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Campbell's Personality Classification System
These terms were developed by actual use as I assembled
my large private database of contacts in the UFO field (many thousands of researchers, correspondents and customers).
As I encountered various
pleasant,
unpleasant and difficult people, I needed tags to
help me recall how to deal with them on the next encounter. For example, if I receive an ambiguous request from someone I have
already had contact with, their category would
tell me whether and how I should respond. In theory, labels may be changed if the person mends their ways or I receive new information that indicates I was mistaken, but in practice the labels, except for Unease, rarely change. A Jerk is a
lways a Jerk and will generally remain so until he dies.
People are classified by the behavior I actually observe, and I
try to give them plenty of opportunity to prove themselves before
I classify them.
I do no classify most people, only those whose irritate or impress me.
I only assign a category when a person
exhibits sufficient symptoms to warrant it.
This is a private classification system, and I do
not usually reveal my terms for specific people (except in the
case of Enemies--whom I may have no interest in protecting
and perhaps a reason to expose). I do not have to defend these labels in court or account for them in public; I only need sufficient grounds to satisfy myself. I can often render these diagnoses based solely on letters, email
correspondence or brief telephone conversations. Such remote diagnoses usually
remain valid when I actually meet the person.
The terms are arranged in order from most uncomfortable to me to least. If a
person fits more than one category, the higher one prevails.
- Enemy -- Someone who has acted against me in some
treacherous,
inexcusable and permanent way. There is no pretense of cordiality
in our relationship and little hope for recovery.
- Sicko -- A dangerously irrational person with violent
inclinations. He should be avoided at all costs, but he has not
acted against me in any substantial way (apart from verbally
perhaps),
and he may not know that
I regard him as dangerous. He may also be Paranoid, but my
predominant sense from him is of repressed violence that could erupt at any
moment. A Sicko need not be a physical threat to warrant the
classification; verbal violence, including email "flames," is
sufficient to earn the classification.
- People User -- Also known as a "sociopath," this is a
con artist or manipulator who feels no discomfort about taking
advantage of others and abusing them to serve his ego.
In many cases, he has built his whole career
upon this behavior. Radio "shock jocks" and some TV talk show hosts fall
into the category, as do a
number of charlatans in the UFO and New Age fields. This person is
purely evil and without conscience on the inside,
but he can be very smooth and charming in public. In a social
setting, he can instantly sense the needs and mood of the group
and will give people exactly what they want. He usually appears
sincere and friendly when the spotlight is upon him,
but he will instantly turn against you if he
sees some personal advantage in it. This person needs gullible
followers to feed his ego, and he often finds them in the True
Believers.
- Paranoid -- Sees enemies everywhere, and is prone to
act against
those enemies before they can possibly attack him. He is quick to sense perceive
affronts, often imaginary, and he will act against you instantly if he feels you
turn against him. Extremely dangerous if given any sort of power.
Prolonged contact with this person is sure to turn him into an
Enemy, so contact should be avoided wherever possible.
- Creep -- This person spooks me. May be pleasant on the
surface,
but knowing him better causes my revulsion. He does not recognize
the boundaries of personal privacy and is always overstepping
them. Being socially eccentric or exhibiting inexplicable behavior is not sufficient to warrant this label; there must evidence of personal intrusion or destructive perversion, although it need not be exhibited in any criminal way. E.g. rapists and chil
d molesters may be Creeps, but I will not judge them
on their criminal records, only on the behavior or attitudes I observe from them. The way a person talks about others, although
protected legally as "free speech," could be sufficient grounds for the label if it indicates a sadistic, masochistic or intrusive world view. The Creep is less demanding than a Jerk,
but the subterranean nature of his impulses makes him even less trustworthy and much more unpredictable.
- Jerk -- A pompous, demanding person who acts as though
he is the
center of the universe.
(Known in the vernacular as an "asshole.")
Does not recognize the needs or feelings
of others, but he probably won't kill you like any of the above.
Tends to blame his problems on others and is quick to complain
about perceived wrongs. May also be Dim or Bore but
is more actively demanding.
Distinguished from the Paranoid by the absence of elaborate
theories of persecution.
- Dim -- Just plain dumb. Asks stupid questions, and
fails to ask the important ones. Due to his poor judgment, he is
often suffers mishaps and disasters whenever he leaves home, but
unlike a Jerk he does not necessarily blame these problems
on others (or at least I have no evidence that he does).
- Bore -- Someone who has nothing to say but who says it
in many,
many words. Takes the simplest statement and stretches it into an
endless, empty monologue. A person does not
warrant this classification just for being talkative; they must
also be an emotional drain on their listeners and miss all
the social cues that indicate when he has said enough. A Bore may
call me on the phone ostensibly to ask for information but he cannot stop his monologue
long enough to listen to it. Although this person has no malicious
intent, he is a leech on time and resources and is unpleasant to
interact with. He is essentially talking to himself without any
communication taking place. Contacts with the person must be firm,
decisive and often brusque, because if you give him any
opportunity for expression he will use it.
- Loony Tunes -- Wildly delusional individual who spouts
incoherent
ramblings typical of a schizophrenic. This person is usually more
entertaining than dangerous. He is so absorbed with the desperate
theories and voices in his head that he poses little threat to
others. Often expresses himself in long messages on my answering
machine or massive, rambling letters that took hours to write.
This person is probably no stranger to mental institutions,
but does not threaten violence like the Sicko.
Distinguished from the Bore by the incoherence of his
monologue, which can be amusing for its absurdity.
- True Believer -- A proponent of a UFO, psychic,
religious or New
Age field who is attached to his beliefs with blind, unquestioning
faith. Since he has already made up his mind, he asks poor
questions, and there is little chance of influencing him with
logic. Because he does not filter his information (as in the UFO
field), his accounts and information are usually of little value.
Distinguished from a Conspiracy Buff or Political
Fanatic by the
unearthliness of their claims, which focus on some form of
extraterrestrial or interdimensional life not yet recognized
by mainstream society.
- Conspiracy Buff -- A theorist who believes in any of a
variety of
popular conspiracies about insidious government control. To
warrant this classification, subject must believe not just in one
limited conspiracy but many wide-ranging ones, sufficient to
classify him as "conspiracy prone." This person does not take the
conspiracies personally, however, and lives a more-or-less normal
life otherwise. (As distinguished from the Paranoid, who
does
take the conspiracies personally and may easily believe that YOU
are a part of them.)
- Pseudo Scientist -- A believer in perpetual motion
machines, free
energy generators or various equivalents, who spends much of his
personal time theorizing about or trying to build such devices.
Distinguished from a real scientist by an absence of intellectual
discipline and a disinterest in all conventional scientific
knowledge. (One does not warrant this classification merely for
pursuing an unconventional idea; the abandonment of scientific
principles is required.)
- Fraidy Cat -- A natural coward who is afraid of even
the most
innocuous deviations from the normal. He invents obstacles for
himself that prevent him from driving down any unexplored road.
He usually has no discomfort, however, about taking a tour with a
group.
- Petty -- Creates mountains out of molehills. A whiner,
but not so
demanding as to classify him as a Jerk. This person may be useful
for his technical knowledge if you tip-toe around him carefully
and watch your words so as to not offend.
- Political Fanatic -- Blindly adheres to a certain
political or religious view
which may seem extreme at times but still falls within the
American mainstream. Although milder than a
Conspiracy Buff, he
construes the whole world in terms of his political theory.
Lately, the typical theory has centered on the federal government
and its perceived intrusion into local and personal rights. It is
a serious mistake to try to debate this person on his political
views, as he will revert to dogma and become incensed at your
arrogance. Related to the True Believer, but his beliefs
are
purely political and do not approach the spiritual realm or the
scientific unknown. Distinguished from the Obsessive
by a lack of technical ability or content; their talk is purely opinion.
- NCG -- short for "No Common Ground." I have no
substantial complaint against this person; we simply have nothing
in common. Their world view is sufficiently alien to mine
that we essentially speak different languages. This
person does not understand my metaphors or humor; and I see
nothing in them that I can relate to. We can
communicate
about nothing more than the simplest physical problems. Attempts to approach deeper subjects are
uncomfortable for me because the risks of misinterpretation are high and
we appear to have no common needs or interests worth talking
about. This label may be applied to people who I regard as
humorless, colorless and uncreative, who inhabit the social world
and adhere to social conventions but exhibit no obvious inner life
apart from those conventions. Theoretically, NCG may also
be used for "aliens" who I simply have no means of communicating
with, or people who are "all business" and simply have no interest
in communication. Thus, the label does not necessarily imply a
criticism, simply an observation that we cannot communicate and
that it is fruitless to try. Distinguished from Dim by the
presence of some native intelligence, albeit with a lack of any
intuition or creativity that might form a basis for communication.
Speaking a foreign language is itself not sufficient grounds for
this label; non-verbal communication must fail also.
- Obsessive -- This person is obsessed with a certain
narrow
technical field and devotes nearly all of his personal time and
energy to it, to the exclusion of all other topics and often a
healthy personal life. This person is confident in this field,
however, and certainly has extensive knowledge in it. He
is not necessarily hard to get along with, but communication tends
to be limited to the chosen field. He does not get upset when you
talk about
other things, but he tends to "tune out" or steer the conversation
back to his obsession.
- Unease -- This catch-all category is a temporary warning
to myself
which says that something about this person makes me
uncomfortable. This may be based only on a "feeling" and not
necessarily a specific behavior. If I have more experience with
this person, I should be able to either remove my Unease or
classify the person as one of the above.
- [no category] -- Most people in my database have done
nothing to
warrant a classification.
- Pleasant -- This person impresses me as unusually easy
to get
along with. He has a full grasp of the human protocols and is
sensitive to emotional nuances and the needs of others. He tends
to recognize your thoughts before you even speak them.
- Rational -- A person (usually Pleasant) who
possesses an unusually
clear and rational mind. Doesn't let his emotions interfere
with observation of the data. By my definition, he represents a
very rare
segment of the general population: well less than 1%.
(c) Copyright, Glenn Campbell, 1995, 1997. May be reproduced for
personal use only.
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8/20/95
Last Modified: 2/26/97 gc, 6/9/97