The Observation Mode

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BY PHILLIP WITTMEYER

The Neutral Mode is Observation. It is the combination of all the other Modes, an aspect of the Assimilation Process. People in this Mode are not "colorful" or "flavorful" in their behavior in the way that people in the other Modes are. Rather, they are neutral observers, going through life as if they were watching it happen to others, but not to themselves. The Polarity of the other Modes makes them participatory in events. People in the Observation Mode tend to act as non-participants. It often surprises them when real life intrudes into their insulated space bubble, forcing them to grapple with it hands-on. They prefer to be spectators in the arena of events, witnesses to the game of life. They like to browse in the department store of the world, and if a clerk asks if they need help, they reply "just looking". They want to gain their experience, not by doing it themselves, but vicariously: by reading about it, watching it happen to others, or through entertainment and the media. This is a sort of scientific mode of behavior. They tends to view themselves with the same detached objectivity with which they views the world.

One clue for discerning people in the Observation Mode is the way they sound when they talk: one might think they are television or radio newscasters. There is a "just reporting the facts", objective and neutral way of presenting the information. In their daily life, they often make general comments and remarks on the things they notice — they make "observations" — just as if they were reporters. They generally do so without commitment to any interpretation of the information, whereas a person in a Polar Mode would interpret according to his Mode Process. One of the favorite activities of a person in this Mode is "people-watching." Another way this Mode shows up is in the "couch potato" who likes to watch television as much as possible.

The Positive Pole is +Clarity, and people in this Pole have an alert manner. They are acutely aware of what is going on around them. Their conduct is attentive. They are wide awake in consciousness and they behave accordingly. They are vigilant to the environment. Visualize this Pole as if it were a picture having fine detail, clearly showing everything in proper proportion. People in this Mode live their lives clearly and cleanly, without distortion. Their attention is sharply focused on the matters at hand. They do the appropriate thing more so than people in the other Modes because their behavior is Neutral — not skewed by one of the Polar Processes. It is easier for people in +Clarity to adapt their behavior to suit the situation than it is for any other Mode.

In the Negative Pole of -Surveillance, the people have lost what involvement in the world they may have in +Clarity, and degenerated to just watching life go by. They are aloof, remote, detached, disconnected from the real world. They conduct their life as if they were in a dream or a movie. In an extreme case one might almost say these people are somnambulant: sleep walking. The fear that drives this Pole is a fear of involvement. In a group of people, they will not be doing anything except watching what everyone else is doing. Their secret wish is to be invisible, so that they could see but not be seen. They would like to scan, survey, and spy on the world, but not have it return the viewing. The way to overcome this fear is to consider and apply the Positive Poles of all the other Modes. Behave with +Persistence, +Dynamism, +Restraint, +Enthusiasm, +Deliberation, and +Authority, whichever is most suited to the occasion. Working with this will develop +Clarity.

The Observation Mode and the Goal of Flow are Counterparts. The Equilibrium Goal seeks what the Observation Mode has, a relaxed and undistorted approach to life. This may not seem a very interesting Mode to most people, but there are not many objections to it from people in the other Modes. It does have its advantage: people behave in a detached and disinterested manner, which often means they stay cool and out of trouble, not going to any extreme. Many people have this Mode, perhaps second only to the Caution Mode. The disadvantage is of course the tendency to avoid involvement, thus limiting learning experiences.

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Phil Wittmeyer is a longtime Michael student and scholar of the teachings. He can be reached at: wittmeyer@hotmail.com