MERCY STRATEGY
We will begin our study of human thought by looking at Mercy strategy.
Remember that our description refers both to the type of thinking which is
conscious in the Mercy person, and to a mode of thought which is present,
under the surface, in all of the other cognitive styles. I should remind you
as well that not all of the personality traits of the Mercy person are the
result of Mercy thought. Many characteristics come from the other six
rooms operating subconsciously within the mind of the Mercy person. In
this section we will only examine traits which are the result of conscious
thought. As we discuss the other cognitive styles and gain an
understanding of the rest of the mind and how it operates, our picture of
the Mercy person will become much more complete.
Mercy Thinking
As we can see in the diagram of mental symmetry, the Mercy person is
associative, concrete and emotion-oriented. This means that Mercy thought
lives within a network of experiences, each with an emotional label.
Wherever the Mercy person goes, he is always being reminded of other
experiences, and with each of these memories is a related emotion.A The
feelings associated with these linked memories color the emotional
atmosphere of present experience.
Let me give you an example. One Mercy girlB was looking at displays
in store windows when she happened to glance upon a certain doll.
Immediately she felt bad. When she got home she realized the source of
this feeling. As a child she had been in a school play, and had worn a
costume like the dress on that doll. Her dress had ripped during the
performance, and she had felt terribly embarrassed. Seeing that doll
A To avoid convoluted language, I will follow normal English rules of
grammar and use „he‟ for both male and female. My observation actually
suggests that there might be more female Mercy persons than male Mercy
individuals.
B I have suggested that males tend to emphasize abstract thought, whereas
females concentrate on concrete thinking. This means that Mercy traits are
usually more pronounced in the female Mercy person, while the male
Mercy person generally places more of an emphasis upon subconscious
Teacher and Perceiver thought. The „furniture‟ of thought may vary, but
both male and female Mercy persons still „live‟ in the same mental room of
Mercy strategy.