"self-monitoring" In Religious Life?

[cmaD2006]

I scored 10/25. I am more drawn to active life or active-contemplative. This is an interesting topic.

TT ... I had the same score. If I entered religious life again it would be an active contemplative order (and I'd be looking for one that didn't swing in either direction too much with a bit of a preference on the active side).

This is quite interesting indeed.

[Gabriela]

I got 24 out of 25, and scored 99.54% higher than most. Pretty much, no one but God knows who I really am. :P

But it makes sense. I act differently in different situations all the time. I'm different with everyone I meet, really. I'm super talkative to my friends and am super energized when around them, but to most I'm quiet and reserved. People often say they've never known someone so calm and peaceful as I am. My spiritual director recently asked what my secret is. :P

Oh, and I'm interested in the diocesan priesthood. It will probably be good thar I can blend with any group if/when I'm a priest, because priests tend to have to be social and interact with different people constantly.

 

Gosh, why do I find this unsurprising?  :P I can actually see how being a HSM would be really good for a parish priest. (Tell your SD that your secret is you're an extreme HSM!)

 

K, I'm going to put a hole in your theory because I scored 15/25 and if I were to enter an order, it better be contemplative and cloistered.

 

I don't have a theory, so you can't put a hole in anything! ;-) I was just curious, but this is indeed shaping up to be super-interesting. There was of course a possibility that those in/attracted to religious life are distributed just like the general populace (that would make sense for several reasons), but something suggested to me that there would be a difference between active and contemplative. Indeed, as we are rutsching up from LSM to HSM, you see (most) people are shifting from straight contemplative to contemplative-active—and the parish priest is practically off the charts. I could hypothesize now that the contemplatives would be generally LSMs, active-contemplatives would be middle-of-the-road, and actives would be HSMs. (But where are all the actives?!) So actually, rather than ruining anything, truthfinder, I think you're simply something of an outlier! That's ok, I'm sure. It takes all kinds to make a community run!  :like: 

 

13/25, pretty much middle-of-the-road.

 

Ohhh! Maybe 13 is the cut-off. Was the message it gave you the same as for Barbara Therese, or was it different? And are you drawn to active or contemplative (or active-contemplative) life? Thanks, B&G! :)

 

I think your research idea is fascinating. I'm so pming you.

 

It wasn't a research idea to start out with, but it is starting to look like it'd make an excellent one. I don't do quantitative research though—so it's all you, CaK. :)

 

 

 

BTW: Where are all the ladies called to active life??? Is it just us contemplatives still hanging around here? Or are the actives all out being... active?  :hehe2:  We need them to see if there really is a difference!

Edited October 27, 2013 by curiousing

[Gabriela]

FYI: In the general populace (of the United States), LSMs are 60% and HSMs are 40%. Obviously, in other cultures, they will distribute differently. I should think that, in Asian cultures for example, there are a whole lot more HSMs. Although, there is significant research suggesting that self-monitoring is a biologically based personality trait. They have found that identical twins are nearly always the same on this measure, whereas non-identical twins are the same less often, but still at more than a chance rate. The research therefore suggests that, while one can learn behaviors to be either one or the other, one's natural tendency will remain the same throughout one's life, because of the biological basis.

[Lilllabettt]

13/25. active ... and btw it gave me the hsm message

[Gabriela]

Ok, I went in and took the test just to see what message HSMs get. So here are the two, pulling the LSM one from BT's post:

 

LSMs: "Your score (##/25) indicates that you value staying true to yourself and are unwilling to modify your behavior just to get the approval of others. You probably do not like to be the center of attention very often. "

 

HSMs: "Your score (##/25) indicates that you are a relatively high self monitor. You are willing to be the center of attention[,] are sensitive to others['] reactions[,] and will adjust your behavior to get positive reactions from others. "

 

Now, where is the cut-off? I would expect it to be around 12 or 13... (halfway up the 25-item scale).

Edited October 27, 2013 by curiousing

[Gabriela]

13/25. active ... and btw it gave me the hsm message

 

Ah! You got the HSM message? So now we just need to know if it's at 13 or 12...  :like: 

[thepiaheart]

2/25. Interested in contemplative/cloistered or active-contemplative at best.

[AnneLine]

Your score (7/25) indicates that you value staying true to yourself and are unwilling to modify your behavior just to get the approval of thers. You probably do not like to be the center of attention very often.

Below is a graph of how other people who have taken this test have scored.



You scored higher than 8.59% of them.

 

Married lay woman, secular contemplative in a mendicant order.   Have cloistered nuns who joke that I am 'more cloistered than most nuns' because I live in a somewhat inaccessible area.  My husband works nights... I tend to be alone a LOT.  And while I'm good with people, I really like having the alone time....

 

Oh... was a postulant in an active contemplative community at one point and nearly went crazy from lack of alone time and feeling like I was not myself....

Edited October 27, 2013 by AnneLine

[PhuturePriest]

Gosh, why do I find this unsurprising?  :P I can actually see how being a HSM would be really good for a parish priest. (Tell your SD that your secret is you're an extreme HSM!)

 

 

I don't have a theory, so you can't put a hole in anything! ;-) I was just curious, but this is indeed shaping up to be super-interesting. There was of course a possibility that those in/attracted to religious life are distributed just like the general populace (that would make sense for several reasons), but something suggested to me that there would be a difference between active and contemplative. Indeed, as we are rutsching up from LSM to HSM, you see (most) people are shifting from straight contemplative to contemplative-active—and the parish priest is practically off the charts. I could hypothesize now that the contemplatives would be generally LSMs, active-contemplatives would be middle-of-the-road, and actives would be HSMs. (But where are all the actives?!) So actually, rather than ruining anything, truthfinder, I think you're simply something of an outlier! That's ok, I'm sure. It takes all kinds to make a community run!  :like: 

 

BTW: Where are all the ladies called to active life??? Is it just us contemplatives still hanging around here? Or are the actives all out being... active?  :hehe2:  We need them to see if there really is a difference!

 

So far, I am by far the most extreme and therefore coolest person to have posted on this thread.

 

But, to help this scientific study out, if I were to join an Order, it would definitely be active.

And yeah, I can see how it would be helpful. The only thing I have to remind myself is that, as important as I naturally think pleasing people is, if I have to say something, I have to do it, even if people don't like what I say. I always avoid saying things that might conflict with others. As a small example, I absolutely love the song What Does The Fox Say. But my best friend, Emily, does not. When she told me she didn't, even though I totally loved it, I toned down my love for it and made it look like I was indifferent to the song entirely, even though last night I almost wrecked the car because it came on the radio and I was excited. :P I just don't like disagreeing with people, especially if I like them a lot. I've learned to make myself say something and disagree if it's important, though.

 

But this really does make sense. I'm always constantly asking people how they perceive me, and it's because I don't know what my personality really is. I know I love talking and being around people, and I can be really energetic and excited. But at the next moment I can make myself be passive and calm, and not talk a lot at all. I enjoy talking and being energetic and excited more, so I guess that's what my personality really is, but that's kind of unfortunate, as I'm rarely in situations that I feel call myself to be that way. :P

Edited October 27, 2013 by FuturePriest387

[PoorClareHopeful]

I scored a 3.5. I really don't like being the center of attention and I definitely stay true to who I am and I don't change myself to impress others. I too am drawn to cloistered life. This post is very interesting! Thanks for sharing. God bless.

[Mary+Immaculate<3]

16/25, a HSM. I scored 71.48% higher than others. I think I'm called to contemplative life.

[TheresaThoma]

 

BTW: Where are all the ladies called to active life??? Is it just us contemplatives still hanging around here? Or are the actives all out being... active?  :hehe2:  We need them to see if there really is a difference!

 

Ok I should revise mine to more accurately say that I am interested in an active community that still has a strong basis in prayer/contemplation. I have learned that I need to be around people (becoming a hermit is definitely not for me!), however in large groups I will start to withdraw a bit unless I can focus in on one or two people.

[OnlySunshine]

Your score (4/25) indicates that you value staying true to yourself and are unwilling to modify your behavior just to get the approval of thers. You probably do not like to be the center of attention very often.

 

You scored higher than 2.02% of them.

 

 

 

Interestingly, I originally wanted to enter cloistered life but, because of my chronic medical condition, I was advised to look at active/contemplative orders instead.  I like to think that I have a Poor Clare spirituality.  :)

[Catherine Therese]

I think the halfway point is 13, looking at the curve. My result of 14 mentioned a percentage of 56% approx... (it was a 55.xx but I can't remember!) and if you look at the distribution of the curve, 50% would have to lie on the 13 bar of the graph.

[Cherie]

20/25

 

I am a married laywoman, but was a member of an active/contemplative community. I had been drawn to cloistered life for many years of my discernment and even wanted to switch to a more contemplative community when I was a religious! Haha. Obviously I don't have a religious vocation, though, so my answer doesn't matter in that question. 

[ToJesusMyHeart]

I’ll go first:

I scored a 2, which means I’m an extreme low self-monitor. Only 0.49% of the population scores lower than me.

I am drawn to contemplative life, specifically eremitic life.

 

I also got a 2. 

 

"Your score (2/25) indicates that you value staying true to yourself and are unwilling to modify your behavior just to get the approval of others. You probably do not like to be the center of attention very often."

 

And that's accurate. I do tend to find people who are HSM's to be annoying, fake, and two-faced. Some of my roommates are HSMs and we're having rough times right now for just that reason. 

[Nunsense]

That is really interesting... I would bed most people interested in religious life would be in the middle of the bell curve.  I scored a 15 out of 25.  I think in religious life one needs to have some characteristics of both because there is certainly an element of conformity when one joins a community.  There is also the requirement that one be true to ones self in community as well especially when it comes to issues of integrity.  

 

Thanks for sharing this.

 

 

I agree - unless one is well balanced between LSM and HSM, they are probably going to have difficulty living in community, even a cloistered or contemplative community. Extremes at either end are probably going to be a little unbalanced and have difficulties with others for one reason or another. :)

[Gabriela]

I don't know. NazFarmer (did I capitalize that right?) is quite low, and he's in community.

 

NazFarmer: What do you think?

[ToJesusMyHeart]

God can work with any personality type, and any level of self-monitoring.

[Gabriela]

God can work with any personality type, and any level of self-monitoring.

 

That's what I should think. Maybe I should clarify that being an LSM doesn't mean one is rude and inconsiderate of others, and being an HSM doesn't necessarily mean that one has no principles or integrity—even on the extreme ends. Being extreme on a measure such as this just indicates more of an inability to be like the other. An extreme LSM confronted by people s/he doesn't like would most likely respond with avoidance or total silence (depending upon what was possible in the circumstances), whereas an extreme HSM would conform his/her behavior to those people's in order to be liked by them (yes, even if s/he doesn't like them!). Neither would be able to do the opposite. Someone in the middle, however, could conceivably shift back and forth, depending on the level of discomfort, the circumstances, desire, etc.

 

Of course, there are also a whole lot more personality traits than just this one, so one's particular mix will make a difference even here. There are always exceptions! :)