other people and I don't know how to put it over without sounding odd.  Well, people often approach me and say something like 'I don't take any notice of what people say about you because I take as I find and you've been ok with me'.  I guess that's something then!

Suppose that we are all a bit of a mixture, various strands each representing some continuum of personality or behaviour or whatever.  We weave our way through with some consistency or maybe not much at all.  As other people don't see all of it all of the time, they either don't notice something that jars or they are much puzzled by it.  We may be too, because we don't have the full story either.  What tends to happen is we rationalise to ourselves if we do something unusual, finding plausible explanations so there's not so much dissonance or discrepancy with what we ... (more)

A few years ago I began reading books by Ann Rule who was initially a court reporter in the United States sometimes working on murder cases.  She became intrigued and researched deeply into the lives and characters of some people involved and came up with amazing information and insights.  I won't go back and re-read them all, but what seemed to emerge was a phenomenon I am calling 'tour of personality'.  I wondered about using 'tower of personality'.  Whatever fits best will do, 'conglomeration' or your-choice.

Some of the people involved in scenarios she describes are complex and the situations are naturally so.  But some people seem to ride the waves no matter what happens and however bleak their future looks for being accused and convicted.  Some play the legal system and key players against each other to get off the hook or get decisions overturned. ... (more)

One of the first things that comes to my mind is going for a job interview, on reasonably best behaviour, showing willing to do the job and fit in.  Get the job and it's too late!  They realise you can't do the impossible or be totally sat upon; you realise they are nothing like they seemed. 

One interviewer was affable and I was over the moon because I was redundant for the umpteenth time, not getting any younger.  'I bet you didn't think you'd walk straight into the job today' he said warmly.  I don't think he ever spoke to me again even passing on the stairs.  He didn't treat anyone else there as human although they were much needed and worked their socks off 12 hours at a stretch.

Another man seemed just the ticket and I was disappointed when the firm turned me down after making positive noises.  A friend went there as a temp and said he was awful, he shouted and threw phones at people. ... (more)

I suppose I am not convinced that people - including myself of course - are necessarily how they seem - which makes sense.  Or that they necessarily stay as they are - which also makes sense as we need to adapt to time and circumstance.  We do a lot of that without always making a conscious decision.

I'm not sure where that leaves us in terms of psychology, predictability, or anything else.  We may make a thing about assuming we know enough about someone to predict pretty much how they are likely to behave.  We express surprise when they do something different from how they have been or have seemed, or whatever it is that makes us think there is a constant.  On these pages I introduce you to some of the people I have known - without getting too personal about it, some of the things I have seen and thought about, and see where it leads.  Do feel free to chip in. ... (more)