Candidacy and Psychological Evaluation...not what you think

Many of you are following me on my journey to become a minister. I am sure a lot of you have questions about whether or not, I am suitable to be a pastor and what that will look like and others have come to me with statements that let me know they disagree with where I am and what I am doing. Others have come to me inquiring about the Candidacy Process and whether it is allowing me to truly discern God’s calling in my life or if I have signed on the dotted line and am past the point of no return.

So I have decided to open up, about the Psychological Evaluation part of the Candidacy Process. When people think “Psychological Evaluation” immediately they think “Oh no! I won’t lay on a couch and talk to some stranger about my life.” or they think “We can’t put crazy in the pulpit; that’s why they are do a 3 hour psychological evaluation.” That both of these things are true, but they are also not what the evaluation/assessment is for. Think of it as a future boss asking you to meet someone you may eventually work with and they just want to get to know you.

However, what is cool about this person who gets to know you is that they do subject you to some psychological testing—4 separate personality tests to be honest with you. 1-complete the sentence, 

The Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator, The Neo-Pi and the MMPI. I will say that the last two were my favorites, but the last one had me scared out of my mind!

I got the results from my Myers-Briggs and my type is INFP. INFPs focus much of their energy on an inner world dominated by intense feeling and deeply held ethics. They seek an external life that is in keeping with these values. Loyal to the people and causes important to them, INFPs can quickly spot opportunities to implement their ideals. They are curious to understand those around them, and so are accepting and flexible unless their values are threatened.

The other two tests the Neo-Pi and the MMPI were coupled with my sentence completion to give a better understanding of who I am. My Neo-Pi results were pretty spot on but I also think that of my scores on the MMPI, which I can’t give you tonight as I don’t have them. However, I can tell you the results from the Neo-Pi and how they present me:

• N Domain: I scored as calm, relaxed and generally free of worry. I sometimes feel frustrated, irritable, and angry and I am prone to feel sad, lonely and dejected. I am good at controlling my impulses and am able to handle stress as well as most people.
• E Domain: I am as assertive as most women when the circumstances require; I have a low energy level and prefer a slow and steady pace.
• O Domain: I have a vivid imagination, I am responsive to beauty found in music, art, poetry or nature and my emotions are normal in variety and intensity. I am conservative in my social, political and moral beliefs.
• A Domain: I am frank and sincere, you are considerate of others. I can hold my own in conflict, but am willing to readily forgive and forget.
• C Domain: I can be sloppy and disorganized and I am sometimes less dependable and reliable and more likely to bend the rules than I should. I have high aspirations and strive for excellence in whatever I do. I also sometimes act without considering all the consequences.

The last test was the MMPI. If anything this is the test that scared the blue blazes out of me! Why? It’s a psycho-pathology test. This is a test that they give in psychiatric wards around the nation. Most people tend to test extra bad when they want to seem sicker than they are and want an extra day or so out of work. Then on the other end of the scale there are people who test extra good when they are going into careers such as pastoring churches. My psychologist told me “Rachel, your test was refreshing! It’s the first test I have ever gotten where I feel like the person was being completely honest.” He went on to say that all those diagnoses that I was told I had never spiked on this test. I no longer tested for depression. I did spike a little on the “Disregard for Authority” but the psychologist said that was probably because “You like to do things your own way.”

As you can see my tests didn’t come back bad; as of matter of fact, I learned a lot about myself that I know I need to work on. While a lot of people think the Candidacy Process is long and arduous (and it is), I do see where it benefits each candidate as they move through this process. I look forward to continuing to grow through this process; and seeing where God leads me.