Jennifer Armstrong (Philosophy) 1 minute ago
I have contrasted the modern Westerners narcissistic paradigm with that of the traditional "schizoid" type. One of the marked features of this contrast that I am trying to bring out is that the schizoid type does not have such a bombastic sense of his or her PERSONA as the contemporary Westerner does. Now, note that I do not attribute to the contemporary Westerner (who is narcissistic) a strong sense of SELF. But the Westerner has a really energetic and often well defined sense of their PERSONA. The schizoid type does not have this, and so is unlikely to energetically or emotionally project their defined persona in the world. Rather the persona for a schizoid type is very fuzzy. Paradoxically, what is strong for them is their sense of SELF, which is likely to be grounded in their sense of their earlier origins, or in nature. It is by virtue of having this very strong anchoring in a very early sense of self that the schizoid can play with the concept of persona as something necessarily undefined. Whereas the PERSONA for the Westerner is a political demarcation (hence, identity politics), the schizoid (traditional type) is rooted so firmly in their sense of tribal or geographical origins, that they reduce PERSONA to something very non-political. For them, PERSONA is forever shifting, and it is a means to convey the meaning of larger social or political dramas, through putting it on as a mask. (The schizoid does not identify with the mask but uses it to convey certain social or political meanings that are much bigger than himself.) It is not that emotion is not involved here, but it is very filtered, so that what is conveyed is the larger drama of existence, rather than the narrow needs of the individual or his sense of entitlement. The schizoid (old fashioned type) is necessarily impersonal., and so therefore are his or her emotions.
And so, of course, the type I have labeled as "schizoid" is also more attuned to shamanic communication, which involves the doubling of the self-identity, social mediation, and wearing a mask ("persona") for the sake of reflecting broader truths on behalf of others.
