Black Friday



Thanksgiving conjures up images of thankfullness, family, eating turkey.... and then..... "Black Friday."  A day after everyone has gathered to give thanks, they gather again, in long lines, parking lots and outside the doors (of whichever retailer who has yet to open) to shop for deals and kick off the Christmas season.



Sadly, it is also the perfect example of what can happen when the demand for a product vastly out numbers its supply.  So far, store associates have been trampeled to death, mace and pepper spray have been used along with stun guns.... and we can't even begin to include the numerous fights, grabbing, snatching, yanking and pulling that ensues as consumers grapple for their items.

Part of this frenzy and mayham can be attributed to the retailers who have high demand items at extremely low prices but with one major dilema... a very limited supply.  Shoppers realize the supply is limited and their need and/or desire to secure these items sometimes trumps logic as they resort to petty, criminal and sometimes lethal means to obtain the goods.

The amount of aggressiveness used to purchase some of these not so necessary items makes me wonder what exactly would happen if the items in demand were, in fact, necessary.  I wonder what would happen if the demand for food or medicine drastically exceeded the supply? Would people resort to lethal or deadly means to secure items which are necessary?  It makes one ponder whether or not mankind has become so unthankful and insensitive that they are willing to trample on others all for the sake of a good deal on an item they probably don't even need to begin with.

As black friday adds continue with stores opening earlier than ever and some even on Thanksgiving day it is unlikely that this will change any time soon.  I would imagine that in the near future security guards as well as police departments will become increasingly involved in order to keep order within the public.

Social Intelligence

Social Intelligence

What is it about social intelligence that some people get and others don't?  Those who are considered to be "socially intelligent" often seem to "walk among the rain drops".... excuse the pun.  If you are extroverted, social and able to navigate complex social situations with relative ease you may indeed be someone who ranks pretty high on the scale of social intelligence.  One scale used to measure this capacity in individuals is the George Washington Social Intelligence Test (GWSIT).  There are several subtests to this scale and they include the categories of

1) Judgment in Social Situations;



2) Memory for Names and Faces;


3) Observation of Human Behavior;


4) Recognition of the Mental States Behind Words;


5) Recognition of Mental States from Facial Expression;


6) Social Information; and


7) Sense of Humor:



I suppose whether or not you consider the following categories to be indicative of social intelligence is a matter of opinion.  Many professionals have since scrutinized the (GWSIT)  because of its strong correlation to abstract intelligence.  J.P. Guilford researched the topic and developed his Structure of Intellect Model which postulated there were approximately 120 different "intellectual abilities."

At any rate, however the concept is measured, it would be nice if these skills could be taught, either in school at some point or at the local college.  Not that this is likely to happen any time soon but it would sure be nice for individuals such as myself.  With this in mind, I took the liberty to google what can be done to help those (such as myself) who are socially inept.  This is where I discovered the work of another blogger who beat me to the finish line.

I'm not sure what the rules are when it comes to using another blogger's name and/or work on your own blog so I thought I'd include the web address and allow you to read for yourself some fantastic ideas for developing social intelligence.

 http://minorquestionsoflife.blogspot.com/2008/12/thorndike-in-1920-divided-intelligence.html

Finding Your Personality

          I recently purchased a book written by authors Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson titled "Personality Types: Using The Enneagram For Self-Discovery."  I have to say... it was actually a very intersting book in regards to personality and can be very informative if you find yourself dealing with difficult and challenging individuals.  The Enneagram is a tool used to explain the different and various personality types.  Further, it goes on to explain that their are nine different levels to each of the personalities.  The first three levels are considered to be "healthy" while the middle three levels are considered to be "average," and the last three levels of the personality describe the "unhealthy" characteristics of the personality.

          Each of the personalities belong to a Triad.  There are three "triads" the first of which is "The Feeling Triad" consisting of Personality Two: The Helper, Personality Three: The Motivator, and Personality Four: The Individualist.  The second triad is "The Thinking Triad" which consists of Personality Five: The Investigator, Personality Six: The Loyalist, and Personality Seven: The Enthusiast.  The third triad is considered to be "The Instinctive Triad" which consists of Personality Eight: The Leader, Personality Nine: The Peacemaker and Personality One: The Reformer.

          In brief, each of the personality types possesses characteristics which are unique to that personality.  The author also goes on to explain why some personalities are prone to experiencing neurotic and psychotic type behaviors.  He elaborates in detail with why some individuals experience sever anxiety and depression and why some may decompensate to a state of utter psychosis, completely absorbed with their delusions and hallucinations.

          Although I don't necessarily think it's precise or exact to lump individuals into one of nine categories the authors make a compelling argument by using the Enneagram (pronounced ANY-uh-gram) to explain personality types as well as how the fit with the current DSM manual and other forms of mainstream therapies.