MYTHOLOGICAL SPINNERS

Any study of spinning or Emotional Terrorism would be incomplete without offering a more metaphoric view of emotional assault than is contained in rational file folders. Human beings are biological, chemical and symbolic, and our human history is replete with symbols and reports of "other-world activities" which many hold sacred. While there is no intention of discussing whether or not demons or faeries exist, it is important to discuss how symbols and perception are wrapped around personal beliefs about good and evil. If a person does not accept that evil exists as the balancing force of good, this discussion will be brief. However, most adults have witnessed people whose behavior acts out the characteristics of various belief systems: saints and sinners, heroes and villains , good guys and bad guys.

People's lives are made up of countless stories. Every human being creates their own sort of mythology about their own lives. Some cultures maintain their histories through the oral tradition of story telling. Looking at the people through the eyes of myths and stories is what early humans did in their attempts to understand the world around them. It is very simple to categorize people into two groups, good or bad, hero or villain. Of course, life is much more complicated than this and holds lots of gray area between such extreme thinking. Thinking about the mythologies of the workplace, an Emotional Terrorist can be seen as a Villain. The altruistic team player might be viewed as a Hero or Heroine.

Use the following section as a creative beginning to creative thoughts or an interesting discussion. Use your imagination , play with the concepts, don't be "literal," and ask yourself if you have met any of these mythological spinners.

The Trickster

The Trickster is the employee who distracts and interrupts the serious process of the work. Perhaps they are a clown, a jester , a practical joker, or someone who likes to change the subject a lot. Tricksters might be the "funny sidekick" or someone who takes each opportunity to force a joke or pun, funny story or irrelevant detail into the conversation. A trickster attracts attention and changes the flow of the moment. One way a trickster takes territory is through humor that does not match the emotional climate of the moment.

Case Example

Jake is the Trickster who will tell the off- color story, the scatological or gross-out joke, and then make sure everyone laughs, or hears it again. He will interrupt a serious discussion with irrelevant comments, like "Oh, look, the pencil sharpener is yellow. I didn't know that. Hey, did you hear the one about the yellow woman ?"

The Vampire

A vampire is an animated corpse who sucks the lifeblood from the living. They only enter when invited, but they enter quickly and do their work of destruction in record time. They are charismatic and usually attractive.

Case Example

Just a few minutes with Tim or Tia and you have no energy, no joy, no inspiration, no hope and no idea what took your lifeforce from you. Tim or Tia are always trying to be in the center of everything in a charming and charismatic way, hoping for your invitation to be the next victim. They seem to feed off others.

The Pied Piper

An employee who seductively lures the childlike energies from another employee with promises of specialness and magic. Enticing the na ve or inexperienced employee into a world that is controlled by the thinking of the Pied Piper becomes a lost-world or Dark Mountain of control. Once lost inside the mountain of control, the "child" cannot return to normal life. The Pied Piper will sometimes hold the village (company) hostage for perceived payments of entitlement.

Case Example

Arthur preys on sweet and vulnerable women who still maintain the spark of life about them, no matter their age. He is especially successful in manipulating vulnerable, middle-aged women who are in either a life or career transition. He becomes their personal guru, the wise one, the magic icon of what a Wonderful Man should be like. Charming Arthur offers a sharp contrast to an empty life or boring husband. His victim's naivet makes them vulnerable to his spell. The victims come to believe they cannot have joy without his influence. With just a taste of this magic on her tongue, the victim is never again quite satisfied with her current life. Arthur then uses his victim to climb to his next victory.

The Succubus

A succubus is a female spirit vampire who enters uninvited, can take on the appearance of another person or personality while attempting to sexually control the victim. Victims are unaware of the danger, thinking they just had a nightmare and that the appearance of the person is the reality, rather than the demon. The victim cannot see the demon. Others may witness the demon, and try to give warning, but the victim will often defend the Succubus, even to the death of all sanity , in ignorance of its evil intention.

Case Example

Mysti-Ann is so sweet. She wants to be close to you, to be your dear and special friend. You might like her a lot, instantly, and yet you won't quite know why. She will share secrets with you and make you feel special. Mysti-Ann asks a thousand questions just to hear you talk and share your opinion. She believes in you. You believe in her. She is perky and pretty and special. You want to have a special relationship with her. You defend her. If your boyfriend, husband, co-worker, lover, buddy, or girlfriends feel threatened, it must be because they are jealous and crazy, because Mysti-Ann, the Succubus, is too innocent, sweet and needs your special care and wisdom and protection. After all, she has trusted you with her deepest self, and now you must defend her. She has picked you to be her special friend. As you see someone escalate his or her apparent jealousy and terror around Mysti-Ann, it makes her look even sweeter and more sane, innocent, and helpless. You feel as though you must protect and defend her against these odd and unwarranted attacks. You want to do things for her. You want to make sacrifices. Whatever she says must be truth. She is just a bubble of life and light. You begin to live for her sweetness and special favors. And yet, somehow you begin to feel darker and darker about everyone and everything else. You begin to isolate. People complain that Mysti-Ann stabs them in the back, but you can't see anything but her smile. You want to live in her glow and remain forever in bliss. You sabotage your career for her. Suddenly, with a smile on her face, and you in her glow, she exits abruptly to move forward with her plan. You stand reeling and have no idea that you have been exploited. You have isolated yourself from everyone.

The Incubus

The male version of the Succubus.

Case Example

Cole is so clever, so smart. He does charity work on his time off. He has adopted children from third world nations and opens doors for elderly women. People tell you he is "the best" and that he is a "catch." You want to be with him and sit at his feet. He wants to take you on his meteoric climb, or on his journey of sorrow, or on his sacred quest, or on his trek for wisdom. He invites you and you are compelled, perhaps against your better judgment, to say yes. How can you refuse his worthiness, and he has chosen YOU. He confides in you his loneliness in his quest. His marriage is not good. He just has too much to do. He hasn't had sex in a long time. But it's okay, because he must work to help pay for a homeless shelter he is sponsoring. He looks at you with those longing eyes, implying that you are the one who understands him better than anyone else in the world, "if only...." You alone are spiritually strong enough to help him reach his goals. You are his salvation for the bigger cause. You begin to fantasize ways to help serve his noble quest for light. You start sacrificing your time and energies. Even when Cole leaves you hanging for other projects, people, places, or things; he has a way of swooping back in the nick of time, just before you get the idea of the exploitation, and starts your heart going again. He inspires greatness from you. You become more energized and creative and you spend all your waking hours hoping for just a moment of his valuable time. Your time is meaningless. You dream about getting an hour with him. Or a weekend . Or a road trip. He can do no wrong. Even when he does wrong, it's okay, because he knows you will understand like no one else does because "you are special." Cole invites you on a special "mission" and you cannot or will not refuse. You sabotage everything for his briefest accolades. And when he swoops off into the sunset leaving you with the check, you pay it. And when he doesn't come back, you assume it is something wrong with you.

The Shapeshifter

A Shapeshifter wants to question and deceive. She/he may ask one question after another, but will not respond to the answers as if they mattered. The questions are only distractions to the real goal, which is to find your weakness and exploit it, or to find a way to shift his/her form around your answers. She/he is in the process of change, always. A Shapeshifter can also be someone who carries within the attributes and powers of various animals and spirits. These attributes remain hidden unless the Shapeshifter feels threatened. Then they change form (or religion, or philosophy, or opinion, or ideas, or loyalties).

Case Example

Sam is a slow-moving guy most of the time, until there is a particular project that needs to be done and he becomes a rabbit who darts out of the meeting.

Tim is a bit small and bird-like, until he takes over a meeting with a vengeance and produces wellsharpened claws to rip and shred someone else's ideas into pieces.

Mahoney is a pleasant, amiable, good hearted guy until he gets home alone with his wife and becomes a dark, sullen, discounting grouch.

Mike is a quiet married guy with three kids , until the boss is gone, then he is vicious.

Belinda is a pleasant person, conservative, subdued, until a male vendor comes into the office and she is suddenly a slinky cat.

Drake is the loud, obnoxious guy until his wife shows up.

Rip (Or Rippleena) Van Winkle

A Rip Van Winkle is someone who is in an unconscious state by self-inflicted acts of bad behaviors, or poorly considered , self-serving choices.

Case Example

William is not accountable. William is lazy and a slob. He blames everyone for all problems and makes no contribution. He is willing to be a slacker and to give every project a C-effort instead of a B or an A. William never quits, nor does he ever really join the rest of the team. This Rip Van Winkle leaves you wanting more but is unable to really do anything about it, because he just does not care that much. Rip Van Winkle, is annoying but not dreadful enough to get rid of altogether. He is more like an albatross who rarely contributes but just won't go away.

Learning Bytes

After playing with these creative ideas make your own list of identifiers in your industry or business. Be creative. Think of a category and different mythological attributes for each.

DO THIS:

Identify behaviors using characters from famous movie or television characters . Who is your office Scarlet O'Hara? Norma Rae? Dracula? James Bond? Superman? Wonder Woman? Lassie? Indiana Jones? Darth Vader? Neo? Oracle? Raymond? Lucy? Ethel?
Identify behaviors using cartoon characters. Do you work with Nemo? Shrek? Sylvester? Tweety Bird? Woody? Mr. Potato Head? Homer Simpson? Dilbert? Stitch? Oscar the Grouch? Daffy Duck? Elmer? Powerpuff Girl? Scooby-Doo?
Identify behaviors using food names . Vegetables? Ham? Chocolate Cake? Twinkies? Flamb ?
What mythological ideas may represent myths or metaphors inside your company? The Titanic? Remember the Alamo? Lost in Space? Return of the King? Eight Heads in a Duffle Bag? Alice in Wonderland? The Matrix?

DON'T : Misunderstand that these ideas are meant for serious consideration and not just whimsical entertainments. Don't disregard important issues by minimizing them frivolously with silly analogies . On the other hand, take some creative ideas to reorganize your thinking.

DON'T : use any descriptor on any list to do harm. Use it to be creative, to see differently and more fully. Just because you come up with a new way of seeing someone at the workplace doesn't mean that person will appreciate your new vision or the comparison. For example, seeing someone as a vampire will help you deal with them in a different way. Telling them you see them as a vampire may create and enhance more serious spinning. The simplest disclaimer is that if you use one of these metaphors to cause harm,this automatically makes YOU a spinner.