Is it ADHD or Creative Personality Type?

Abstract

This article compares the traits of ADHD with the traits of "creative personality types" as described in the  MBTI.  

Combined MBTI Creative Personality Types with high Intuition and high Percieving are found in only about 12% of the population and 4-6% of women. (Source: "Please Understand Me" by Keirsey and Bates)   

Interestingly, ADD is thought to occur in 6 - 12% of the population.  It varies according to who you are reading.  But, regardless, the numbers are literally so close that they beg for closer scrutiny.  This article does just that. It is one of my most popular and most commented on articles when it was on my Neat & Simple blog.  Let me know what you think by posting a comment!

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Many ADHD traits are actually the same as those of people with "creative personality types" as described in the  MBTI.   Having a creative personality type doesn't mean you are an "artist" necessarily, though you may be. It's broader than that.  Creative personality types include people who love to explore, take risks, try new things, solve problems, research and continuously learn new things. They tend to get bored with anything that is too repetitive or that stays the same for too long. They thrive on growth, change and yes, novelty.  After all, growth and change implies novelty.  Something new the person is experience or is now capable of.  Growth is what separates us from machines.  Creative people "need" change and growth more than they need "stability" and security.   

I frequently wonder how my creative personality type (According to the  MBTI  I'm an ENTP) and ADHD are connected because when you compare the traits of both, it's striking how similar they are. The main differences seem to be in the degree, frequency, and impact these "traits" have on our lives. Both ADHD and the Creative Personality Types share many characteristics.  

Below is a list of ADD traits that I've culled from reading  ADD books.

COMMON ADD TRAIT DESCRIPTIONS INCLUDE:

• High energy and restless / Hyperactivity
• Impulsivity
• Takes on too many projects
• Loses interest easily
• High impatience
• May fail to follow through, forget appointments
• Tendency to hyperfocus and not be able to easily break out of it
• Tendency to see everything at once, to think "globally" and see many possibilities at once, making it difficult to make certain kinds of decisions
• Higher than average tolerance for chaos and change
• Often exhibit high risk-taking, high stimulation seeking behavior
• Often hyper-reactive and sensitive - Strong reactions to thoughts, noise, people talking, everything in their environment - may notice everything, or tend to shut down and become inattentive to everything, or a combination of both
• Tend to criticize themselves constantly
• Tend to always be scanning or hunting - looking around for anything that might be new or different, or out of place, looking to make connections, to see patterns, may not even be aware of this.  So they seem not to be listening when actually they are trying to take everything in, though sometimes they really aren't listening because they can't focus on just one thing that is coming in through their senses 
• Highly intuitive thinking
• Inconsistency of attention, mood

Now compare that list with the list I made from the descriptions of MBTI "creative personality types" which have both an "iNtuitive" and a "Perceiving" preference.   I have never seen anyone group the "NP" preferences as an archetype or temperament the way Keirsey and Bates identifiedfour temperaments in  "Please Understand Me", but in my work with hundreds of people who have been labeled as disorganized for most of their lives, and / or have been labeled as ADHD, I see undeniable patterns that are helping me better understand what causes painful chronic disorganization, and more importantly, how to help people best overcome disorganization that is disruptive to their ability to function.  I've learned that organizing for people doesn't really empower them...it just reinforces their assumption that they "can't" organize themselves. Over and over I've found that even people who seem to have almost a phobia of organizing actually can learn to organize once they connect to the creative aspects of the organizing process and let go of the idea that organizing requires tedious routines.

According to the MBTI , there are 4 personality types with predominantly "iNtuitive"(seeing the world in terms of it's possibilities) + Perceiving (preferring improvising over planning) traits.  They are:

 ENTP (5%)       INTP (1%)          ENFP (5%)       INFP(1%)

The percentages indicate what percent of the population has each personality type.  As you can see, these types are clearly a minority.   Combined they are found in only about 12% of the population and 4-6% of women. (Source: "Please Understand Me" by Keirsey and Bates)   

Interestingly, ADD is thought to occur in 6 - 12% of the population.  It varies according to who you are reading.  But, regardless, the numbers are literally so close that they beg for closer scrutiny. 

So now, take a look at the list of traits I summarized from Please Understand Me" by Keirsey and Bates with my notes in brackets about how this could impact organizing and/or look like ADHD.

ENTP / ENFP TRAITS 

• Unusually Enthusiastic, [high energy and high enthusiasm is VERY characteristic of ADD)
• "Apt to express interest in everything" [this makes it very difficult to focus and make choices about how to use your time]
• Characteristically have an eye out for a better way [leads to constantly changing and not sticking to systems you create to organize yourself]
• Always on the lookout for new projects, new activities, new procedures [ a clear link to all those unfinished projects ADD is famous for]
• Always seem to be several jumps ahead  [Another hallmark of ADD brains that process informationally globally and often see patterns before others do. Many famous inventors and scientists who made significant discoveries are thought to have had ADD]

The list is stunning, for example, Alexander Graham Bell, Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Issac Newton, Louis Pasteur, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Galileo and many more.   

• Prefers to "improvise" rather than create a detailed plan  [Could look like impulsivity, being uprepared, etc.] 
• Tends to proceed into action without necessary preparation
• Can succeed in a variety of occupations as long as the job "does not involve humdrum routine"
• In a routine job "they become restless. If a project in which they are engaged is no longer challenging, they tend to lose interest and fail to follow through - often to the discomfort of colleagues"
• "Orderliness in the routines of daily living is not apt to inspire them."
•  "Not likely to be interested in the routines of daily maintenance"
• "Life with ENTPs is likely to be a daring adventure: this could lead families into physical and economic danger" [The book actually says this...could easily come out of a book on ADD]
• "Apt to react with delight at having an opportunity to improvise a solution to a crisis"
• "Likely to be inconsistent with their attention"
• "May show undependable, fickle characteristics, and be easily discouraged"
• "Always berating themselves for being so conscious of self"
• "Can become bored rather quickly with situations and people, and resist repeating experiences"
• "Enjoy the process of creating "but not interested in follow-through"
• "Can have difficulty picking up on the ideas and projects initiated by others"
• "Extravagant generosity punctuated with periods of frugality"
• "Somewhat unpredictable"
• "Characteristic in their pursuit of novelty"
• "Outstanding intuitive powers"

INTP / INFP TRAITS

• "Can concentrate better than any other personality type" [Obviously similar to hyperfocusing]
• "Once caught up in a thought process, that thought process seems to have a will of its own for INTPS, and they perservere until the issue is comprehended"
• "Impatient with routine details" [Obviously impacts ability to "maintain" traditional organizing systems]
• "The INTP must be given an efficient support staff who can capture ideas as they emerge and before the INTP loses interest and turns to other ideas" [How I would LOVE this!  and How unrealistic this is.  The book is obviously old enough to remember when most managers had their own secretaries.  I had my own Exec Assistant once...it was AWESOME!!!]
• INTPS are often forgetful of appointments and the rituals of daily living unless they are reminded. [Need I say more?]

I think the links between creative personality types (not artistic creativity) and ADD are more than clear.  And the link between creativity and difficulty "MAINTAINING" organizing systems is also clear.  My mission is to help others learn how to become more organized by designing organizing solutions that fit their personality and brain type.  

p.s.  Here are some other great resources to learn more about ADHD. 

Everyday Health ADD Resource Center

ADD Classes Audio Library

This has been one of the most popular posts on my blog since I first published it a few years ago...

UPDATED: 8-23-10 

p.s.

Here's a great article for anyone who wonders if they have ADD, or feels maybe they are just really creative and get bored easily. The article provides an insightful overview of personality types (which I sometimes use to help people figure out their organizing style) and discusses the similarities of certain types with ADD...very interesting reading.  Enjoy!

Link: http://www.borntoexplore.org/addtemp.htm  

Comments

[Ariane Benefit]

Rhonda said:
Reading this just makes me realize I really need to change what I do for a living. Hard thing is any job to be sustainable seems to requires consistency and follow through. Thank you so much for writing out the characteristics noticed in creative and ADD, striking how much overlap there is and what would the world be with no change or out of the box behaviors? :)

[Ariane Benefit]

I'm so glad you found this helpful! Yes, all jobs do require some consistency and follow-through. Creatives and ADDs do follow-through on a lot of things. I think the point to take away is that we need to be fully "committed" to what we are doing - when we are, follow through is easier- when we aren't follow-through takes a lot more effort and energy. When we have clear sense of purpose - and understand the "meaning" and purpose behind what we are doing, we tend to become compelled and driven. It becomes a little easier to say no to all the interesting things that attract us away from our core objectives and needs.

So to me, it's not about having a job that doesn't require follow-through - mine requires a LOT of follow-through...but to have a job that you feel utterly committed to the meaning of what you do. I find meaning and purpose knowing that I'm being of service.

Knowing that people are counting on me to show up for them and be fully present to guide them on their journey out of frustration, suffering and despair into one where they can be a peace with themselves, have better relationships, etc. is incredibly compelling for me.

It makes doing all the mundane tasks associated with running the business bearable. I connect those tasks to the greater meaning and I'm motivated to either automate them or some how make them easier and easier. I'm driven to make them take less time, or do them more often so there are only short spurts of having to deal with them.

I don't them perfectly or "consistently" in terms of same time, same way, but I do consistently get the results needed. Bills get paid on time - no late fees. I stay out of debt. Pay taxes on time. etc. I know what I have leeway with and what I don't.

The key for me is to have simple monitoring / scanning strategies that trigger me to constantly reconnect to my greater purpose.

Bottom line is that you may need to change what you do for a living...but it is possible to shift the way you feel about what you do for a living. Not easy but possible in some cases. I found that every time I was in a job I hated, rather than quit I used it as an opportunity to challenge myself to figure out a way to be at peace with it even if I couldn't love it, or to change the job. Seriously, even in a managerial role that I hated at first, I found a way to connect with the part of the job that focussed on developing and coaching the people that worked for me...that part of the job fueled me. That said, when I worked in a factory putting lids on macaroni and cheese for 8 hours a day, I was good at it but felt like I was in a torture chamber. That experience fuels me to this day. It reminds me that I know that I can always survive and do what it takes to survive, but that I don't want to just survive so I'm highly motivated and driven to figure ways to work with my ADHD traits and harness them into strengths and do work that actually REQUIRES and rewards these strengths. It is possible. Not easy..requires a lot of change and growth, but it is possible.

Thanks for your comment...it was VERY inspiring! : )

[Ariane Benefit]

Malena said...
Obviously someone has been spying on me. I am a SCATTERBRAIN but I am always jumping from one thought to another. Sweep the floor, hours later find the broom and the dust pile by the back door, where I left it when I thought about checking the mail, which led to finally getting tired of the pile of junk mail by the front door, which led to shredding and filling the recycle bin, which led to forgetting it was time to cook dinner... so the broom and the dust and the shred pile and the recycle pile are all still staring me in the face.

But ask me to research something I've never heard of and I'm on it. Hey, maybe I can read some of the organization blogs while I'm at it and that will help me get organized!

It's really gotten to be a source of contention in my marriage. I need some serious help, but all the organization books I've bought linger on the bookshelves... Seriously, where can I get some help?

[Ariane Benefit]

Hi Malena,

I feel your pain!!! Really, I do. As much as I have learned to accept and work around my ADHD and I do get results...there are times when it is really frustrating! The thing is ADHD / High creativity is never cured...it is part of who you are. The challenge doesn't go way, it just gets easier to bounce back, and the challenges aren't as frequent, intense or as disruptive. As a result, I don't suffer from depression anymore...seriously...it's been years.

As for getting help, I recommend working with me as a coach...and if you can't afford that, try my books and classes. Lots of resources on my website too. : )

[Ariane Benefit]

Malena said...
Thanks for responding, Ariane. A coach would be the ideal jump start. This isn't a good time for that right now, but I will definitely be following your website, and checking out your books and classes. I see the creative angle, though. I like to be involved in lots of things but I don't want to be bogged down by them. Creative. Flighty. Eh. Somebody has to do it.

[Ariane Benefit]

Your Welcome Malena!

Coaching is a commitment - I totally understand. Thanks for staying in touch!

[Sheri Adams]

I am a very creative person and have more than 10 hobbies. I'm unable to work due to having 35 medical issues. I have what I call Chronic Disorganization and have had since I had brain surgery in 1990. My entire Right Temporal Lobe was removed to control/stop seizures caused by epilepsy. The seizures have stopped and remain stopped and controlled, but I now struggle emotionally and I have a terrible time organizing, keeping things tidy, etc., whereas before the surgery I was neat and tidy. I have a cluttered home, though nothing like what people on the show Hoarders live in.
Another issue I deal with is chronic pain. I have 4 chronic back conditions, arthritis, bursitis, foot pain issues, etc. I'd like to really get organized so I can enjoy my hobbies more, but I honestly do not know where to start or how to start and I can't keep up with it due to the chronic pain. I am a client of the local mental health association but they do not have the time or resources to help me the way I need to be helped. My parents are unable to help me now as they have developed their own medical issues. Besides, I'm 41 years old and should be able to keep my tiny apartment clean. I need help, serious help, but can't afford it nor can I find it. And all the organizational emails I receive do nothing to help me. It's like reading a foreign language. Thank you for this site.

[coach outlet]

So lucky to be here to read a good solution about my doubt, thank you for your kind share and wonderful opinion, I will come back here agian and again.