Clayton Lafferty | Constructive thinking: expanding the scope
of cognitive psychology.
Building
on the work of Murray, McClelland and other cognitive psychologists,
the late Dr. Clayton Lafferty developed the LSI, or Life Styles
Inventory to measure and quantify an individual’s thinking
style. Dr. Lafferty’s LSI was comprised of 12 scales. Four
of the scales represented constructive thinking styles (Achievement,
Self-Actualizing, Humanistic-Encouraging, and Affiliative).
Four represented non-productive thinking styles (Approval,
Conventional, Dependent, and Avoidance). The remaining four
scales represented counter-productive thinking styles (Oppositional,
Power, Competitive, and Perfectionistic). Dr. Lafferty noted
that successful sales people were likely to engage in constructive
thinking, while unsuccessful sales people were prone to think
in counter-productive ways.
Dr. Lafferty was a creative and innovative thinker. One of
his earliest creations was the Desert Survival simulation
that has been utilized by millions of people around the world.
This and his other simulations are used to teach team building
and decision making to a wide range of people from primary
school teachers to CEOs of Fortune 500 Companies.
Perfectionism
Dr.
Clayton Lafferty, Ph.D., in his 1997 book, Perfectionism:
A Sure Cure for Happiness, which he co-wrote with his wife
and fellow clinical psychologist, Dr. Lorraine Lafferty, he
explains that perfectionists are overly concerned with their
efficiency, image and performance. They judge critically without
offering constructive help or alternative ways to approach
a project or problem. Perfectionist bosses worry so much about
their own performance that, in order to make themselves look
good, they expect their employees to produce more than is
humanly possible in the time available. They reduce deadline
time while condemning workers for not accomplishing enough.
The truth is, however, they don't feel that they are getting
enough done themselves. Similarly, bullies are overly concerned
with their public reputations. They need followers who look
up to them, and they tend to perceive everything as black
or white, right or wrong, with little tolerance for ambiguity.
They also have minimum respect for others' personal space.
One thing that bully and perfectionist bosses have in common
is that they take away an employee's control over his or her
job. While they possess the capabilities for success, both
bullies and perfectionists lack self-esteem. "Such supervisors
are competent, hardworking, intelligent workers who fear they're
unable to compete in the workplace," explains Lafferty.
Lafferty found that the costs of perfectionism are stress
and health problems for the boss and low productivity and
morale for his or her employees. Referring to his ten years
of study of perfectionism involving more than 9,000 supervisors
and managers, Lafferty noted that "the single most important
finding is that perfectionism makes you physically sick."
Because they are so consumed with self-doubt, he adds, perfectionists'
behaviors infect those they supervise--especially young employees--with
feelings of inadequacy.
He received the 1983 American Society for Training and Development
Award for Excellence in Professional Competency for his work
in a large Fortune 500 Company. His dedication to providing
effective materials and programs that promote excellence in
organizations earned him an international reputation.
