ADHD-A Hunter’s Mind in a Farmer's World

One of the ways to conceptualize the difficulties of being ADHD in a neurotypical world is the Farmer/Hunter dichotomy espoused by Thomas Hartman. He says ADHD minds can be thought of as hunter’s minds needing to be constantly,alert responding rapidly and needing to forget old information to increase readiness for the next situation. The hunter is also constantly on the move. The problem comes when the world becomes a farmer’s world, a place in which you stay in one place. You need to be patient and pay close attention. Also farmers tend to take over the world and drive the hunters out. We can see this in the American expansion and the way native Americans were treated. Having a hunter’s mind in a farmer’s world is a disadvantage except in specialized roles that value creativity, rapid responses and high energy. This is why so many ADHDers are artists, athletes, musicians and entrepreneurs.

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