Gordon Lawrence, in People Types & Tiger Stripes, attempts to paint a portrait of what he calls "type theory" as a means of applying teaching more effectively to the individual student. He posits type theory as a more accurate and useful alternative to "trait theory." Trait theory "fits with the unitary view of mind" which holds that "all humans . . . have the same basic mental equipment; we just differ in the amounts we possess of different traits: I.Q., abstract reasoning, social sensitivity" (Lawrence, 1993, 185), etc. Human "hard wiring," in other words, is the same in all individuals, according to trait theory, while our "software" differs. Opposed to trait theory, type theory, which Lawrence extols, "suggests that even our hard wiring is different, probably in 16 different ways." Lawrence goes so far as to suggest that these 16 ways of hard wiring--which the author uses his book to describe and analyze--result, in effect, in 1116 kinds of mind" (Lawrence, 1993, 185).
We see, then, the vast ambition of Lawrence's work. He posits both a new psychology and a new biology for understanding human consciousness and behavior. Accordingly, it is a complex work, with some sections aimed at specific applications of his ideas to the classroom.
This summary cannot at length describe or analyze all sixteen types or kinds of "minds" or "distinct behavior patterns" or "minds-in-action" or "minds-as-action" (Lawrence, 1993, 186). This emphasis on the word "mind" is crucial to an appreciation of Lawrence's work because the type theory he describes is designed to come to an understanding of the human mind which trait theory long ago gave up any hope of achieving. This explains the author's portrait of "mind" as verb rather than noun:
Using mind as verb is a way of talking about the person in mindful, purposive action--the person attending, observing, reflecting, caring, reasoning, etc. Mind is then a quality of the whole person,...