I have no real reason to live, Scientology told me
I entered the Castlereigh Street premises of Scientology because my curiosity had been piqued by this article in News Ltd, I took Scientology’s personality test, and the results weren’t good.
With some free time, I accepted the offer to do a personality test. In retrospect, I almost wish I hadn't. As a vocal opponent of Scientology and religious extremism in general, you would have to look hard to find a greater sceptic in regards to this test. Even so, reading the personality report afterwards was quite disturbing, to the extent that I put in down halfway through.
The test asks 200 questions, some mundane and some quite bizarre, which the responses are either yes, maybe or no. Many of
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Following my assessment, Tim recommended an “urgent” program of Dianetics. Naturally, as such an “extremely critical” person prone to hysteria or even violence, I did not take this lying down. After I had argued with him about my result for 15 minutes or so, and we amicably agreed to disagree, Tim happily bade me farewell and I stepped out onto the footpath of Sydney's CBD.
I'm not sure what to think of the ethics of diagnosing someone as so depressed they must be suicidal, and then letting them loose on the community.
Plainly in need of a second opinion, I sought the advice of Scientology's Brisbane branch. As might be expected, the results were nearly identical.
When challenged as to the science behind the test, Chris, the test administrator claimed the test, the Oxford Capacity Analysis, was developed by Oxford University. Suspecting this was untrue, I asked again. Chris confirmed three times, reassuring me I could trust this test as it was developed by Oxford University.
A quick Wikipedia check confirms the test was not developed by Oxford University, but by L R Hubbard followers Julian Lewis and Ray Kemp in the
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But my responses to some of the questions would seem to have indicated otherwise.
I answered that I am generally happy, that I often sing or whistle just for the fun of it, find it easy to relax, and that I cope with the everyday problems of living quite well. Surprising that these answers did not mitigate my maximally negative response for depression by even one point.
Scientology has recently built a $57 million facility at Chatswood NSW, replete with soundproof rubber rooms, and intent on treating people with mental issues caused by depression, substance abuse and trauma. Dubbed a "Scientific Wonderland" by Scientologists, the facility is the size of two football fields.
The opening coincided with a Scientology recruitment drive which featured door knocking the local area. The Oxford Capacity Analysis personality tests have long been suspected as a recruitment tool for the Church. Many others have reported similar negative results in their tests, followed by recommendations of urgent treatment using Dianetics books and
Overall, these test were very interesting and it made me really think of my results and why I got it. I thought this was a really cool experience and even though it gave me a headache it is definitely something to learn
Self-report has always been one the easiest ways to gain insight of a person’s personality. These test can range from quizzes filled out online that tell you which pop star is your personality twin to standardized tests requiring a certified test user. Some of the most popular and highly researched tests have been the MMPI and its successors. The MMPI, created by Stark R. Hathaway and John Charneley McKinley, was the first step towards the MMPI-2-RF. The MMPI was firstly created to test individuals who were 14 years old and older. Throughout the years, the MMPI has through a lot of changes, evolving into three tests used today: MMPI-2, MMPI-A, and MMPI-2-RF (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2013).
The questions were very thought out and not too broad which was an intelligent idea because if you want to achieve specific answers in a personality assessment, there needs to be specific questions. I read a book about the Big Five before this assignment was assigned so while I was taking the test I could partially tell which questions corresponded to which division of the Big Five. Nevertheless, that did not have an impact on how truthful my responses were. If I were to take the test again I do believe that I would get a similar score because I answered honestly and the answers I chose were the ones that represented me the best. I assume that the test would produce results for diverse groups of people as long as the information about gender, age and country were answered correctly. I thought that having a test that compares similar types of people to each other was a brilliant idea for the reason that it could have been too generic if
The Big Five is the most widely accepted and used model of personality. The model consists of broad dimensions of personality traits. These dimensions are: Openness to Experience/Intellect, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism.
The history of Scientology shows its persistence to keep their members with the promise of spiritual enlightenment. Scientology was founded in the mid-twentieth century by renowned science-fiction author L Ron Hubbard. (Sweeney) The basic foundation of the church stems from the ideas of his best-selling book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. (Anderson) Dianetics was published on May 9, 1950, and the date would become recognized among Scientologists as a religious holiday. Hubbard claimed that the discovery of the science of dianetics is “a milestone for Man comparable to his discovery of fire and superior to his inventions of the wheel and the arch” (Reitman 58). The book’s ideas encourage humanity to rid the individual of any of their mental weaknesses (18). It went on to make its way up the bestseller list by the summer o...
Walsh, Jason. "All in our heads: have we taken psychiatry too far?"Irish Times 14 Aug.2010,
According to the New Oxford American Dictionary the definition of Scientology is “a religious system based on the seeking of self-knowledge and spiritual fulfillment through graded courses of study and training.” In addition, Scientology claims to comprise the remedies used to deliver people from drugs and alcohol abuse, as well as, therapeutic solutions to help others recover from serious injuries at an astonishing progressive rate. In essence, this movement’s main agenda is to bring order to a world of chaos through spreading its teachings, improving environmental conditions on planet earth, and developing the holistic being through using different methodologies and technologies.
In conclusion, being a part of that cult has taught me a great deal. Now, I am able to understand people better and also much more aware of lies that society perpetrates. I believe that most any group will knowingly or unwittingly use cult techniques. Fr. Stanich has given me a great deal to think about. He was a classic narcissist and one of the vainest people I have ever known. But, I am now able to understand much more about persuasive rhetoric and the phony lies that are told to control people.
Utility of assessment. Why are these types of personality assessments useful? Did you find the results useful? Why or why not?
After completing the assessment exercise I have been able to carefully my personality. The exercise consisted of an evaluation of four areas: Locus of Control, Personality Type, Stress Reactions, and Learning Styles.
Some hale and some hate L. Ron Hubbard. Before my months of research into the religion of Scientology I had never learned of a man so loved and so dispised by many. The science-fiction writer turned leader/ antithesis depending on where you stand made his way into the world in 1950 when a book called dianetics hit America's west coast like a storm. Some claim it was his plan saying he was only out for money. I can not conclude other than that L. Ron Hubbard was a genius in the craft of foolery and money making.
While taking this test and reading about the information that was provided I was not really surprised about what information was given about my personality. I am 95% of what this test says I am. This exercise helps very little because I arty new 95% of the information is going to give me, it is a good tool to give you that support he would need if you are doubting yourself.
What makes a person join a cult? What happens in a person's life to make them completely change they way they used to talk and act? Many are puzzled about the mysterious happenings in a cult member's life. They wonder how one could become involved in such a group. The forces that draw individuals into cults can be explained by psychological doctrine. Many in the psychology field have sought to provide answers to the various questions that society has.
Taking a personality test is something that I have had to do a few times. First in college while going for my bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, then while attending Airman Leadership School, and finally for this class. Taking these test all three times I have received similar if not the same results so I think that I have answered these truthful each time. Some of the tests that were required for this class were more in depth, taking 82 sub test
Taking any type of personality test can lead to a lot of thought and reflection on yourself,