L. Ron Hubbard Probably Was Autistic
The Appeal of Scientology Explained
Over the weekend I rewatched the documentary “Going Clear”. The film features interviews with many former members of the Church of Scientology and includes a few segments with the author of the book of the same name: Lawrence Wright. The end of last year I also read Leah Remini’s autobiography (which is sad and hopeful at the same time) and recommend it for anyone interested in a first person account of someone quite deep within the organization.
Maybe it’s because I used to live not far from Clearwater (get it…‘Clearwater?) a major headquarters for Scientologists, and that I also used to fly over and around John Travolta’s compound and see his Boeing 707 parked for fun; but this ‘faith’ has always bothered me for some reason. Maybe because it’s such a transparent ‘Type 5’ game to me; most can’t quite put their finger on the game L. Ron Hubbard was playing, yet I believe I can.
Let’s back up though…I rarely use the term ‘Autistic’. Critics have called the behavior a ‘white disease’ that more often than not pops up in families where parents are college educated, white and wealthy. I somewhat agree. The behavior often grows in environments where there is low psychological diversity, and this means smaller family size (common among the white upper middle class). I don’t like the term ‘Autism’ though. It’s a fad, and not terribly helpful to those suffering with and around it in my opinion. The research I’ve conducted leads me to believe there are only Five Core Personalities with each having a pair of subsets. So for me, when I see footage of someone like Ron Hubbard, I see a lot of Type 5 traits…the need to be left alone, the false assumption that others are out to control them and the desire for a CEO (or in Ron’s case an almost god-like) role in other’s lives.
For readers familair with the ‘The Motivated Life’, here are my Type 5 red flags for L.R.H.
- Naval theme — when I interact with more prominent Type 5s (either directly, or with their written work) nautical themes often pop up. It has something to do with being a ‘captain’ or being in charge for sure, but it also satisfies the sense of freedom that Type 5s so often crave. In L.R.H.’s case it provided freedom from the IRS, but also a freedom of movement. Unlike the land or even the air you can go as quick or as slow as you like in water, and in any lateral direction at nearly any length.
2. Reality distortion field — this facet is obvious to many, but of all the Personality Types it’s the 5 that creates a sense of placation in others when you are around them. It’s only when you leave or get some distance you think to yourself “what on earth is wrong with this (Type 5) person!”. 5’s are so desperate to have others agree with them, they’ll pull you in with their vision (which at the surface, always appears 100% normal).
3. Ethics — Type 5s project a strong sense of ‘right and wrong’. They really push the theme of ethics when you interact with them; they pull you in because it would seem that only they are the true arbiter of the ‘right way’ to do things. In scientology, ethics is a strong theme. Pick up any literature and the word will pop up consistently, more so than in other forms of belief or thought that I’m aware of.
4. Using actors — This just occured to me relatively recently; Type 5s presume the world is filled with people who are rarely themselves and merely act or play roles in life. There’s a reason why Scientology is tied to celebrities, the ‘actor personality’ — the Type 4 happens to manufacture the Type 5 personality. The Type 5 is under the false illusion that the world is only filled with incredibly emotional Type 4s who over analyze the world around them. It’s no surprise then that Type 4 actors want some sort of magic to enable better control of their world.
5. “Leave Me Alone!” — this is perhaps the most important theme in a Type 5s life like LRH. You want to pull a Type 5 into a community or culture, but a Type 5 won’t stand for it. Type 5s feel you are trying to control them and their life. Even within Scientology, LRH distanced himself within the organization in his later years.
I hope these ‘red flags’ helps elucidate the man, the myth and the legend with a bit more clarity than ever before.
P.
