The Mennonite Game: Cultural Considerations in Psychological Assessment
I am a Mennonite. It's easy to stereotype Mennonites, but they (we) are, indeed, a diverse ethnic group. Yet they (we) have common, core strengths. Our strengths are also our weaknesses or areas of vulnerability.
To gain knowledge on who Mennonites are, I would encourage you to become a private investigator and explore the reasearch. A good place to start, is the...
Third Way Cafe
But if you wish, you may go beyond what can be googled in your search for understanding about what it means to be a Mennonite.
On the other hand, you could find out what Mennonites like to do on a Sunday afternoon through this original song of mine...
The Mennonite Game
(audio sample)
Dr BLT
words and music by Dr BLT © 2010
...or, you can identify the types of conflicts Mennonites struggle with, depicted through humor by the cleverly comical, if quirky, Cornie the Mennonite.
Cornie the Mennonite: I Am Mennonite
Corny the Mennonite: The Evolution of Dance
Once you feel confident enough in your knowledge of what it means to be a Mennonite to proceed, invent a Mennonite patient, give him/her a name. Then give us the patient's presenting issues, and what issues he/she presents with, and talk briefly about the types of vocational, intellectual, projective and personality tests that may help to further clarify his/her issues and lead to a solution (as we have adopted, for the purpose of this class, a solution-based orientation).
As far as blackboard is concerned, just focus on the newly introduced discussion questions for next week. This week, Psychology Comes Alive is the main focus. Have fun with this excercise. If you're not having fun, you're likely not learning anything that will stick.
PS: I still owe 10 of you a copy of the song, "Hard-earned Play" for being the first 10 to comment on a previous Psychology Comes Alive thread. There is a chance the song could be aired on KWMR's Bakersfield and Beyond radio show tonight (Thurs, Sept 30) If it is, it will probably be aired after I come on, just after 8 pm. The show begins at 6:30 pm and can be streamed here:
KWMR
If you were not part of that original 10, you can win the same song by being among the first 10 to post comments this time around. If any of you would prefer the song, "The Mennonite Game," as a digital Dr BLT download, let me know and I can offer that to you as an alternative.
See you in class, and remember, you can take the man out of the Mennonite community, but you can't take the Mennonite out of the man (or the woman, for that matter).
Posted by Bruce L Thiessen Ph D at 9/29/2010 11:48 PM 
Categories: cultural psychology, mennonites
Tags: cultural psychology the Mennonite Game Mennonites
Categories: cultural psychology, mennonites
Tags: cultural psychology the Mennonite Game Mennonites
The Life and Tests of Manny, the Prodigal Mennonite
Manny the Mennonite was the youngest son of a widowed farmer who belonged to an Old Order Mennonite community in Lancaster, PA. At 18 years of age, Manny had become discontent with living “off the grid”, and longed to explore a completely different lifestyle. One day as he was repairing a horse-drawn wagon, a Career Beliefs Inventory test (with scoring sheet) blew into the wooden spoke. Manny, because of his frustration at the moment, chose many “risk taking” interests. And since there was not a counselor there to discuss the accuracy of his beliefs, decided right then to leave home and join the military.
After serving 4 years and having taken the WAIS-III, Manny learned that his IQ was 110 (but since the SEM = 3 on the test, he reported that it was 113). So, upon discharge, Manny enrolled at Fresno Pacific University to study computer programming, since the O*NET WIP indicated that his work values would match with that occupation. While there, he became acquainted with a more modern community of Mennonites, the Mennonite Brethren, and began reevaluating some of the teachings he had previously rejected.
Soon after graduation, Manny began feeling depressed about cutting off his family and learned through mapping out a family GENOGRAM that he needed to “return home” and seek to reestablish relationships. Upon arrival, and wondering whether or not his father would forgive him for having rejected their “peacebuilding and separation of church and state teaching”, Manny slowly approached the gate of the family farm. Meanwhile, inside the farmhouse, Manny’s dad, recognizing his son from a distance, ran and embraced him, rejoicing that his son had returned home.
After a banquet of Fleischbälle, Rotkohl und Apfelsalat, Manny’s father explained that his bishop had administered the Family Environment Scale test and he discovered that his relationships were not as he preferred them to be (the Ideal Form) and that he decided he needed to change his expectations and beliefs about others.
Shortly after returning to CA, Manny received a job offer from Brandman University. Enrollment was rapidly declining and they needed his expertise to revamp the Blackboard system. Apparently, the developer of Blackboard scored extremely high on the “Angry Temperament” subscale of the STAXI-2 when he designed the program.
Manny accepted and began at once to investigate the problem-saturated design. Drawing upon his newly restored beliefs regarding peace and wholeness, Manny submitted his solution,”Scrap Blackboard and return to traditional education.” Manny, now a folk hero, is praised in song by Brandman students near and far.
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Too funny Carol. Ever thought of taking up writing. This is a hard act to follow!
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Superb, Carol!
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Case Summary
CASE NUMBER: 2009: 10-17
CLIENT NAME: Knight,Menno S.
PRESENTING ISSUES: Client states he feels “anxious” and “confused”.
(Refer to Client Intake Questionnaire).
CHIEF COMPLAINT(S): 1.) Anxiety Attacks
2.) Stomach Problems
Presenting History
The client is a twenty-one (21) year old white male who is referred from the Student Health Center for follow-up subsequent to initial screening (refer to Health Center report, Initial Client Intake Summary) and medical examination which ruled out physical components regarding presenting physical symptoms related to “stomach problems” (negative for ulcers/gall bladder complications). Working physical diagnosis is listed as “nervous stomach” and client is referred for evaluation related to concomitant stated issues regarding feelings of confusion and anxiety.
Personal History
The client is currently a senior at the university. He states that he has been contacted by his academic advisor regarding declaration of intent to graduate, but that he has yet to complete those arrangements. The client states that he having difficulty deciding if he is making the right choices. He states that he lived at his family’s farm from birth prior to beginning his college studies, and is having second thoughts about having left his family home.
Evaluation
In order to delineate the client’s personal orientation, clarify his issues and provide a base from which to pursue applicable solutions, the assessment instruments to be utilized, and indicated areas of focus, are as follows:
Intellectual/Cognitive Functions: Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition (SB5)
[Attention to Factor Indexes, and coordination with
Cattell-Horn-Carroll hierarchy model.]
Vocational/Career Orientation: Strong Interest Inventory (Strong) in combination with
Skills Confidence Inventory (SCI)
[Attention to combined measures of interests and skills]
Personality: Projective: Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank test
[Overview personality screening]
Personality Inventory: Myers-Brigs Type Indicator (MBTI)
[Assistance with career/vocational choices]
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Isaiah is a high school junior and attends The Peace and Justice Academy in Pasadena, Ca. His family lives in near-by Alta-Dena, Ca. Isaiah comes from a home that could be described as a modern Mennonite home. They own a typical suburban home. The neighbors would describe Isaiah's family as being kind, and being very helpful to those that are around them. The only thing that might stand out is the families open involvement with their church.
Isaiah's home life could be described as loving and fairly free from conflicts. His father works as a carpenter. His mother works as nurse. He has an older sister that goes to a bible college in the mid-west and a younger brother that is also attends The Peace and Justice Academy. While Isaiah's parents encourage Isaiah to mostly associate with friends that attend his school, he has fallen in love with a young lady that lives a few houses down the street. This young lady is not religious, and has kindly declined invitations to attend church services with Isaiah's family. Before dating this young lady, Isaiah planned on attending the same bible college as his sister. Now he wants to attend UCLA, which is where his girlfriend plans on attending college.
Isaiah is not sure what he would like to do when he grows up. He enjoys math and science, but really dislikes English and History. As might be expected, Isaiah's grades are high for math and science, lower for English and History.
Isaiah's relationship with his girlfriend is starting to cause some friction between Isaiah and his parents. They are disturbed that she does not have the same beliefs as their family, and they are upset that Isaiah would like to change his educational plans. At this point, this is not a huge issue in the family as his parents believe that the romance between his son and his girlfriend will be short, as many adolescent relationships are.
At this point, Isaiah has not taken any assessments. I would encourage him to take the PSAT/NMSQT since he is currently in the 11th grade. This will give him an idea of where his strengths are academically. This will enable him to focus more of his time in areas where he is weak academically. This will also help him to qualify for National Merit Scholarships. He should take either the ACT or SAT his senior year since these scores will be necessary for college admission. I would tend to direct him towards the SAT since the structure is similar to the PSAT/NMSQT. Since he will be familiar with the format, this will relieve some of the anxiety associated with taking any high stakes assessment.
I would also consider the Study Attitudes and Methods Survey (SAMS). This would help Isaiah see how adequate his study habits are, and point out any areas of weakness. This assessment can be used as a teaching tool as well.
Finally, I would give Isaiah the Career Development Inventory (CDI). Since Isaiah is not sure of a possible career, he should have some career advisement.
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My Mennonite is named Mary. She is married with 5 children, ranging from 12- a newborn. She is 30 years old was married when she was 16 years old. She came into my practice with reluctance but her bishop told her it would be for the best. The bishop told me that Maris having trouble with everyday living. She does not want to get out of bed and is not keeping up with her daily routines.
She came into my office and I could tell she was uneasy about being here. She was not used to talking to people other then her close friends and family. She only confided in her bishop. I decided that we should take General Well-Being Schedule which is a personality test that looks at the person on the inside rather then their external factors.
After taking this test I wanted to see what she was interested in maybe her home life was not challenging her enough and she needed more stimulation. I decided to give her the Guilford-Shneidman-Zimmerman Interest Survey. This looks at a bunch of different areas including Mechanical, Natural, Aesthetic, Service, Clerical, Mercantile, Leadership, Literary, Scientific, and Creative just to name a few.
I think once she takes these tests and maybe a few others along with becoming comfortable with me and start to open up and talk we will be able to find out what would be best for Mary.
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Jose Alvarado is a 45 year old Texas lawyer and an active member of Mennonite Association of Hispanic Churches (AMIGA). He entered my office with a great deal of apprehension and skepticism. He was seeking my help to overcome a business/professional issue that he did not believe could be discussed with his immediate family or members of his church.
He was facing a dilemma based on the common practice of lawyers to “adhere to the letter of the law” without concern for morality, integrity or honesty. This goes against the Mennonite commitment of telling the truth. Jose seemed sincerely distressed by the conflict. As a solution focused therapist, I ask Jose during our first visit if he could remember a time in his career when he did not suffer from the current conflict. He responded with yes, he could. It was during his days as a young lawyer interning with a community service advocacy legal association. Because of this answer, I suggested that perhaps we should do a new series of career aptitude testing. I explained that while I understand that his current job is producing a good income, the trade off may be his clear conscience.
During our second session, I administered the differential aptitude tests (DAT) and the Career Beliefs Inventory (CBI), both of which I felt could shed light on his presenting issues. I discussed the results with Jose during our third visit. The results of these tests suggested that perhaps the corporate attorney field was not for him. He might better fit into a position that was more community oriented. Jose agreed to think about this, as well as discuss it with his wife, and we would continue our discussion during the next visit.
During our fourth and final session, Jose informed me that after much soul searching he decided to look for a job in a friendlier environment. He told me that his wife agreed with his decision and both were pleased by the elevation of his mood since our last visit. He agreed to contact me if he began to experience additional conflict.
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“Minnie the Mennonite”
Minnie the Mennonite was in a mite bit of trouble…
For she had fallen in love with the wrong type of fellow….
She tried to quince her love… by thinking of her God above…
But, her heart still fluttered like the wings of a dove….and, no matter how hard she
Tried….her feelings could not be denied…
Her heart and mind no compromise could find and…., so began her downward decline…
Wanting to please, but longing to be pleased…the thought of him was quite a tease…
And her mind never was at ease…
She thought of him at work, she thought of him at church….
She thought of him when walking down the street, she thought of him when she went to eat…She even thought of him when sleep…
Her parents much to their dismay could not find the words to say…
To get her back on the “straight and narrow” way….
Further and further Minnie seemed to drift away…until one day she was no longer the same…
The shorter her dresses became the more she began to change…
Her innocence once so sweet had long since gone into retreat….
Those simple virtues once so treasured no longer held any value of measure….
The fellow that had attracted her attention did not have good intentions…
After three children, he betrayed her and, left although he had promised to marry…
Isolated and alone, tears of sadness and disillusion soon came and did not tarry…
Now sits Minnie, Mighty, and Monte, waiting for Morocco, with no place to go…
Then a sweet melody was heard, sounds so sweet, as the morning birds…
A four part harmony sung like a symphony in a cappella,
Reminded Minnie of what she had long since left behind in Mount Saint Chella…
Then came the decision to head in a different direction…
First to finish her education, and soon to head towards her destination…
To the school counselor she went to aide her with her choices...
Seeking to quiet all other loud voices…
First came psychological, personality and then vocational testing…
There to no one’s surprise, she found out where her strength lies…
Helping and assisting others.. she thought of ways she could help other mothers…
With a will that was granite…and a heart that was gold…
She scaled the walls of disappointment…and, soon achieved her appointment…
The CEO of “God’s Anointed”, a non-profit organization training youth and single parents, new trades and occupations in the new direction…Of planet preservation…
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Mayola, your poem is beautiful. I really enjoyed it. What a clever way to approach this assignment.
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Amanda the Mennonite is a young woman who just turned 18 years old. She comes from parents that are conservative Mennonites. They dress conservative and follow many of the old traditions. Her family lives on a farm in Pennsylvania that once belonged to Amanda’s grandfather; they live off the resources but accept some technology. Amanda stated that her parents own some modern farm equipment and have a telephone in their home. She said her family owns several horses and two buggies that are used for transportation. She said she would like to see herself in Hollywood acting in movies. She hopes someday to drive an orange Viper or a red Camero oppose to a horse and buggy she wants to save that ride for a Cinderella movie. Amanda has come for counseling because she wants to pursue a career in acting she is tired of living on a farm feeding the cows and chickens. Amanda states she does not know anything about college and has no idea on how she would go about reaching her goal as an actress. In conversation, Amanda mentions that she enjoyed teaching Sunday school and loves to help people in general. Therapist suggestions would include a SAT Aptitude Test, College handbook, Live Career Test, occupational tests based on beliefs. She would then be referred out to a Career Counselor in Hollywood California.
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Albert is a 25 year old white male. He was raised in a strict Mennonite household, but has recently decided to "re-start" his life following a new set of beliefs. Albert says he saw one of your advertisements for "help" and is now in your office asking for "help" concerning what he should do with his life. He further explains that some of the more important areas he wants help in, is what he should focus on if he decides to go to college and what his potential career should be.
Presenting issue(s): Feeling of being lost and isolated, depression
Issue he came in for: Wants help deciding what to do with his life
Assessments to be given: vocational, intellectual, and personality
The vocational assessment that will be given is the Strong because its reputation for being a widely researched and used method of vocational assessment. The Strong will help identify possible career options available to Albert based on his abilities and interests.
The intellectual assessment that will be given is the WAIS-III because of its fairly recent revision and widespread usage. The WAIS-III will give us an idea of what Albert's strengths and weaknesses in terms of his studies. It will also allow us to check for possible intellectual deficits.
The personality assessment that will be given is the MMPI-2 because of its ability to describe a person's personality tendencies and not for its ability to differentiate between particular psychiatric disorders, however results from the assessment will be used to help assess Albert's level of depression.
Treatment: Based on Albert's presenting issues and what he has come seeking help with, you decide to use a combination CBT and problem solving. You meet with Albert and discuss his presenting problems and establish some goals for him to work towards. He has agreed to enroll in a community college and start taking general education classes so he can get a flavor of what subjects he likes and does not like, and what subject(s) he would like to pursue in order for him to achieve his perspective career goal. You have also touched on Albert's family issues and why he wanted to deviate from his Mennonite upbringing; both of which were determined to play a part in his depression.
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A 75 year old man, simply referring to himself as 'Grandpa Joe', has stumbled into my office. Apparently, he has no recollection of how he got there or where he lives, but he stated that he remembered being a Mennonite.
Feeling sorry for the old Grandpa, I decided to give him a free therapy session in hopes that his memory might return so he could return to his family.
Upon an initial interview, Grandpa Joe has mentioned that he served in 3 different wars but when asked which wars he served in, he could only recall being in the Korean war.
Apparently Grandpa Joe suffers from severe memory loss.
When questioned about his Mennonite heritage he stated that he believes he has been a practicing Mennonite before the war but since then has abandoned many of his fundamental practices partly because he stopped being able to remember them.
Additionally, Grandpa Joe stated that in addition to not being able to remember how to be a Mennonite, he remembered that he had trouble fitting Mennonite beliefs into the current societal worldview in particular with that of discoveries of modern science such as evolution by natural selection.
After being surprised that a man of his age could keep up with modern scientific developments despite severe memory loss, I proceeded to administer a Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and was again surprised to learn that although Grandpa Joe suffered from memory loss, his intellectual and cognitive functioning remained incredibly high, somewhere in the range of 145-150 IQ.
Fortunately after this 5 hour long initial session, he remembered that he had a cell phone and proceeded to call his daughter to 'come pick him up from the shrinks office'.
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Referring attorney had made a deal that her juvenile client would undergo 6 sessions of psychotherapy in lieu of incarceration in juvenile hall. The misdemeanors offenses were; minor under the influence of alcohol, possession of less than one oz. of marijuana, lewd behavior, specifically sexual intercourse in a public place, curfew and being in a park afterhours. The attorney explained that the young man was Mennonite, a pacifist religious sect. She feared for her client in the rough and often violent conditions of juvenile hall. She requested evaluation of the boy’s educational and career potential for future court negotiation.
Subsequently,17 year old Caucasian male presented for treatment. I proceeded with the intake interview to gather the particulars and commenced my assessment with a Mental Status Exam.
My new client identified himself as Corny Funk. He said the “Rumspringa” had gotten out of hand. He was at City Park, had been drinking and was having sex with a sixteen year old Mennonite girl in the backseat. The police officer ordered them out of the car, found pot in his pocket. The officers took the girl home to her parents.
Recapping significant points in the MSE; Corny is tall, lanky, clean cut and conservatively dressed. He spoke with an odd accent using some unintelligible words. I suspected using a phony name. He was oriented to day, time and place, appeared anxious with depressed affect. He wrung his hands in a nervous fashion, was extremely shy and soft spoken, rarely looking me in the eye.
I asked for parental consent to psychological tests typically required by the court. I considered the Stanford Binet IQ test. His odd speech caused me to question his intellectual capacity. To rule out that he was feigning mental illness, depression or anxiety to avoid legal repercussions, I considered the MMPI. I selected the SDS-Self Directed Search to assess his educational and career potential.
In our 2nd and 3rd sessions I administered the Stanford Binet, and MMPI. Corny completed the SDS at home and returned the results to me. The IQ test revealed above average IQ. The MMPI indicated considerable anxiety and depression. I decided we would use information from the SDS in later sessions.
In our remaining sessions I got to know Corny better and through his explanations and my research I learned about Mennonite culture. Corny explained that “Rumspringa” was an expected ritual of Mennonite teens but that his “Rumspringa” fling was beyond what the Church would tolerate. I came to understand that Corny’s anxiety and depression resulted from his belief that his behavior and arrest had brought shame to himself, his family and his Mennonite community. He was struggling with the decision of whether to be baptized and continue in the Mennonite tradition.
Corny agreed to continue therapy to explore career, educational and spiritual choices. Treatment plan: existential & family systems work with this differentiating young man
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Aaron Geiser is 19 years old and he and his family are members of the West Union Mennonite Church in the very small farming community of Rexville, NY. population 651.
Aarons church is part of the AMEC (Alliance of Mennonite Evangelical Congregations). The AMEC states, "we are committed both to the doctrinal foundation of evangelical orthodox and to the worthy tenets of historical biblical anabaptism."
Aaron's father owns the town's hardware store where Aaron, being the oldest son, is expected to work and eventually take over. Aaron just graduated from high school last year with above average grades and is attending business classes at the community college in Bingington. He has convinced his father that taking business classes will be helpful with managing the hardware store in the future.
However, Aaron has met a girl in one of his classes named Rhonda, who he is becoming very close to. He spends a lot of time with Rhonda and her friends and is enjoying his independence, having friends outside of the church, and being in a large town.
Unbeknown to his father, Aaron is starting to think about doing something else with his life besides working in the hardware store. However, he does want to have a career that would be acceptable to his family and his Mennonite community. Rhonda wisely advises him to see the college career counselor.
After listening to Aaron and taking into account his small town, conservative, religious upbringing the counselor believes it will be important to match Aaron's values to his career choice. Plus, Aaron might have some barriers to get past such as set beliefs about certain careers that he has only heard about.
The counselor decides to use values clarification exercises to help Aaron identify his values and engage in some deeper self-assessment since, unlike his peers, this is the first time that Aaron has ever thought about working anywhere other than his father's store.
The counselor also decides to make use of the Life Values Inventory to explore the values held by Aaron and the possibility of conflicting values with Aaron's role in his personal and church life with his future work life.
Finally, the counselor decides to make use of the O NET WIP to examine the relationship between value scores and values that rank highest for different occupations as listed in the O NET Database.
Now, its time for Aaron to return home and have a long talk with his father about his desired career choices.
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