“Companions whom I loved, and still do love;
Tell them, my song.”
– Michael Crichton, Timeline
My brain at work. (Yes, these are real MRT images of my head.)
Me, myself and I
My full name is Winfried Edmund Stephan Maus and I was born in 1970. I am a native German and Europe is my home.
The following are a lot of words to describe that I am neurodivergent and that I function, feel, think and experience the world differently than the majority:
If astrology is your thing, I’m a Pisces – supposedly the loneliest zodiac sign, artistic and deeply emotional.
As far as labels and cataloged personality archetypes go, according to a Myers-Briggs test that I took I am an INFJ (“Introverted, Feeling, Judging“) personality type. INFJs are known to be reserved, sensitive, idealistic, highly artistic and creative – and stubborn and can have overly high expectations.
In the realm of the nowadays quite popular “wolf pack” archetypes, related tests that I took confirmed that I am a so-called Sigma male, a person that prefers to walk alone outside of societal hierarchies and norms, always carving his own path. Some also describe Sigmas as Alphas without the noise and without the need for the spotlight.
In a test specifically developed to determine Carl Jungian personality archetypes, I fully – 30 out of 30 – matched what Carl Jung categorized as The Warrior, who is driven by “will, discipline, focus, courage – the warrior asserts his will to live, survive and to move forward; he fights for other people and the well-being of the whole; he wants to bring productive change to the world.”
Very closely behind – both with 29 out of 30 – came The Seeker, who is “defined by individualism and an insatiable desire for adventure and discovery, rejects traditional rules, is willing to take risks and to step out of his comfort zone” and The Sage (wisdom, knowledge and power).
So, in summary, it seems that I am allowed to put a rather amusing sounding INFJ Ʃ Warrior label on myself.
Amusing or not, the fact remains that I actually match all the traits associated with those personality archetypes.
Hic sunt dracones: You very much get what it says on the label, plus a few personal extras.
My youth is best described by Iron Maiden’s song Wrathchild.
Michael Romkey described my 30s perfectly in his novel I, Vampire:
“Women are my weakness. Or to be more accurate, I should say they are my greatest weakness, for I have many. Travel. Books. Classical music. Art. Excellent wine. And, formerly, cocaine. I admit these things without a sense of guilt. I am, as my friend from Vienna says, a man with a man’s contradictions. I am neither good nor bad, neither angel nor devil. I am a man. I am a vampire.”
To add some trivia to the quote above: That friend from Vienna is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who happens to be another vampire in the novel. Which is quite a nice touch.
I’m now approaching my mid-fifties and I am once again in the process of rebooting my life. It sure won’t be getting boring anytime soon!
