Tell me about the Mitchell Unconventionality Index
Think of an index, or scale, from 1 to 10, based on how unconventional you are. Conventionality is defined as conforming to social norms. “1” would be extremely conventional, “10” would mean you are totally out there. In addition to conventionality, this index also includes your willingness to try new things (1=You’re set in your ways, 10=You’re open to everything and anything). This index would be a composite of hundreds of different characteristics of yours, such as :
Where do you live — 2=suburbs, 5=Back Bay/Beacon Hill, 7=South End, 9=Loft, 10=Trailer
Education — 4=You finished school, 10=You dropped out
Do you pay your bills on time — 1=You always pay your bills ahead of time, 4=You usually do, 7=You’re often late, 10=You’re in bankruptcy
Do you show up on time — 1=You always arrive a bit early, 5=You almost always show up on time, 8=You’re always late, 10=You forget about the appointment completely
What kind of car do you drive — 1=Big American car, 4=Foreign car, 7=Sports car, 10=Motorcycle
Your career — 1=You joined a large company right out of college and have stayed there your entire career, being promoted every few years, 6=You change jobs and careers regularly, 10=You’ve never had a job
When do you go to bed — 1=You’re in bed by 10 pm every night, 5=You stay up to 2 on weekends, 10=You sleep in the daytime
Do you have tattoos — 1=You have no tattoos, 7=You have one tattoo, 10=Your body is covered with them
How many speeding tickets have you received — 1=You’ve never had a speeding ticket, 5=You’ve had a few, 8=You have to attend traffic school in order not to lose your license, 10=Your license has been revoked
Have you ever used illicit drugs — 1=Never, 5=Tried them in college, 8=You get high occasionally, 10=You’re a serious drug addict
Hair style for men — 2=Short hair, 5=Medium length hair, 8=Long hair, 10=You’ve dyed your hair orange
Meeting new people — 1=You socialize only with people you’ve known since childhood, 5=You have friends from college you’re close to but you’re up for meeting new people, 10=You meet new people every night
Your last vacation — 1=Disneyworld, 5=Europe, 7=China, 9=North Pole, 10=Climbing Mount Everest
Sexual experimentation — I’ll leave this one to your imagination. 😉
The specific characteristics are not so important as the general idea.
It would be interesting to see whether a couple is compatible based on how similar they score on this index. If you imagine a man and a woman who are both 1s, they would have a very predictable, steady and safe relationship, but they would both probably die of boredom. At the other end of the spectrum, if both the man and the woman were 10s, they would probably lead very exciting lives, but they’d probably be evicted because the rent was never paid and the cat would die because they never fed him. If we then consider extreme opposites, such as the man is a 1 and the woman is a 10, I suspect they would drive each other crazy.
I think the most interesting relationships are where there is a difference but the difference is not extreme. If you’re a 2 and he’s a 9, it probably won’t work. If he is a 5 and you’re a 7 or 8, then, I would argue, it gets interesting. He provides more stability and predictability in the relationship, while you provide excitement and more unpredictability. Imagine you’re both on a roof deck. A 1 would stand in the middle of the roof, as far away from the edges as possible. A 7 would be close to the edge, for the excitement, but not so close that you risk falling off. A 10 might get so close to the edge that you fall off the roof (presumably not a good thing). So you provide excitement by taking the both of you closer to the edge, while he provides safety by making certain the both of you don’t go over the edge. Another way of thinking about this is wires and nets. Walking the wire provides excitement (that’s a 10) while the net is dependable, is always there for you, and catches you when you fall (that’s a 1).
In terms of thinking about relationships, it could be useful to evaluate yourself — are you a 4 or are you an 8 — and what you want in a partner. Do you want him to provide the stability in the relationship while you provide the excitement, or vice versa? I know, you’re probably saying, “I want him to provide both.” If so, another way of looking at this is in the specifics. Are you likely to be introducing the two of you to new ideas and people, is he more likely, or is it about equal? Are both of you equally likely to, say, pay the bills on time, or is one of you more likely to do this?