Discrimination

Individuals with a goal of Discrimination seek to deepen our understanding by focusing and refining our Goal. In other words, we attempt to clarify what is good and bad about every aspect of what we are accomplishing so that we can continue to deepen our expression in way that honors what works. Discrimination is therefore about improving things by refocusing constantly on that which is the most effective. What we are doing, in effect, is constantly “re-scoping” our activities so that we are doing more that expresses the best in us. For example, if we were a film director with a Goal of Discrimination, every picture we did would further clarify what we do well, versus what we do poorly so that we would do more of what we do well, rather than focus on trying make better what we don’t do well.

Individual in a Goal of Growth would tend to always focus on what they do poorly so they can improve it. Individuals with a Goal of Discrimination deepen themselves by getting better at what they do well, and releasing their attachments and their need to repeat what hasn’t worked in the past. How a person with a Goal of Discrimination affects the whole is by establishing a new standard that others aspire to express. A lot of times this occurs because an individual learns how to express some new standard in a way that wakes others up to how they can do things better. It is important to realize that Discrimination is a one-on-one Expressive energy, which means that it is about an individual challenging and asking others to uplift themselves to their standard.

Many of our best Discriminators have been writers or movie critics who have put something into words that stimulates a new way of thinking about it. In this way, the Goal of Discrimination is about wringing the confusion out of things so that all that is left is its pure essence. While there are many Outer Success ways of expressing this energy, it does not have to be an Outer Success thing. For example, Mother Meera, Mahatma Gandhi or Mother Theresa are different examples of how being discriminating can raise our own personal ideals about what is the appropriate way to express ourselves with others.

It is interesting to note that the more we know who we really are, and express it, the more naturally discriminating we will be in how to express ourselves. This indicates that the opposite Goal, that of Acceptance, helps us to see when our Discrimination is becoming judgmental. While most individuals are afraid of being judged, individuals with a Goal of Discrimination seek to be judged in order to wake people up to their issues. In this way we seek to promote reactions so that new levels of understanding about what is good are anchored. For example, a food critic who is overly Discriminating tends to lose the audience because they are becoming over-polarized by what is being said. This means the critic needs to find common understanding with others (through Acceptance) to maintain the connection so that their Discriminations can be embraced. Ironically, it is the critic’s ability to embrace a common theme that others would like is what allows them to become effective and discriminating about how to improve this expression.

An individual doing Discrimination helps to eliminate those common beliefs that are impeding a full understanding of the situation. This occurs when the Discriminating agent takes a stand for a larger possibility and doesn’t accept the common assumptions that everything is as it should be. The effectiveness of the Discriminating agent is lost when they appear over-opinionated, aloof or snobbish. In such a situation, they speak only for the highest people they are willing to associate with and not with the larger majority who are seeking a way to uplift themselves. While only 2% of the U. S. population are in a goal of Discrimination, they have a huge impact because of their extreme ability to focus and deepen themselves.

A person doing the goal of Discrimination effectively manifests a degree of sophistication and refinement. They have a highly developed discernment of what is going on. An unbalanced individual who is burned out in their Discrimination is “perfectionistic” and critical without being complimentary. They end up being more rejecting and prejudicial because they are not embracing the whole. It is important to remember that while this energy is one-on-one oriented, its goal is to catalyze the larger group to understand and accept its notions about how to improve the process. When an individual doing Discrimination is overwhelmed they become name-droppers and attempt to force their ideas on others. On the other hand, individuals who are open and curious about possibilities do not prematurely dismiss the choices of others because they are open to experiencing each possibility anew.

Individuals who are imprinted with Discrimination are more outwardly focused and are picky about the clothes they wear, the job they have, and the kinds of friends they engage. Their attachment to looking good and needing others to accept their beliefs distinguishes them from those who are truly Discriminating. Real Discriminators are great listeners and are interested in engaging with others the deeper possibilities. Individuals imprinted with Discrimination are more focused on being right and never seem to be willing to give up on a belief that makes them feel better than others. It is interesting that it is not only important that they be proved right, but we also believe they have to prove others wrong. It is for this reason that we are so tenacious.

Individuals that embody the goal of discrimination authentically express themselves through their penetrating insightfulness. Others experience them as wanting more out of life. Their sense of refinement, sophistication and poise gets impressed on others, so that they become interested in refining their own lives. Discrimination imprinting commonly generates reactions in others, who think the discriminator is too arrogant, too detailed, smarter, or too elegant. As a result, others feel as though they’re being dismissed. The feeling of comparison makes both the imprinter and the “imprintee” feel unfairly evaluated and found inferior. The paradox for those who adopt discrimination imprinting, is that they hate feeling excluded from others, so they make themselves the arbiter of exclusion. This means that they always define themselves as part of the in-crowd and hope others will agree with them.

Primary Contribution—To increase refinement, redefine standards, challenge the status quo.
Responsive characteristics—Sophistication, refinement, perfectionist, worldly, highly discerning, well developed critical facilities.
Primary Issue—Learning how to express choice in a way that doesn’t automatically reject other choices or removing the “energetic deadwood” from many lifetimes of ingratiating activity.
Reactive characteristics—Prejudiced, rejecting, judgmental, opinionated, aloof, snobbish.
Identifying Characteristics—Picky about clothes they wear, their job and friends they have, the choices others make.
Percentage of population with this goal: 2%.

Examples
William Buckley - TV Personality, Political Writer and Commentator (dominance and submission imprinting)
Bruce Dern - Actor (growth, acceptance and dominance imprinting)
Fred Astaire - Actor and Dancer (acceptance and growth imprinting)
Rex Reed -Movie Critic (dominance and submission imprinting)
Julia Child - Chef (submission and dominance imprinting)
David Bowie - Singer, Rock Icon, Actor (growth, submission and dominance imprinting)
David Byrne - Musician, Artist (acceptance and growth imprinting)
Truman Capote - Author (acceptance and submission imprinting)
Pierre Cardin - Fashion Designer (growth, acceptance and dominance imprinting)
Orson Welles -Actor and Director (dominance and growth imprinting)