Question For Religious

[He is Risen!]

For anyone who has taken the psych test before entering religious life; can you tell me a little bit about what your experience has been? I heard from a friend who was a Sr. of Mercy that there are some strange questions like, "Are you afraid of doorknobs or snakes?" and this supposedly told the psychologist your view on men and dating. This was years ago so maybe it has changed. What kinds of questions or personality indicators do they use and what are they looking for? I'm a little nervous, can't I just tell them I'm not a nut?

[the lords sheep]

From what I understand, it does depend on who you go to for testing. There are many Catholic and even men and women Religious who are psychologists who administer the test, and they are more qualified to understand your answers in relation to the religious life.
For example, one question is usually "Has God spoken to you?" If you say yes, there are of course there are two meanings to an affirmative answer: either, Yes, God speaks to me every day through the people around me and in my heart OR Yes, the clouds have parted and God was there on his throne and He spoke to me...
Most diocese/orders have selected someone who is capable of making a just assessment for the religious life. The tests are, from what I understand, grueling, but as long as you are honest and take time with your answers, you'll be fine.
Good luck!
In Jesus and Mary,
Lauren

[johnnydigit]

one is called the [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Multiphasic_Personality_Inventry"]MMPI[/url] which is commonly used by the state and such. don't worry and just answer honestly. trust God and don't worry about trying to look good because it may come to bite you in the butt later. it's like pretending to be somebody else, you'll put yourself in a place you're not suited for. the more honestly you answer, the better they can help you. basically, anything except complete honesty would be lying, and we all know where that will lead you..

i can't wait to take mine. if they find something "wrong" with me, then that's a free diagnosis i may have never discovered and that i can address. if they don't think i'm suited for them, then their loss!

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

[quote name='He is Risen!' post='1455701' date='Feb 5 2008, 02:10 AM']For anyone who has taken the psych test before entering religious life; can you tell me a little bit about what your experience has been? I heard from a friend who was a Sr. of Mercy that there are some strange questions like, "Are you afraid of doorknobs or snakes?" and this supposedly told the psychologist your view on men and dating. This was years ago so maybe it has changed. What kinds of questions or personality indicators do they use and what are they looking for? I'm a little nervous, can't I just tell them I'm not a nut? [/quote]

Yes, I'm afraid of snakes, no, I don't hate my mother and yes, God speaks to me and well, sometimes I hear voices....if someone is talking!

Seriously, don't get too nervous about it. (HAH!) The psychological test is NOT to see if you have a vocation but to make sure that you are emotionally and psychologically healthy and to help both you and the community. ALL of us, have some sort of issues we need to deal with; it's just part of our fallen human nature! Usually, the psych test helps those in formation in that it confirms or enlightens their own evaluation of a person.

Just be yourself and be honest. You are who you are! If you enter religious life you aren't going to be able to hide that anyway. I found that there wasn't anything I didn't already know about myself that I learned from test. It just confirmed it! (Both the postive and negative!)

Sr. Kathy Bryant, RSC, the vocation director of the LA diocese has a helpful article "The Trip to the Psychologist" on the vocation website: [url="http://www.la-archdiocese.org/ministry/vocations/resources/index.html"]http://www.la-archdiocese.org/ministry/voc...rces/index.html[/url]

Besides the instruments mentioned in the article many are using another one that is quite different and I can't remember the name of it.

God bless you and look at it as a Lenten penance!

Sr. MarY Catharine

[cathoholic_anonymous]

Most psychological assessments don't involve such weird or abstruse questions. I accompanied a friend to one recently. It was like a normal conversation, with the psychologist asking my friend lots of questions about her childhood, her favourite past-times, her friends (past and present), her education, and her experience of romantic relationships. I've sat in on several other assessments, and undergone a couple of them myself. It all seemed very ordinary to me.

[HeavenlyCalling]

When I went to the smme retreat one of my fellow retreatants was a nurse who helped administer the test. She said it was nothing to be worried about ( although she amused us with some of the more random questions ) its not graded like a test, below a 72 is not failing

[shortnun]

[quote name='He is Risen!' post='1455701' date='Feb 5 2008, 01:10 AM']For anyone who has taken the psych test before entering religious life; can you tell me a little bit about what your experience has been? I heard from a friend who was a Sr. of Mercy that there are some strange questions like, "Are you afraid of doorknobs or snakes?" and this supposedly told the psychologist your view on men and dating. This was years ago so maybe it has changed. What kinds of questions or personality indicators do they use and what are they looking for? I'm a little nervous, can't I just tell them I'm not a nut? [/quote]
I've taken the battery of tests... it was actually a requirement in my graduate theology school formation. But they have a "shelf life" so they may also suffice for a religious community if/when the Lord calls me to apply. So in some sense, I guess the pressure I might have felt is different from what you are going through. But all in all, the tests were fine. I filled out one (maybe the California Personality Inventory, the MMPI and something else too) that was quite lengthy.

In terms of what they're looking for... it's all random patterns (that's a contradiction). Unless you're very familiar with how they make up the tests (and each inventory is different) you won't be able to tell the patterns. [b]Just answer them honestly.[/b] When you take them, if it's helpful, ask a lot of questions beforehand. Then you'll know what you're getting yourself into. And, if possible, ask to speak to a psychologist that has interviewed religious candidates before. My counselor had a lot of experience working with local religious communities and knew how "religion" sort of shaped our conversation.

All in all... it's nerve-wracking to start with, but that will pass. In the meantime, keep us posted and know you're in our prayers!

[veritas99]

if you need to have one. You might considering contacting your Diocese to ask who they recommend for the men entering the seminary. That might be helpful. That's what I did. They gave me the name of someone who is a very committed Catholic and has an understanding of the demands of priesthood and religious life.

[Chiquitunga]

One Carmel I know of sends their applicants to [url="http://www.maritalhealing.com/practice/staff/staffprofiles.php"]Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons in PA[/url], who's appeared on EWTN. The sisters there told me it was not difficult.

Edited February 5, 2008 by Margaret Clare

[CatherineM]

I've had the MMPI. I remember it asking questions like, "do you sometimes get the feeling that someone is following you?" If you answer no, it might make it seem like you are being dishonest, because at some point we all get that weird feeling that someone is following us. So if you are being dishonest about it, the test "thinks" that you get that feeling often enough to be afraid to let anyone know it. See what I mean? You have to be completely honest, or you can really get a weird reading. They also gave me this weird test where they put down pictures of strangers, and asked me which one was right and which one was wrong. She told me it was a test that you couldn't "cheat" on because it read your subconscious. That had to be the strangest test I have ever taken.

[trace85]

I'm in the same boat as you. I go for my psychological testing next Saturday 2/16 and I'm a bit nervous. I'll pray for you and please keep me in your prayers. God will take care of us God bless!
Prayers, Tracey

[Guest Perpetualove]

I know every community is different, but I will share a little bit about my own experience in taking the tests for the Order I applied to. In addition to the standard tests - MMPI, etc., they also did the Myers-Briggs. One test cannot determine if someone has a severe problem, though through various tests, the results can be compared. Really the community is looking for issues that might present a problem for the community as a whole, or for the individual. They want to make sure you are balanced, healthy and would be able to live with the challenges that community life can present. I did not find out one thing about myself that I didn't already know, and I wasn't surprised by the results. (I "passed" in case you are wondering!) The community I was with was very gracious in having the doctor share the results with me first, and then gave me the option to allow the doctor to reveal the results to the Mother and Novice Mistress in my presence. I felt very honored by this, as of course it is difficult to hear someone analyze your life and experiences, temperment and personality, but they were very gentle and kind. Had the doctor come up with something that I felt ashamed of, or if the doctor revealed to me that she was not going to recommend me, I could have ended the meeting with her, and left the office without going any further. They were very respectful. In my case, in addition to the tests, I also had a personal interview with the doctor, but this was after many interviews and conversations with the Mother and the Novice Mistress. Honestly, there were no surprises.

Just as a final note, I did ask the Novice Mistress if they had ever had an applicant find out something she wasn't aware of, or were they (the Community) ever surprised by the results? (Another way of putting it...I was curious if the tests ever foiled someone's acceptance). She told me just once, and it was a very serious matter the young woman had willingly concealed from the community; she indicated that had the woman been forthright in her interviews and conversations previously, they would have had a different response. The fact that she hid it so completely made the community feel as if she had not fully dealt with the issue and it would rear its head later in religious life.

I hope this makes it a little easier for you. Please know that you have nothing to worry about! I thought the process was actually a little bit fun. It got me thinking about things, and my Novice Mistress, who knew how nervous I was, kept telling me that I wouldn't be taking the test if they didn't think I was okay. It's just more of a formality, I believe. But I do remember being really nervous, and feeling like I was being "judged," and that's a terrible feeling...so you are in my prayers!

And if you are really nervous...take some personality tests on the internet and enjoy yourself...try to have some fun finding out more about yourself!

[csj]

[quote name='He is Risen!' post='1455701' date='Feb 5 2008, 02:10 AM']For anyone who has taken the psych test before entering religious life; can you tell me a little bit about what your experience has been? I heard from a friend who was a Sr. of Mercy that there are some strange questions like, "Are you afraid of doorknobs or snakes?" and this supposedly told the psychologist your view on men and dating. This was years ago so maybe it has changed. What kinds of questions or personality indicators do they use and what are they looking for? I'm a little nervous, can't I just tell them I'm not a nut? [/quote]

It's funny, a friend and I were just talking about our psychological's and laughing about the silly answers we gave because we thought that's what they wanted to hear.

My community first did a behavioral assessment. This is given by one of our sisters who is also a licensed therapist. For our community, this really is far more important then the psychological because this is really getting to know you and you the community and seeing if you're a good fit for this particular community. For us, the psychological testing is really to diagnose any real psychosis or to bring any 'red flags' to the attention of the community. The community then reviews the findings and it is just a piece of the puzzle in determining your acceptance.

Because of the time and expense of the psychological testing, this is the last part of the application process. So I guess knowing this was the last step and being pretty sure I had no psychosis, I guess I wasn't too nervous going into the test. It is very long and thorough though. First there was long written exam; I think about 600 multiple choice questions. That was sent to the psychologist to review before I met with her (a woman religious in a different community). I then went to her office for about a four hour exam. That part was pretty painless. Half was a nice talk, half basically different intelligence tests.

My mother who was not very happy about my decision to enter was a bit amused at me having to go for a psychological exam (thinking this whole thing was a bit nuts anyway). She said something like, "Good luck, I guess". I joked back, "Well depending on the results, it's either the convent of the psych ward. take your pick where you'd rather visit me." I'm still not sure which one she'd prefer

[He is Risen!]

[quote]My mother who was not very happy about my decision to enter was a bit amused at me having to go for a psychological exam (thinking this whole thing was a bit nuts anyway). She said something like, "Good luck, I guess". I joked back, "Well depending on the results, it's either the convent of the psych ward. take your pick where you'd rather visit me." I'm still not sure which one she'd prefer [/quote]


Haha, My parents are the same way. How long ago was this? What was it like when you told her that you that you were really going to enter? Mine know that I really want to, but no papers have been signed yet , so they think there is still a chance I might not. Being a sister has been pulling at my heart for years now, and it's high time to do something about it! ps, sorry to get carried away with the little yellow guys.

[csj]

[quote name='He is Risen!' post='1456813' date='Feb 6 2008, 11:38 PM']My mother who was not very happy about my decision to enter was a bit amused at me having to go for a psychological exam (thinking this whole thing was a bit nuts anyway). She said something like, "Good luck, I guess". I joked back, "Well depending on the results, it's either the convent of the psych ward. take your pick where you'd rather visit me." I'm still not sure which one she'd prefer
Haha, My parents are the same way. How long ago was this? What was it like when you told her that you that you were really going to enter? Mine know that I really want to, but no papers have been signed yet , so they think there is still a chance I might not. Being a sister has been pulling at my heart for years now, and it's high time to do something about it! ps, sorry to get carried away with the little yellow guys. [/quote]


I submitted my application just about two years ago. All the medical tests were within a month or two of that.

My mother was & still is very unhappy. But I think I'm a bit older then you so while it still bothers me that my mother is unhappy, both she and I know I'm an adult and the decision is my own.