The Hunter and Farmer Theory

 Not too long ago, the typical traits of a person with ADHD were actually advantageous. People relied often on specific skills needed to bring home meat for the nourishment of the family. These skills are still valued today in hunter gatherer societies around the world.  Fleetness of foot,  although strong on sprinting and short on marathon running, ability to change course instantly, ability to make snap decisions, creativity in plotting the path of capture, ingenuity in devising traps, the ability to monitor the whole situation with global thinking skills, all contribute to a successful hunt.  Successful hunters also have an extraordinary ability to hyper focus on the task at hand if it is extremely important or interesting.  This is often a surprising fact for people who do not understand the full range of ADHD-like behaviors.

Imagine the type of individual who would have first explored and then settled this country 300 years ago.  It was not only a strength but a necessity to make independent decisions using survival skills in the wilds. Driven by curiosity about an evolving world, a need for physical activity and large muscle activity, and an "every man for himself" mentality, the hunter type flourished.  After the industrial revolution, the traditional classroom setting became all important to produce workers for factories with production lines and repetitive work.  Suddenly, the need for novelty, individuality, creativity, and spontaneous movement and thought became not only secondary, but actually a handicap which exists today.

     Just think for a moment and see if you can answer this question before proceeding. Where in today's society could someone such as Benjamin Franklin appear and feel perfectly at home?  I would argue that it would be the traditional classroom, still flourishing across our land. The child sits in the seat and faces a teacher who stands at the front of the room and teaches in a lecture style of teaching. With public education aimed straight for the 50th percentile, many children who have ADHD are at one end of the bell curve, struggling to survive in a world too often devoted to repetitive worksheets, sitting still in a seat, listening to a teacher lecture at the front of the room.  While the "farmer" type, who is not bothered by repetitive work, lack of novelty or physical movement, often manages just fine and comes out of the system with a decent education, there are many who fall off the assembly line because they learn differently. They are often smart, even gifted, but they must be taught in a different way.

     People with ADHD have difficulty processing incoming information.  There is often a strong deficit in the area of auditory processing.  These folks often need to learn compensatory techniques to get the information into the brain, store it where it will be accessible, and then be able to retrieve the information and make it useable.  This problem leads to serious deficits not only in the classroom, but often in the larger world.  These techniques are known, but not generally available to our children who have such deficits. Simple strategies such as visual clues, i.e. the picture above can be a very effective compensatory technique to help get information into the brain where it will be effectively stored for later retrieval.

     In spite of the difficulties, many people with ADHD go on to lead productive, full lives. Many hunters struggled to obtain even a rudimentary education in the traditional setting. Yet who can question the value of their individual contributions to the betterment of mankind? Such people as Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Ernest Hemingway, Albert Einstein were all failures at traditional schooling.  (Click here to see Al at work.)

Other famous hunters are listed at this site under a separate heading. Mr. Hartmann speculates that perhaps the high incidence of ADHD in our country may be linked to our founding fathers, by nature hunters, discoverers, and adventurers.

     In order to be successful, the hunter type must be very selective about the field of work he or she chooses.  Many hunters are very successful as airline pilots, policemen, investigators, trial lawyers, advertising executives, entrepreneurs, artists, actors, musicians.  There is a strong correlation between ADHD and creativity.  Also, because their attention wanders easily, hunters can often see a situation from several different directions, arriving and novel and unique problem solving solution.  It is not unusual for such people to have a number of careers, sometimes simultaneously. After giving a talk on ADHD, one gentleman approached me and thanked me. He said he had always felt guilty about changing jobs, but after owning a successful  business for quite awhile he felt tied down and bored.  After hearing my reference to Mr. Hartmann's book, he decided on-the-spot (surprising? :-) to consult a therapist and work out what he really wanted to do next in the way of work.  It is important for hunters not to measure themselves by the standards of a farmer society but by their strengths. It is important to choose a profession that showcases those strengths. At the same time, hunters need to realize they live in a farmer society. There are numerous opportunities for hunters to succeed. It is important to weigh the strengths and weaknesses and where the best fit will be in terms of fulfillment and success.

     Hunters are often risk takers.  Mr. Hartmann talks about the difference between linear problem solving and random problem solving.  A vertical problem solver who finds a door that is stuck is likely to bang harder and harder on it, eventually kicking it in if necessary.  The random problem solver is more likely to look for other ways, such as trying other doors or windows. The hunter would fall into the later category.

      This theory of hunters and farmers is no means meant to put down or belittle the farmer temperament.  If a hunter is smart, he or she will team up with a farmer.  Farmers are superior at organizing, staying on track, performing all the tasks the hunter is weak at performing. They have important strengths necessary for many fields of endeavor. I think of certain wildly successful trial lawyers who have teams of farmers doing the meticulous research and footwork so necessary in such a field. At the same time, farmers need to recognize the tremendous strengths of the hunter, and value them from early childhood for their potential.  They must teach them they way they learn, with methods which have been proven successful for children with ADHD. These strategies have proven successful for all children, not just those with disabilities.

For a list of positive ADHD traits and famous people who might qualify as hunters click here.