334 A Programmer’s Guide to the Mind
Second, they become mental chameleons,
or shape shifters. As they move from one
mental context to another, they allow their
mental „cars‟ to alter appearance. Then, sitting
in a completely different automobile, they
continue to drive. As long as their present
„vehicle‟ has a place for the driver, they can
keep moving. And, because „out of sight is out
of mind,‟ they are not concerned with these
contradictions in mental processing.A These
individuals appear complicated, because their
personality depends upon the context. One
seldom knows who they really are inside—for
neither do they. But, they have charisma,
confidence, energy, and „the right stuff.‟
Emotionally, they may be lost, but to them it
does not matter, for they are making great progress.
In contrast, the Mercy and Teacher persons are the car. They are
emotionally driven to hold on to something stable. When their mental
automobile changes shape, then they experience gut-wrenching feelings.B
Unfortunately, our „modern‟ environment of opposing desires and
conflicting theories has become the approved standard. We are expected to
change our personal shape to match the mood of the moment. The one who
disengages his personal Mercy feelings and who single-mindedly pursues
„success‟ receives money and status, whereas the individual who holds on
to a core of Mercy feelings is stepped upon, ridiculed, written off as a
„hopeless romantic,‟ and bypassed by the shape-shifters.
Similarly, the person who makes it in the arena of ideas is the one who
can slide his way through the chaos of words—he catches a slogan here, he
holds on to a special saying there, and he constantly picks the theory which
seems best suited for the moment. Those who can step back from Teacher
feelings and live as intellectual chameleons end up despising others, such
as the Teacher person, who try to bring order to their world with some
general Teacher theory. A Teacher thinker is labeled as „idealistic,‟
„inflexible,‟ „stubborn,‟ „proud,‟ or even „rebellious,‟ when he refuses to
sacrifice his worldview to the cause of the moment.
A The composite styles can see mental content, but they are not aware of
cortical processing. Therefore, they are not consciously bothered by a
world which contains pieces of meaning and intelligence, but which does
not integrate them together.
B The Perceiver and Server persons demand that the car „parts‟ do not
change. However, they are not naturally motivated to preserve an entire
vehicle.