About Your MenPathic Superpowers

Some aspects of your MenPathic traits set you apart from the rest of the population. Let’s review the D.O.E.S. model briefly:

The D.O.E.S. Model

As we mentioned on the previous page, Dr. Elaine Aron is not only the author of the seminal book The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive When the World Overwhelms You, but she is also the preeminent expert on HSPs and how they function.

Her book perfectly characterizes the menpathic male with this memorable mnemonic, D-O-E-S.

Menpathics exhibit or experience all of these in various degrees:

  • DEPTH OF PROCESSING - We overthink everything compared to others. We think deeply about even the most mundane things. We process details while not always being in command of them.

    • My Experience - I don’t have this issue much any longer, but there were times when I could go very far down the rabbit hole.

  • OVER-STIMULATION - We tend to become overstimulated by excessive noise, some crowd settings, uncomfortable clothing, light, negative energies, scents, etc.

    • My Experience - Fluorescent lights, fireworks, crowds in smaller spaces, scratchy or tight shirts… my list goes on and on. I feel all of these at full volume.

  • EMOTIONAL REACTIVITY - Empathy is our dominant superpower. Still, it doesn’t feel that way sometimes, especially when we absorb the bad moods of our boss or spouse, gesticulating maniacs on the roadway, or when we’re hangry.

    • My Experience - You know those donation-related commercials about suffering pets? They sucker-punch me deep in the feels and stay with me for hours. Thanks, Sarah McLaughlin… 🥺

  • SENSITIVE TO SUBTLETIES - We don’t miss much and key into life’s minutia most of the time, even tuning into smells and sounds others aren’t aware of.

    • My Experience - I can become distracted by the mannerisms of others. I’ve been in meetings where I was more interested in how people behaved than the topic being discussed.

There are also positive aspects to MenPathic Traits, including…

Detailed Powers of Focus

You don’t miss much and key into life’s minutia most of the time, even tuning into smells and sounds others aren’t aware of.

This deep focus gives you insight into the behavior and motivation of others, sometimes even before they act.

Ability to Think Deeply

You think deeply about even the most mundane things. You process details while not always being in command of them.

You might not answer your boss’s questions right away, but you understand the issues more deeply.

Recharging with Rest

You can hold your own in social situations but require just as much downtime to recover from the over-stimulation.

As Tom Clancy once wrote, “Rest is a weapon,” and the MenPathic needs a substantial amount to remain sharp. Recovery time is not only important but essential.

X-Ray Vision and HSP

What’s a superhero without X-Ray vision, right? While you can’t see through people’s physical bodies, you can always spot a narcissist's false, self-serving interests long before non-MenPaths do.

Our innate sense of knowing things via our emotions and feelings is complex and more advanced.