Sociology is both the study of societies and also a profession. Sociologists often work with the under-privileged, giving them the support they need.

Articles

• Abusive Relationships: How it all goes wrong.
• Blevins’ Family Roles: As played in family groups.
• Ethnicity and Identity: Ethnicity can have a significant effect on who you think you are.
• Feminism and Identity: How genders are separated.
• Feminist Positions: Found in social research.
• Individual and Society: How are selves made in social groups?
• Institutionalization: Institutions may be strip and remake the self.
• Legal Identity: The law has a very different view on the term.
• Life Histories: A thread through time that may or may not make sense.
• Them and Us: The seeds of failure.
• The Social Value of Being Different: Being all the same can be problematic.

Theorists

• Marcel Mauss: gifts and body technique.
• Pierre Bourdieu: field, habitus and symbolic capital.
• Norbert Elias: civilizing habitus and figuration.
• Max Weber: religion, capitalism and the state.

See also

Abusive Relationships

Abusive adult relationships are surprisingly common, where one partner acts in a way that causes distress to the other.

Forms of abuse

Relationships can become abusive where one person psychologically and/or physically abuses the other.

Physical abuse

Physical abuse creates pain, harm and distress, and includes:

• Invading body space and standing over the other person in a threatening manner.
• ‘Mock’ physical abuse, such as raising hand as if to strike, ‘just missing’ and sudden movements.
• ‘Accidentally’ causing distress or harm by such as touching, pushing, bumping and tripping.
• Aggressively and directly harming by such as punching, gripping, cutting and burning.

Psychological abuse

Psychological abuse causes such as fear, negative self-image, and feelings of helplessness, and includes:

• Criticizing actions and decisions.
• Telling them they are stupid and lack intelligence.
• Telling them they are unattractive.
• Calling them names, comparing them with people in low social positions.
• Criticizing them in front of others.

Weakened resistance

The abused person typically has their ability and desire to resist or even leave severely weakened by the methods such as:

• Nit-picking, criticizing them for every little thing.
• Exhausting demands that require long hours of work.
• Waking them up from deep sleep.
• Criticizing the person’s character, indicating they are wholly incompetent.
• Guilt trips, blaming them for things which go wrong.
• Random acts of violence that leave the abused person constantly in uncertainty and fear.
• Occasional acts of kindness that prove they are ‘not all bad’.
• Threatening to throw them (and the children) out on the streets.
• Repeatedly dragging up ‘things done wrong’ in the past.
• Saying that if the abuser leaves the person will be devastated, lose their job or otherwise harmed.
• Threatening extreme acts if the abused leaves (and blaming them for it), such as ‘suing for everything’, killing the abuser or committing suicide themselves.
• The weakened person hence falls into a position of learned helplessness where they see no hope of change and no opportunity to leave.

Control

Abuse is often about control. The abuser may hence act in many different way to exert control at every level, such as:

• Dictating what the other person wears.
• Deciding who they can be friends with.
• Selecting or stopping hobbies and other activities.
• Expecting them to do all work around the home.
• Choosing when and what they will do together.
• Randomly checking up on the other person ensure they are complying with demands.
• Interrupting and dragging them out of their social engagements.
• Expect to be considered first in all decisions.
• Taking charge of all money and spending.
• Being strict time-keepers.
• Punishing any deviance from strict obedience.
• Making the person wait whilst the abuser carries on a separate life.
• Isolating the person, separating them from any social support.
• Demanding and forcing sexual [Ring] acts.

Progressive abuse

The abuser may well start with minor abuse, such as expecting the other person to do something and being a bit upset if it is not done. When the other person complies, the abuser moves to a gradually higher level of abuse. Like the proverbial boiled frog, before long the abused person has accepted harsher and harsher treatment until what would once have been unacceptable abuse is now accepted as normal and even ‘reasonable’.

Abusers may be attractive at first because of their strength and control. They act in a highly protective way and are seen to defend the other person. This can become unacceptable in their jealous guarding of the person they come to see as their ‘property’. This leads to severing of relationships with pretty much everyone and so isolates the abused person further, giving them no social support and depressing them further into accepting the abusive situation without question.

The abused person

The abused person may be recognized by some of the characteristics below. It can be difficult to detect that a person is being abused when they may well be ashamed of the situation or be trying to protect the abuser.

Psychological effects

The abused person easily ends up in a negative mental state, where the following conditions may apply:

• Feeling bad, useless and incompetent.
• Dependent on the abuser.
• Strangely still attracted to the abuser.
• Blaming themself for the situation.
• Feeling lonely and hopeless.
• Believing they cannot be helped.
• Believing others will not believe them.
• Believing others will interfere and only make things worse.

Hidden resistance

If the abused person summons up courage to resist, it is done very subversively such that the abuser cannot discover what they are doing. For example they may create a secret cache of their own food or make social contact with others when they are supposed to be shopping.

Coping

The abused person will try to mentally cope with the situation, for example by denying that there is any problem.

They may deny the problem to themselves as they want to feel normal and may well blame themselves for the situation.

They may well deny to other people who the person fears may look down on them for what is happening or who may try to fix the situation yet only make it worse.

If the person gains some strange comfort from the situation, they may not want or seek help, perhaps being ‘happy’ to wallow in self-pity.

Most often, the person copes by just going along with the situation and ‘not rocking the boat’ for fear of punishment. They hence take the path of seeking least harm, particularly in the short term.

The abuser

The abusing person may have particular characteristics, such as:

• Believing they are always right (and others are wrong).
• Fearing loss of control, feeling good when achieving control.
• Feeling powerful when angry.
• Having an explosive, hair-trigger temper, easily flipping from nice to nasty.
• Constantly concerned about being abandoned.
• Is very good at deception. Including deceiving themself.
• Enjoying manipulating others, by charm, persuasion or aggression.
• Seeing their partner as a possession more than a person.
• Being jealous, fearing others will steal their partner.
• Have different standards for themselves, for example enjoying other relationships.
• The abuser may also have a past where they have been a failure in some way or have been abused themselves.

Charming men

Abuse in relationships is most often, but not exclusively, men abusing women. This is due both to the male’s physical strength advantage as well as evolutionary forces which tend to make men more aggressive.

Horley (2002) describes the ‘Charm Syndrome Man’, who starts off in a very charming and charismatic manner, bonding the woman to him, then becomes gradually more controlling and abusive. This bonding, with occasional reinforcement by further bouts of charm, can lead the abused person to continue to love the abuser. The Stockholm Syndrome [Prada-Willis] may also have a part in sustaining this connection.

It can be difficult for others to accept that charming men are abusive in private. These abusers come from all walks of life and are not the low-class drunkards that are often associated with abuse.

Dominant women

Not all abusers are men. The archetypal dominant wife who exerts close control over the ‘little man’ does exist. Such women can be highly abusive, although seldom in a physical way. Yet with histronics and constant nagging, the man is psychologically worn down and goes in constant fear of his partner ever opening her mouth.

Female dominance and abuse can also appear in other forms. Where they have power and where they seek a high level of control, they may use all means at their disposal to achieve their selfish ends. This may even include physical abuse if the man is so cowed or physically inferior as not to respond in kind.

Two methods that abusive women use are denial and departure, both of which act on the fear of loss. They threaten or actually take things away, such as meals, money, sex, children or themselves. They may also take away approval, dignity and reputation.

The woman may also threaten to tell others what a bad person the man is (most people will more easily believe that the man, rather than the woman, is the abuser).

Children often are a powerful lever as most men know that divorce settlements are more likely to award custody to the woman.

Why it happens

There can be a number of reasons why abusive relationships happen.

Control

The most likely key reason that the abuser acts as they do is for the sense of control that it gives them. They act to control every aspect of the other person’s life with the threat of abuse being used as coercion and to weaken resistance.

The abuser needs to always be the boss, superior in every regard. In this position they can make demands and avoid all responsibility, blaming everything on the abused person.

The dominant male

Although women can be abusive, the most common situation is of men abusing women. There is an evolutionary argument for this, that men are naturally aggressive and will seek to be dominant. In particular an ‘alpha male’ has a strong tendency to seek a superior position of control.

Men who abuse women may want to dominate other men (which is how men can achieve status and attract mates) but have largely failed in this. As a result, they seek an easier target in physically weaker women.

Male abusers often have strong opinions about gender roles, with the woman as the subservient housewife and the man as the strong controller. This is supported by social norms that subtly tell them they are in charge. They may also have had early evidence with a controlling father, priest or teacher.

Despite much progress in female emancipation in developed countries, the truth is that men still get paid more, get more of the top jobs and have greater control in families. Evolution, of course, has also shaped individual brains and whole cultures to believe they are dominant.

Abusive past

A common pattern is that people who were abused, or witnessed abuse, become abusers. One reason for this is a perception that there are only two roles: abuser or abused. This is the same reason that people become bullies, in school, work and other contexts.

In abusing their partner, there can be a twisted logic where they are indirectly taking revenge on their historical abusers.

Victim mentality

While it is a trap for the abused person to think it is all their fault, they may subconsciously be encouraging the situation. Thinking of oneself as a victim means absolution from responsibility from any action to resolve the situation. It makes the other person wholly to blame and justifies feelings of hopelessness. Such thinking only serves to make the situation continue without resolution.

What to do

What to do about an abusive relationship depends on who you are and what forms the abuse is taking.

Please note the notes here are generalized. In most circumstances, getting professional support is good idea. There are many groups and bodies whose primary purpose is to help you.

Abused person

If you are abused person, you need to get a perspective on the situation. If you clearly recognize what is happening from the above notes, then you are likely being abused. If you are not sure (and perhaps anyway) then get professional advice.

A trap is to believe that it is all your fault. This is what the abuser likely wants you to believe. The first thing you have to start doing is to change your thinking.

It can be difficult to try to stop the person, who is likely quite skilled at what they are doing. Telling them what they are doing and how you feel may make them realize that it is bad and stop doing it. But it is more likely that they will simply increase the level of abuse in order to try to push you back into the subservient role.

A more practical solution, at least for a while, may be to get away. If you can stay with friends or family, this will give you respite and help you escape from the distorted thinking that the situation has forced upon you.

At some point, you will have to tell other people about what is going on. This can be scary as you may fear the shame or the consequences if your partner finds out. This is one reason why it can be helpful to talk to a professional. Family and friends can sometimes try to help but end up making things worse.

Trust is a critical question for you. You have likely had the trust knocked out of you, so you have to decide who you can really trust. While family and friends can be problematic, it can still be very helpful to find someone who will listen without over-reacting and who will work with you to resolve the situation.

Family and friends

If you are a friend or family member of the abused person, your natural reaction may be to wade in and confront the abuser. This may be effective, but it can also make things far worse so you do need to take care.

The best thing you can do short-term is to just listen to the person, take them seriously and let them stay with you if that seems best. If the situation seems hazardous, particularly with any significant physical abuse, then you may decide to call in the professionals, including the police.

Abuser

If you are abusing another person and want to stop, yet find it difficult to do this, there are things you can do.

There is help out there for abusers as well as abused people, although it may be more difficult to find. If you can, get support. It may difficult for you to talk about what you have done as, even if you have blamed the other person, inside you know that you are are the guilty party. The shame of this and perhaps the fear of punishment can prevent any action.

If you do care in some way for the other person, then you can perhaps talk with them (although do understand they may well not trust you). Getting professional help can be a good idea here, for example where a counsellor can help you restart a healthy discussion.

Thinking about the collateral damage can help motivate you. Consider the children and the effects on them of what they may have seen or heard. Also remember that you may be found out or the abused person may turn on you.

If you find it difficult to stop yourself, you may even decide to move away or encourage your partner to move.

See also

Conversion (or revision) techniques, Personality Disorders, Games, Coping Mechanisms

Horley, S. (2002). Power and Control: Why Charming Men Can Make Dangerous Lovers, London: Vermillion

Blevins’ Family Roles

Blevins (1993) describes a number of roles that people take in families, that can appear in the workplace and elsewhere and often crop up in stories. Note that different people may take different roles at different times and individuals may take on several roles at one. Individuals also tend more towards some roles than others.

Blamer

When things go wrong, the blamer points a finger. Things are never accidental — somebody is to blame. In doing so, of course, the blamer points a finger away from themself.

Cheerleader

The cheerleader stands on the sidelines and encourages others with great enthusiasm. Whilst they do not gain the highest prizes, they are safe and may well be popular.

Distracter

The distracter draws attention away from problems and towards things that are easier to accept and handle. Others may be grateful for this release from responsibility.

Favored son

This person has a special place in the hearts of parental figures. They get given the best and are more easily forgiven. This can make them arrogant.

Hero

The hero always saves the day when things go wrong or people are threatened. They help both individuals and the wider team.

Invalid

The invalid is sick, injured or otherwise limited in capability, sometimes through choice. They are often a burden on others who feel obliged to carry them.

Jester

This person makes light of most situations, creating laughter and levity. Like the distracter, this helps people avoid emotionally difficult situations.

Martyr

The martyr endures suffering, often with little complaint. They may carry the hurt on behalf of others. For this sacrifice, they get sympathetic attention.

Mascot

The mascot is a good luck symbol. They are harmless and loved. They give little but good feelings.

Placator

The placator calms down conflict between others and helps people resolve issues. They personally avoid conflict and may concede much in order to do so.

Rebel

Rebels are autonomous individuals who do not fit in. They push away and are pushed away. They look and think differently. They may also be annoyingly successful.

Saint

The saint is unremittingly good. They never think ill of others and work for the good of all people. They may feel superior and may be the subject of envy.

Scapegoat

When things go wrong, the scapegoat is given and accepts the blame. For this, they may feel like a martyr, though they are not treated as one.

Skeptic

The skeptic is the doubter who questions everything and believes nothing to be absolutely true. They can be useful truthseekers or annoying disrupters.

Star

The star is afforded special status. They are put on a plinth and adored. Limitations are ignored and strengths are over-played. They are assumed to have a bright future.

See also

Preferences [ie. Criminals chatting]

Ethnicity and Identity/Rubles

Description

Race, class, ethnicity and nationality have a complex intertwining.

Cultural identity can be seen as a one-ness, a collective ‘one true self’ based on a shared history and common cultural codes. This is a common post-colonial frame, where ancestral roots provide a collective dignity and meaning.

Cultural identity can also be understood through difference, where ancestral histories are changed by recent history and a constant dynamic of ‘becoming’ (beyond just ‘being’). Finding who you are thus becomes more personal and flexible. Rather than re-discovery, it becomes creation, potential and power.

Ethnic trauma can be derived from the sense of oneself as the ‘other’, where the true subject is in the dominant class and you are their not-me. Identity is given to the subject, but stripped from the other.

Discussion

In this page, ‘ethnicity’ is used to imply all factors of difference such as national culture, language, skin colour, class, etc.

Ethnicity is sometimes viewed from a cultural Marxist viewpoint.

Lacan* has been criticized as covering gender, but ignoring ethnicity.

Stuart Hall argues that the representation of the black subject has been through two phases, of challenging of the racist stereotype and asserting a positive black identity, and from within regimes of representation.

Recovered histories

‘Hidden histories’ provide for re-discovery, re-telling and rebirth in identities that slough off identities of oppression and giving hope for a better future.

When there has been a ‘diaspora’, a dispersing of a people, then re-unification re-creates identity, giving common meaning and re-building cultural codes. Separation leads to loss of identity. Re-unification restores, albeit possibly more to ideals than actual historic codes.

Inclusion of recent history builds a more diverse and real feeling, for example where the history of pre-colonial past is moderated by colonial trauma.

Bifurcation

Identities can be viewed along two axes: similarity/continuity and difference/rupture, where catastrophic diasporas bifurcate cultural history, in the way that significant emotional events can cause split personality in the individual. A tension of sameness and difference can thus pervade an ethnic group.

Presences

Hall describes how Cesaire and Senghor use the metaphor of signifying ‘presences’ in a culture, such as the presence of Africa, Europe and America in Caribbean culture.

Africa represents both repressive slavery and also ritual, art, language. Thus black Caribbeans see themselves both as sons and daughters of slavery and also spiritually related to a tribal history and vibrant presence (Western tradition seeks to anchor Africa in a primitive past). This does cause problems: when ‘home’ is an imaginary signifier, you can never go home, and hence become homeless and lost.

The European presence is one of power that constantly ‘speaks’ the black subject, excluding, dominating, exploiting. It is so ingrained that it seems impossible to unpick and extract.

The American presence is about ground, place, territory, eradication, migration. It is the land emptied and recolonized by Europeans, where Africa and the West collide in a new and sullied place, where perhaps the European domination and rape of the land echoes their abuse of African culture.

The diaspora of dispersing peoples leads to constant renewal and rediscovery. Dispersion also leads to recombination and endless new mixes. This happens to language too, as those in search of meaning recreate words and meanings in their search for themselves.

See also

Hall, S. (1986). Introduction: Who needs identity? in Questions of cultural identity, eds. S. Hall and P. Du Gay, London: Sage

Feminism and Identity/Rubles

Description

Feminism in identity seeks to understand the separation of sexual and gender identities, explaining how men and women become separated and different.

Rose

Jaqueline Rose uses Lacan* to argue that:

Sexual identity is acquired in the Oedipal crisis, rather than being innate.

Sexual differentiation is symbolically valued in patriarchy, rather than being biological.

The phallus is a symbol, not a penis.

Women are subjected by symbolic relations of power rather than being naturally inferior.

Sexual identities are always unfinished. Women do not ‘fit’ the subject positions into which they are interpellated. Their unconscious ‘unpicks’ such positions.

She equate women with the jouissance that men desire.

Men are seen to fantasize themselves as ‘sutured‘ into the position of the all-powerful phallus. Women, to men, symbolize the ‘lost object’, the significant ‘Other‘ and are positioned as subordinate in the ‘phallic economy’.

Women still, for men, have something unobtainable beyond the phallic power relationship. This is jouissance, which gives women the power to resist the subject position put upon them.

French feminism

French feminism rejects the Lacanian/Rose view that there is ‘no feminine outside language’, that it comes only from the patriarchal relations of the symbolic order. They suggest the pre-Oedipal phase as a basis for femininity, rather being that which escapes or is left over from the phallic economy of the symbolic.

Julia Kristeva‘s notion of ‘chora‘ indicates the infant sensation of the mother as a basis for identity, prior to the Oedipus complex and languaging in symbolic register.

Luce Irirgaray uses the girl’s many fluid and subversive experiences of her own body as a basis for identity, thus breaking away from Lacan’s ‘phallic logic’ interpretations.

Discussion

Feminism has particularly tried to escape the Freudian/*Lacanian version of infant sexuality that is dominated by the power of the phallus and the father. Rather than completely revoking this theory, feminists have sought a space in which feminine identity might develop separately. The pre-Oedipal stage provides this space. Being earlier, it also may be claimed as having superiority and equipping the female with the power to handle the Law of the father without being subjugated within the symbolic order.

From a feminist perspective, Laura Mulvey (1975) described the ‘male gaze’ in movies, where the camera and hence the viewer is invited to view women in voyeuristic and objectifying terms.

See also

Infant sexuality, The Chora, Movies and identity/rubles

Feminism

Principle

Much research has an androcentric (male) bias, which leads to misperceptions about women.

Discussion

Research tries to maintain an unbiased, factual, value-free position. Yet values and bias creep in unnoticed, as we live our life through our schema and scripts.

Feminist Empiricists focus on the science and empiricism, noting the bias and male values that is inherent in this. The fact that many scientists, especially in past centuries, were male did not help this blindness.

Feminist standpoints take particular positions, for example criticizing the subjugation of women in the family home.

Feminist postmodernists take the usual postmodern position of deconstructing and negating all other methods but without putting much in their place. Indeed, it is part of the nature of postmodernism to view confusion as a normal state.

Variations on Feminism include:

Feminist empiricism: which sees androcentric science just as ‘bad science’.

Feminist standpoint: takes various positions, including radical and socialist.

Postmodern feminist: criticizes standpoints and see no perfect answer.

Feminism falls down when it seeks to counterbalance rather than equalize. Thus feminists may take an aggressive oppositional stance, but in doing so adopt androcentric methods. By creating an opposite, they perpetuate what they are trying to eradicate, both in copying the methods and in the counter-counteraction that they create (e.g. in Bly’s ‘Iron John’).

Feminism is also the tip of the iceberg and any form of bias can take similar positions, including racism, ageism, etc.

See also

Positivism

Individual and Society

Individual separation

Modern social rules encourage individuality and separation. Social touching is increasingly forbidden as a suspected sexual advance. The rights of the individual often take precedence over society. Capitalism has largely defeated Communism. We are progressively more alone.

Science does not help either, as we are encouraged to be objective to the point when we stand outside ourselves. Emotional Intelligence is lauded as a good thing.

The traditional separation

But are individuals separate from society or a part of society? Is either or both an illusion? Individuals in society are not ‘free agents’ as they are constrained by social rules.

Many people feel individual and separated, and this has echoed through history. Descartes said ‘cogito ergo sum’. Leibnitz described a self-view of ‘windowless monads’. Kant talked of us as ‘who from his aprioristic shell can never quite break through to the ‘thing in itself’ ‘. A classic email .sig is ‘At the centre of the known universe’.

Much social research still separates the individual and society. Society is seen as a unity of its own, implying boundaries. Individuals are seen as free and independent, acting a closed systems. Homo philosophicus, the rational philosopher, was never an adult arrives as an adult with clear logic and no disturbing past. Elias (1968) describes homo clausus (based in homo philosophicus and many other such models) a theoretical being used by sociologists who thinks and acts independently, whilst living within society. This person lives in a little world of their own. In practice, individual and society are closely intertwined and interdependent.

Boundaries

Elias describes figuration as a dynamic, shifting set of connections that haze the the boundary between individual and society.

Individuals can be viewed as separate and independent of society. They may be viewed as being contained within it. When within it, they can be seen as having a clear boundary and interacting with similar others. Yet another view is of them having less clear boundaries so they are more closely merged into society than might be realized. Like atoms in molecules and solids, even though we have some individual identity, we are tightly bound together in a merged mass.

Socialization is the breaking down of individual barriers and merging them into the larger mass. The trade is giving up individual freedoms in exchange for safety and belonging.

Rules

Where are the boundaries of society? How does one stand outside of it? This perhaps is defined by the rules of a society, which are many. Rules can be formal (the ‘law’) and informal (morals and social norms). Informal rules arise through the operation of social networks and social leaders and spread through righteous discussion. Formal rules appear through public debate and a legislative structure. Informal rules are applied variably according to the context and the ability of people to apply them. Formal rules are applied by a legislature of judges and managed by a police force.

Punishment for breaking informal rules is shaming and ultimately ostracization. Punishment for breaking formal rules is fining and ultimately incarceration. Both thus remove the offender from society, preventing them from re-offending and acting as a warning to others.

In theory, there is only one boundary as defined by formal and informal social rules. In practice there are many boundaries and we belong to many groups and institutions.

See also

Ideology, Norbert Elias, Sociology

Bourdieu, P. (1987). The biographical illusion. Working Papers and Proceedings of the Centre for Psychosocial Studies (Univ. of Chicago) 14, 1-7

Elias, N. (1978). The History of Manners. The Civilizing Process: Volume I. New York: Pantheon Books

Elias, N. (1982). Power and Civility. The Civilizing Process: Volume II. New York: Pantheon Books

Institutionalization

Description

Institutionalization is an often-deliberate process whereby a person entering the institution is reprogrammed to accept and conform to strict controls that enables the institution to manage a large number of people with a minimum of necessary staff.

Depersonalize from the beginning

The process of denying the person their old identity starts when the inmate enters the door, including weighing, photographing, fingerprinting, searching, bathing, disinfecting, removal of personal possessions and dressing in undifferentiated clothing.

Force a break with the outer world

Separate the person from the external world. Deny them visitors. Force them to face into the institution rather than hanker after external contact. Allow visitors only as a reward for acceptance of institutional rules. After a visit, watch how they behave carefully and only allow subsequent visits if they show no signs of rejecting the institution.

Force obedience

Unquestioning obedience is forced by harsh punishment, both psychological and physical. The person may be required to ‘willingly’ engage in humiliating acts. There may be deliberate ‘will-breaking’ activities, typically as a part of the ‘welcoming’ initiation rites.

Destroy the self

Forcing obedience acts to destroy self-determination. This may be continued to the point where the inmate does not even know who he or she is. Attacking them with verbal abuse continues to erode their sense of an integrated self. Giving them menial tasks show them as inferior.

A simple and powerful method is to deny them even their name, reducing them to a number. Everything that they possess, even bedding, may be regularly changed, so they cannot even form attachments to inanimate objects.

Physically assault them

Physical handling, defacing them with tattoos, shock therapy and more teaches them that not even their bodies are sacred and are under the control of the institution.

Control every aspect of their lives

Controlling every element of their lives takes away their ability to decide. When they speak, how they eat, how and when they use the toilet, may all be controlled. What they do, including the repetition of futile and useless work is dictated to them.

Discussion

Many institutions, from prisons to monasteries to asylums, deliberately want to control and manage their inmates such that they conform and do not cause problems. Even in less harsh environments, many of the institutionalization methods may be found, albeit in more moderated form (although the psychological effect can be equally devastating).

The model of outer and inner worlds mirrors the individual’s outer and inner world. The institution needs to create inner models where the institution is introjected as accepted normality and the outside the institution is projected as a bad object.

The process of institutionalization is complete when the inmate fears and rejects the outside world, feeling at home only within the institution. Of course this brings another problem when the inmate leaves, but this may not be the concern of the institution, although it may have a period before release in which it seeks to de-institutionalize the inmate.

See also

Conversion [aka Revision] techniques, Interrogation

Legal Identity/Rubles

Description

The legal person is a physical body that has rights and duties on one hand and certain behaviours and capability on the other.

Companies and other entities are also legal bodies in law, with defined rights and duties. Incorporated bodies are entities in their own right with defined rights and duties, whilst unincorporated bodies are collections in which rights and duties are held against its members.

Rights and duties are attached to certain attributes of the person, from their job to their nationality. These are described in law and regulation.

The inner person, whilst it may be discussed in legal contexts is seldom of interest unless, for example, there are medical circumstances where a person may be criminally insane or otherwise incapable. Emotional states such as anger are not acceptable as reason for transgression of the law.

Groups for whom laws may be varied and behaviours excused include:

minors (children)

the insane and mentally incapable

drugged and drunken people

judges,

heads of state, members of government and diplomats

aliens (foreigners)

Discussion

Law seeks to describe unambiguously, describing ‘whatness’ that is determinate and clear. It seeks purpose, meaning, value and significance.

Law is also a law unto itself: ‘nothing is more senseless than to attempt to understand the law from a vantage point extrinsic to itself’ (Weinrib, 1988). ‘Legalness’ can thus only be proven by legal examination. The rules of chess cannot be changed from outside the game and its ruling body, and only they can define the rules.

This makes things pretty circular, but that’s how it is: to define it externally would be to open the external definer to questioning as to its legality, thus creating an infinite regression.

See also

Life Histories

Description

Individuals may be better understood when viewed through time. A life history is a locus that connects seemingly separate events in a coherent whole. It is a thread of time that connects and creates a sense of one-ness, explaining the present and future in relation to the past.

A biography is a description from one viewpoint of a life history but can never completely describe all events. It can, however, act to communicate a coherent perception, even though there may be much misunderstanding and illusion.

Autobiographies are also flawed in that whilst they may or may not be honest, it is a singular viewpoint from ‘inside the machine’ that can never be objective. They do, however, give particular meaning to the individual as they stitch together events and find personal meaning.

Discussion

Bourdieu (1987) notes that a life history is less a reflection of life itself and more a technique for reconstructing experience, a mechanism for producing the experience of self as unity and totality (and that many institutions facilitate this). He also agrees with Elias that whilst the ‘unified self’ is not a complete illusion, it neither is natural nor essentially human. Modern societies include many individualizing methods. He describes a person’s name thus:

“The proper name is the visible affirmation of the identity of the bearer across time and space, the basis of the unity of one’s successive manifestations, and of the socially accepted possibilities of integrating these manifestations in official records, curriculum vitae, cursus honourum, police record, obituary, or biography which constitute life as a finite sum through the verdict given given in a temporary or final reckoning.” (Bourdieu, 1987)

The life-history ‘illusion’ is that a proper name refers to a cluster of features or properties that which defines the permanent essence of a ‘self’ that exists before the history. Bourdieu claims that no such basis exists and that legal, governmental and aesthetic personalities are not related, thus making it difficult to identify a single ‘person’. In the legal sense, many attributes of the person are conferred rather than are intrinsic.

See also

Bourdieu, P. (1987). The biographical illusion. Working Papers and Proceedings of the Centre for Psychosocial Studies (Univ. of Chicago) 14, 1-7

Them and Us

There is a force in many organizations, both private and public, that divides people into ‘them and us’ and so creates the seeds of organizational failure. This force also acts on governments and nations and underlies many historical revolutions.

Vertical division: Silos and Empires

A common complaint in companies is that people in different departments not only have little understanding of one another but that they have a tendency to engage in inter-departmental battles. The immediate effect of this is that overall performance drops as people replace real, value-adding work with attacking others and defending their own territory. This can be seen in endless meetings, where many person-hours are lost in fruitless debate, and ‘not my problem’ attitudes of non-collaboration.

A common cause of inter-group strife is that processes operate horizontally, flowing across departmental boundaries, while power enacts vertically, down the hierarchical management structure. When people are supposed to collaborate with others at the same level elsewhere, their eyes are mostly turned upwards as they prioritize their actions to first please the whim of their managers. Support functions such as HR and IT can also acquire lives of their own and become more of a hindrance than a help.

Another cause of vertical division is the battle for resource. There is always too little money and too few people with required skills. As a result, managers and individuals often have to fight for the resource to do their jobs. Seduced by power, some managers also seek to build their own little empires, gaining control over as many people and associated resources as possible. They then sit as lords and fight wars with other managers in attack or defending their territory.

Horizontal division: Managers and Workers

Another division and perhaps the most common is between manager and ‘worker’, a name that betrays the mentality if not the practice. European history has laid a broad Western [Schema, stampeed] cultural foundation in the principle of a land-owning aristocracy and a peasantry who were little more than servants. In many other countries there has been a common principle of a class system that keeps people in their place with hierarchical controls. A status-oriented culture points to this division to be of evolutionary benefit. After all, if you are the boss you can more easily spread your seed and protect your family. Even natural selection is a system of inequality.

Even the industrial revolution did little to help as the business owners became the nouveau riche and acted like lords while their managers directed impoverished workers. The defensive rise of Trade Unions only served to polarize the division further rather than build the equality they seek.

Even today, it is common to find differences between management culture and employee culture, with assumptions such as that only managers care about profits, they are more intelligent, and deserve to be paid more.

As with any deeply embedded system, language and actions often subconsciously reinforce the attitude. While executive washrooms are largely a thing of the past, managers tend to use more business jargon, act more assumptively and use their higher pay to live more affluently (which shows up in their dress and conversation). Even with collaborative notions such as empowerment, there is a subtext of the empowerers who graciously allow (yet still oversee) the empowered, again reinforcing the difference.

Concentric division: Employees and Outsiders

A third division is between insiders and outsiders. This force of corporate identification can be very helpful in creating a cohesive human branding if it can be given priority over vertical or horizontal division, although the immediacy of the multi-directional forces may only serve to complexify the chaos of difference. A greater risk is where it results in separation of employees from outsiders with whom they should have strong alignment.

The most important outsiders are customers. In the modern world of competition and choice, they have high expectations and their loyalty cannot be assumed. Yet tales of bad service and casual treatment abound. Customer phone connections get outsourced overseas, ‘press 1 for sales’ tone trees and ‘please hold, your business is important to us’ recordings abound.

Worse, talk and attitudes about customers can be unenthusiastic and even downright hostile. Their high expectations can make customers a nuisance and their lack of product knowledge can make them scornfully stupid. They are hard work, but most of all they are not us, which makes it easy to depersonalize them and hence think of them dispassionately.

Suppliers may get a somewhat worse deal than customers, as when the company is the customer they can be extremely demanding. Suppliers are easily suspected of over-charging and abusing the good will of the company. Rather more than customers they may be looked down on even as demands on them are escalated. There are costs of distrust, including various check-ups and repeating quality checks that the supplier should have already done.

Others with whom we should agree and collaborate can easily appear as oppressors who may be complained about or ignored. Investor demands for profit and growth can make them seem like slave-drivers or leeches, callously bleeding the company of its hard-earned income. Activists, politicians and those with social intent distract from this with demands to help society and the environment. Competitors, even, may seek collaboration on industry issues.

The underlying force

The human species has a curious history. While we easily tend towards selfish personal gain, we are also tribal and will cling to those we know. We want both Me and We, having both separated individuality and joined belonging. We need people to like, to be like and who like us, affirming and stroking our identity/Rubles. We also need different others who are not like us and who we can use to contrastively define our boundaries. They are not us, and because we want to be good, they must be contrastively bad. And bad people can be looked down on, blamed and punished.

We do this both individually and collectively. We keep friends and colleagues close (though not so close they threaten our selves). Then to bound and bind the groups to which we belong, we identify outsider groups. In this way we create Us and Them. This defining separation is a trust boundary where I feel safe with Us and threatened by Them, and so seek to stay inside and keep outsiders out. The separation and boundaries are further sustained with ongoing ritual phrases and actions to boost the superiority of Us and downplay the importance of Them.

All this leads to effects such as in-group bias, where we like colleagues, and out-group homogeneity, where we see others as stereotypically alike, fall for the ultimate attribution error trap and objectify them as non-human, so justifying inhuman attributions and treatment.

Breaking down the barriers

The invisible barriers that separate groups are high, but are not insurmountable. The classic conflict-management approach is to humanize the others, particularly by bringing people together. When we can see, meet and talk with them, we quickly find much in common. Our empathy kicks in and we connect with them. And the more of Them we meet, the harder it is to deny them their humanity. This does not always happen that easily. We fear deception while other forces such as the common need for shared resources can keep us apart.

Wicked problems are those for which there is no easy answer and their adaptive nature can turn solutions into a part of the problem. Although apparently straightforward, Us and Them can be surprisingly slippery. Even as you tear down the barriers between people, human nature will put them back up again. Turning Us and Them into just Us is hence a process, not a project. It takes constant conscious vigilance to deflect and overturn the unconscious human tendency to revert to hierarchical and tribal thinking.

See also

Relationships, Power, Leadership, Culture, In-Group Bias, Out-Group Homogeneity, Stereotypes, Objectification

The Social Value of Being Different

Do you easily fit in? Do you worry about what other people think of you? Do you work hard to be accepted by them, learning what to say and not say, knowing how to dress and how to behave? If so, congratulations. You are like most people in society for whom the approval of their peers and superiors is critically important. In fact there would be no society without you.

But what if you march to a different drum? Is your independence more important to you than social approval? Do you like to think, dress and act however you like? If so, congratulations too. While society may not approve of you, it still needs you.

People who do not fit in that well with others still serve two purposes that help society sustain itself.

Identity

Social groups define themselves by their rules. Whether the group is a golf club, a street gang or society at large, there are membership rules. Even if the rules are not written down (and few if any are fully documented), they clearly exist because they exist. New members are taught the rules and transgressors are punished.

Non-members are useful as members can point at them and say ‘That person is not one of us because…’. If you are different, your ‘not-like-me’ characteristics contrast with the ‘like-me’ cloned identity within the group. People who are different hence act as out-group anti-examplars, illustrating what is not allowed in the group and hence helping members define who they are.

Innovation

One of the rules of stable groups is not rocking the boat by trying to change things. Innovation is feared and outlawed, as similarity and stability are prized most. Yet this creates a dilemma when change is required in order to survive. Groups do not exist independently from their environment, and when that context changes, the group must adapt or die. Companies have competitors and changing customer demands. Families have changing incomes and social pressures. Hobby clubs are affected by fashion and technology.

If innovation and change cannot come from within, then where can it come from? An answer is the outsider. Outsiders are watched carefully not just because they may threaten the stability of the group but because they show what needs to change. In fact they may be needed to help show how to change, innovating group process and facilitating survival in the face of changing external forces.

In times of frequent change, this negotiated support is a constant need. Groups handle this by having fuzzy boundaries. Innovative thinkers are allowed at the edges where they can find and interact with other outsiders. They may also have influence within the group where they can advocate change in ways that support group survival.

There hence develops a whole ecosystem for innovation and change with everyone, even the most non-conformist outsider having a useful role. Over the ages a form of stability has crept in here, with archetypes for roles such as fools, shamans, alchemists and magicians, each of whom acts in identifiable ways to sustain the greater system. While the names are not used in modern society, people who eschew being typecast still slip into their places, partly due to the subtle forces around them and partly because they feel most comfortable in one archetypal role over all others.

See also

Identity/Rubles is.., Creativity

Marcel Mauss

Marcel Mauss (1872 – 1950) was a French Sociologist and Anthropologist and nephew of Emile Durkheim.

The Gift

In ‘The Gift’, Mauss (1924) explores gift-exchanges in various cultures and highlights the reciprocal nature of gifts and the obligation of the receiver to repay the debt.  The object that is given carries the identity of the giver, and hence the recipient receives not only the gift but also the association of that object with the identity of the giver.

Mauss describes the Maori hau, which means the “spirit of the gift”. The hau demands that the gift be returned to its owner. In Polynesia, failing to reciprocate means losing mana, the person’s spiritual source of authority and wealth. Gift-giving is thus a critical mechanism for creating social bonds.

Mauss describes three obligations:

Giving: the first step in building social relationships.

Receiving: accepting the social bond.

Reciprocating: demonstrating social integrity.

Prosocial gifts

Critics of Mauss point to prosocial behaviour where no immediate exchange is made. Derrida describes four criteria for a free gift:

There is no reciprocal giving back of a return gift

The recipient does not perceive the gift as a gift or him/herself as a recipient

The donor must not consider the gift as a gift

The gift does not appear as a gift

Body techniques

Mauss describes ‘techniques of the body’ as highly developed body actions that embody aspects of a given culture. Techniques may also be divided by such as gender and class (for example in the manner of walking or eating).

These include such as eating, washing, sitting, swimming, running, climbing, swimming, child-rearing, and so on.

The techniques are adapted to situations, such as aboriginal squatting where no seats are available. Techniques are thus a ‘craft’ (Latin: habilis) that is learned.

The teaching of these methods is what embeds the methods and the teaching is embedded within cultures and schools of teaching. A pupil who becomes a teacher will likely teach what they are taught.

Norbert Elias and Pierre Bourdieu developed the ideas further in habitus, the non-discursive aspects of culture that bind people into groups, including unspoken habits and patterns of behaviour as well as styles and skill in body techniques.

See also

Norbert Elias

Bourdieu, Pierre. 1977. Outline of a Theory of Practice, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Elias, N. (1978). The History of Manners. The Civilizing Process: Volume I. New York: Pantheon Books

Elias, N. (1982). Power and Civility. The Civilizing Process: Volume II. New York: Pantheon Books

Mauss, Marcel. 1934. Les Techniques du corps, Journal de Psychologie 32(3-4). Reprinted in Mauss, Sociologie et anthropologie, 1936, Paris: PUF

Pierre Bourdieu

Pierre Bourdieu (1930 – 2002), was a French sociologist, philosopher and anthropologist.

He noted that social position had a significant effect on artistic preference, and that use of language style had a significant effect on social mobility. He also preached a reflexive sociology, where sociologists take particular care with regard to effect of their own biases.

Field

Rather than considering societies in terms of classes (as Marx), Bourdieu used the idea of a field, a social arena within which people compete for resources. A field is thus a system of social positions based on structure in power relationships.

Classes have definitions that create clear boundaries. Fields are networks that are more diffuse and can spider in variable ways.

Habitus

Bourdieu extended Elias‘ habitus to include beliefs and preferences [Criminals chit-chat], identifying how objective social structures are incorporated into subjective, mental experience of agents. In this way objective and subjective are combined, thus resolving the dilemma of a person being either or both an object and subject.

Symbolic capital

Bourdieu describes power in terms of ‘symbolic capital’, which comes with social position and affords prestige and leads to others paying attention to you. Using symbolic power against another implies symbolic violence, and may take such forms as dismissal and judging the person inferior. This power may be dispensed without words, using physical symbols and behaviours (such as ‘looking down one’s nose’).

Symbolic capital engenders a sense of duty and inferiority in others who look up to those who have that power.

In discussions of symbolic capital, the metaphor of economics is often used, thus showing flows and reservoirs. Education is a key method of transferring this power in social reproduction and leads to transfer of specific beliefs and behaviours that assume symbolic capital.

See also

Life histories, Power

Bourdieu, P. (1977). Outline of a Theory of Practice, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Elias, N. (1978). The History of Manners. The Civilizing Process: Volume I. New York: Pantheon Books

Elias, N. (1982). Power and Civility. The Civilizing Process: Volume II. New York: Pantheon Books

Norbert Elias

Norbert Elias (1897 – 1990) was a German-Polish-Jewish-British sociologist who focused on relationship between power, behaviour, emotion, and knowledge across time in figurational sociology.

Habitus

In his two-volume set of books, The Civilising Process, Elias describes habitus, the habits and structures created by social structures, in particular how European etiquette around eating, sexual behaviour, and so on developed outwards from royal courts, policed through a systems such as shaming.

Habitus is in the non-discursive aspects of culture that bind people into groups, including unspoken habits and patterns of behaviour as well as styles and skill in body techniques.

Figuration

Elias describes the ‘network of interdependencies formed by individuals’. This figuration is a dynamic, shifting set of connections as relationships become more and less important and active.

The dynamic also affects the inner person, changing them in various ways. Thus the boundary between individual and society becomes hazier. Rather than connect people with established and stable characteristics, the figuration provides the person with those characteristics.

See also

Pierre Bourdieu, Individual and Society

Elias, N. (1978). The History of Manners. The Civilizing Process: Volume I. New York: Pantheon Books

Elias, N. (1982). Power and Civility. The Civilizing Process: Volume II. New York: Pantheon Books

Max Weber

Max Weber (1864 – 1920) was a left-wing liberal German political economist and sociologist. He despised the nobility and the seeking of power for its own ends.

He studied capitalism in general and the part of religion in particular.

Religion and the rise of capitalism

Some religions enable the march of capitalism, whilst others, such as Hinduism and Confucianism, do not. A key trigger in the Reformation was the removal of simple guarantees of being saved through belief, which led people to seek other routes to salvation.

Protestant work ethic

Weber coined the term ‘Protestant work ethic’ to describe a dedication to simplicity and hard work that the Protestant branches of the Christian church espoused.

The paradox of the Protestant work ethic was that whilst hard work led to commercial success, it was a sin (particularly in Calvinism) to spend the money on oneself or religious icons (Protestant churches are very simple, unlike Catholic ones). The way out was investment, which simply led to even more commercial success.

Mass-production also supported Protestant ideas of equality and countered individualism.

Commercial success and personal simplicity was seen as a particular demonstration of piety. If you can be rich yet resist the easy temptation it brings, then surely you will get into heaven.

The evolution of capitalism

In this way, modern capitalism actually grew from religious seeking of wealth as a symbol of work.

Over time in Western society the temptations of spending money on oneself increased and perhaps led to the decline in the religious element. Capitalism was thus established as a ‘religion’ of its own.

Capitalism unfettered

Weber described the spirit of capitalism as the ideas and habits that support the rational pursuit of economic gain.

Without the restraints of religion, greed and laziness lead to making the maximum amount of money for the minimum effort.

Where capitalism is not

Weber noted that Capitalism was not a necessary nor inevitable thing.

China

In his study of Chinese religions of Confucianism [As far as we can get, storyboarding] and Taoism, Weber noted that several factors did not lead to Capitalism, including:

Confucianism [As far as we can get, storyboarding] supported many cults and variations. There was no unified priestly class.

The Emperor was the high priest and worshipped to the gods. The people stuck to their ancestors.

There was no unifying force to challenge the Emperor. Guilds were many and kinship loyalty fragmented society.

Confucianism taught that pursuit of wealth was wrong (but having was not). People thus sought status in officialdom, which was unified with the emperor.

Sale of land was often prohibited.

Confucianism was the state cult. Taoism was the popular ‘religion’, which was more a pacifist philosophy and had no gods.

India

Weber studied of the orthodoxy of Hinduism and the heterodoxy of Buddhism within the sociology of India.

Indian society is based around the status division of castes, made up of priests, warriors, merchants and workers, which inhibited the development of urban status groups, as castes were evenly spread and fixed social grouping.

The religions support this status quo with a view of an immutable world order. Notions of Karma and fatalism thus lead to people accepting their lot. The world was interpreted in mystical ways and intellectuals tended to be apolitical. There was also no ‘Messianic prophesy’ that gave hope of better things to the common people.

Society and the state

Weber noted the pre-eminence of the state in Western culture.

He recognized the need for ‘ideal types’ of society, but with an understanding that ideals are gross simplifications, missing out much of the messy reality.

He identified a ‘three-component theory of stratification’ of society:

Social class: based on economic relationship to the market, e.g. employee, owner, lessee.

Status: based on non-economical elements, e.g. religion, family, qualification.

Party: affiliations to political parties and groups, e.g. Liberal, Greenpeace, Conservative.

Monopoly on force

The state has a monopoly on physical force and the use of this is given to police and military only. All other use is outlawed, except to defend one’s body or property in given circumstances.

In the past, the church has been able to use force, for example in inquisitions and witch-hunts, but this right has gradually been removed.

Political leadership

Weber identified three pure types of political leadership:

Domination and authority: charismatic domination by families and religions.

Traditional domination: authoritarian domination by patriarchs and through feudal societies.

Legal domination: in modern systems of state and bureaucracy.

He counsels politicians to combing the ethics of ultimate ends and of responsibility, having both passion for the work and the ability to distance oneself from the people being governed.

Bureaucracy

Weber is also very well known for his descriptions of bureaucracy. He did not particularly like it, but realized that, done well, it is both efficient and effective.

He was concerned that social values of grace and benevolence would be replaced by cold utilitarian values and officialdom. This is similar to Marx’s principle of alienation.

He predicted correctly that the Soviet communist system would end up as an over-bureaucratized state.

He identified seven factors that govern a bureaucratic organization: rules, specialization, meritocracy, hierarchy, separate ownership, impersonality and accountability.

See also

Politics

Weber, M. (1947). The Theory of Social and Economic Organization. (Translated by AM Henderson & Talcott Parsons). NY: The Free Press

Weber, M. (1958). The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, New York: Scribner’s Press

Weber, M. (1951). The Religion of China: Confucianism and Taoism, New York: The Free Press

Weber, M. (1958) The Religion of India: The Sociology of Hinduism and Buddhism, New York: The Free Press

Weber, M. (1918). Politics as a Vocation, in H.H. Gerth and C. Wright Mills (Translated and edited), From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology, pp. 77-128, New York: Oxford University Press, 1946

God’s Word is filled with promises from our Creator to provide and deliver. The Bible is the ultimate source for truth and God is faithful to fulfil all His promises. As you read these Bible verses about the promises of God, claim them over your life! Freedom from addictions, deliverance from sin and evil, financial provision, hope for lost and hurting family and friends, overcoming depression, recovering a marriage, good health, healing, being free from fear and anxiety, strength, and many more are the blessings and gifts that God promises to provide for those who believe in Him.

Memorize the below Scriptures that promise God’s help and aid in overcoming what you are facing today. Pray over them and speak them out loud and you will begin to see God move in your life for His glory and your good! His Word is faithful and truth!

ISAIAH 41.10  _ So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

ISAIAH 26.3  _ You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. (*”Piece”)

DEUTERONOMY 31.8  _ The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

JOHN 16.33  _ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

PSALMS 32.8  _ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

PSALMS 37.23-24 _  The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

MATTHEW 11.28-29 _ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

2 CORINTHIANS 12.9-10 _ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

ISAIAH 40.31  _ but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

JEREMIAH 29.11  _ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

PHILIPPIANS 4.6-9 _ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

1 PETER 2.24  _ “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

JAMES 1.-3 _ Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

EXODUS 14.14  _ The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

PSALMS 91.3  _ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.

ROMANS 8.28  _ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

EXODUS 20.12  _ “Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

ISAIAH 40.29  _ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

ISAIAH 41.13  _ For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

ISAIAH 43.2  _ When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

ISAIAH 54.10  _ Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

ISAIAH 54.17  _ no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD.

ISAIAH 58.6  _ “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

ISAIAH 61.1 _ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,

JAMES 1.5 _ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

JAMES 4.7  _ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

JOHN 1.9  _ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

2 CHRONICLES 7.14 _ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

JOHN 3.16  _ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

JOHN 3.36  _ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

JOHN 8.36  _ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

MALACHI 3.10 _  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

MARK 11.24  _ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

JOSHUA 1.9  _ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

PHILIPPIANS 4.19  _ And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

PSALMS 18.3  _ I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.

PSALMS 23.4 _ Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

PSALMS 27.1  _ The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

PSALMS 34.17  _ The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

PSALMS 37.4  _ Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

PSALMS 50.15  _ and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honour me.”

PSALMS 86.5  _ You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.

PROVERB 13.11  _ Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.

PROVERB 22.6  _ Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. (Art)

REVELATIONS 3.5  _ The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.

PSALMS 9.9-10 _ The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

PHILIPPIANS 4.6-7 _ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

ROMANS 10.9-10 _ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

PROVERBS 3.5-6 _ Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

JAMES 5.14-15 _  Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.

MATTHEW 6.31-33 _ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

MATTHEW 7.9-11 _ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

PSALMS 10.2-5 _ Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits — who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

PSALMS 107.13-16 _ Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.

JOHN 14.13-16 _ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever —

EPHESIANS 16.16-19 _  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

LUKE 11.9-13 _ “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks fora fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

ROMANS 8.31-35 _ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

(Toys or Sword says Mans-World!)

If nothing changed in your life over the next 5 years, would that be OK?

If you want different results next year, what are you willing to change in what you are doing now?

There is considerable evidence to indicate that expectations of your future do, in fact, tend to create your future.  People usually end up pretty much where they expect.

It seems reasonable then, to spend some time determining specific, worthwhile expectations that will make your life more meaningful. 

If you don’t have a written plan for your life, it may feel like you’re driving a car without having your hands on the wheel.

The best way to predict your future is to create it.

Are you a goal setter?  Do you typically set goals at the first of the year?  If not, why not?

“With definite goals you release your own power, and things start happening.”  Zig Ziglar

This is a basic starting format for goal setting.  You may feel you are being rushed or hurried.  However, you will find that if you do not begin to make decisions you will tend to procrastinate and your history will simply repeat itself.  A quick decision is often the best decision and is certainly better than no decision.

Indecision is the greatest thief of opportunity.

Goals are not written in concrete and unchangeable terms but they do give you a starting point and a destination.  The important thing is that you are in charge when working on your goals.  It is the easiest way to put yourself in the driver’s seat of your life.  Your life has meaning only when you are working toward goals that you have decided on.

SUCCESS:

The progressive realization of worthwhile goals

In order for your purpose in life to be fulfilled, you must set goals in multiple areas.  Success is not just career or financial – family, physical and spiritual are equally important areas of achievement.  They are part of the same whole, balanced person.  This is the whole person concept of the Snaky Island approach.

A Goal is a Dream with a Time Frame on it

“Make no small plans; they have no magic to stir men’s souls.”  Daniel Burnam

Where are you now – Personal Checkup

Am I missing anything in my life right now that’s important to me?

__ YES __NO

I know what I am passionate about.                       

__  YES __NO

I am well organized, know how to focus on my top priorities and get a lot done every day.

                                __ YES __ NO

I have a written, strategic plan for my work and personal life with time lines and quantifiable measurements.                           

__ YES __ NO

I have ample time for my family, social relationships and feel good about the balance I have achieved.  

    __ YES __NO

I spend time 4-5 times a week exercising to restore myself physically.  

__ YES __NO

I am regularly achieving my income goals.                       

__ YES __NO

My life reflects my spiritual values and I am growing, maturing, and gaining wisdom in this area.  

   __ YES __NO

I have studied and developed the new, creative ideas I have had this last year.

                                                                                                                                __ YES __NO

 I believe I am fulfilling my Mission in life.                                 

__ YES __NO

Goal Setting Worksheet

Any stage in life can be an exciting time with many opportunities, or a dreary time of confusion and entrapment.  You may not be able to change your circumstances, but you can decide that the circumstances won’t dominate you.  You do have choices.

Begin with the five-year goals and then work backward to what you need to do today to make deposits in what you want to be five years from now.  Be specific, creating quantifiable benchmarks to track your deposits of success.

There is something magical that happens when you write down your goals.  I have seen people transform their levels of success almost instantly simply as a result of getting clearly defined and written goals.

My Goals for 2023 and Beyond!

FINANCIAL   

Income, Investments     

(If you can’t dream it, it won’t happen)

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37.4

How much do you want to be earning each year in 5 years?

How much do you want to have in the bank or in investments?

If you can’t dream it, it won’t happen! Nothing is unrealistic if you have a clear plan.

Five-Year Goals     (Be Specific – can we measure this?)

        Make it personal — I earn………

                    I drive………..

                    I invest…………..

One-Year Goals (How much do you want to increase your income in the next 12 months?)

      Beginning TODAY!    (What can you do today to make a deposit?)

                    I save 10% of my income each week…..

                    I give 10% to……………….

PHYSICAL   

Health, Appearance, Exercise

“The feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and having not time.  It is, on the contrary, born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life.  When we do not do the one thing we ought to do, we have no time for anything else – we are the busiest people in the world.”  Eric Hoffer

Do you take long walks, exercise or meditate regularly?

Are you living a balanced life?  Is this an area that deserves more time?

Can you just give yourself 30 minutes to relax?

Do you know that physical exercise is a cleansing process that can dramatically increase your creativity?

Wealth is difficult to enjoy if you’ve given up Health in the process.

Five-Year Goals     (Be Specific – can we measure this?)

One-Year Goals

            Make it personal — I weigh……….

                        I am a non-smoker……

      Beginning TODAY!

                        I exercise 4 times weekly doing………

                        I get 7-8 hours of sleep each night…..

                        I enjoy vitality, health, and energy because….

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT   

Knowledge, Education, Self-Improvement

“Never rest on your achievements; always nurture your potential.”  Denis Waitley

Your success, financial and otherwise, will never far exceed your personal development.

Start doing something that you’ve put off because of the risk of failure.

Want to learn a new language?  Make this your year.

How many books will you read this year?  They say that if you read 3 books on any subject you will be an expert in that topic.

Take the time for personal development – this may be the inhaling part of healthy personal breathing – if you do nothing but exhale, you’ll turn blue and pass out.

(Speaking of time – join the Automobile University – if you drive 25,000 miles a year at an average speed of 46mph, you will spend about the same amount of time in your car as an average college student spends in the classroom.  The question then is, what are you doing with that time?  You can listen to tapes and transform your success.)

Where do you look for inspiration, mentors and positive input?

What gifts do you have that you have not been using?  Is there some potential for full achievement that needs to be unlocked?

Five-Year Goals     (Be Specific – can we measure this?)

One-Year Goals

      Beginning TODAY!

FAMILY   

Relationship to others, Development of children, Where do you want to live?

The second law of thermodynamics – things left to themselves tend to deteriorate.  Great relationships don’t just happen – they come as the result of making deposits toward the “success” you want.

What is the kind and length of vacations you will take this year?  What would be the goal for free time with family and friends?

You may try taking the time you normally spend watching a favourite TV show and spend that time instead with your spouse, a child or a friend.

Don’t say you want to be a “better” mom, dad or parent.  Define what that means:  You may decide to spend 20 minutes each night with your child or one Saturday morning a month doing what he/she wants to do.  Or how about scheduling one overnight event with your spouse every quarter?

Family is the smallest form of government.  The current challenges in our government are merely a reflection of the breakdown of the American family.  We start with the family and work up; not the other way around.

Five-Year Goals     (Be Specific – can we measure this?)

One-Year Goals

      Beginning TODAY!

SPIRITUAL      

Church involvement, Personal commitment, Theological understanding

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

 Psalms 139. 23-34

David asked God to search for sin and point it out, even to the level of testing his thoughts.  This is exploratory surgery for sin.  How are we to recognise sin unless God points it out?  Then, when God shows us, we can repent and be forgiven.  Make this verse your prayer.  If you ask the Lord to search your heart and your thoughts and to reveal your sin, you will be continuing on God’s “way everylasting”.

Can you say that you are now living out God’s purpose for your life?

What are you a part of that goes beyond yourself?

How have you handled a crisis this last year?

Are you comfortable taking steps of faith or are you more comfortable with what you have already seen?

Do you trust your “dreams” as being inspired?

How will you be remembered?

 Five-Year Goals     (Be Specific – can we measure this?)

One-Year Goals

      Beginning TODAY!

SOCIAL        

Increased number of friends, Community involvement, etc.

“The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own.”  Benjamin Disraeli

Change old attitudes.  Discard past negatives.  Ask for forgiveness.  Make things right with people whom you need to forgive, or who need to forgive you.

Choose someone you could care for or be mentor to – and then make the effort to work on this relationship, starting today.

What is a promise you made to someone but failed to keep?

Spend time with an elderly person and find out some of his/her fondest memories.

SIX WAYS TO MAKE PEOPLE LIKE YOU*

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
2. Smile
3. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
4. Be a good listener.  Encourage others to talk about themselves.
5. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
6. Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.

*How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie

Five-Year Goals     (Be Specific – can we measure this?)

One-Year Goals

      Beginning TODAY!

CAREER   

Ambitions, Dreams, Hopes

This is an outcome of knowing what you want in the other 6 areas.

Your career should be a reflection of the LIFE you want.  Once you decide on the life you want, it becomes obvious what kind of work embraces that.  We want to help you “Plan your Work around the Life you want.”

What are your unique (1) Skills & Abilities, (2) Personality Traits, and (3) Values, Dreams & Passions.  These will define your best applications for work.

“That every man find pleasure in his work – this is the gift of God.”  Ecclesiates 3.13

Five-Year Goals     (Be Specific – can we measure this?)

                    What would a perfect work day look like?

One-Year Goals

                    Do you need any new training or skills?

      Beginning TODAY!

In order for your “Purpose” in life – your “Calling” to be fulfilled, you must set goals in multiple areas.  Success is never just in career or financial areas.  Set your goals for Success and Balance in family, social, physical and spiritual areas of your life as well.

“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his laboir and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion.  He hardly knows which is which.  He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing.  To him he is always doing both.”  James Michener

Make sure that you have some response in each and every category.  Put these away for two weeks.  Then come back to them and ask yourself again – Are these really my goals?  If they are, then start the process of beginning TODAY to make your deposits.  You will be amazed at how they start to come alive and become real.  Make a weekly list identifying specific steps for deposits in each area.

Important:  Every month, set aside two hours to review and revise your goals.

Let us know your success!

Your friend in the process,

B.  Reviewing Coaching Plan

1. How will you know you’re getting full value in our coaching?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What daily changes will you need to take full advantage of our coaching goals?

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3. What can I do for you during our coaching sessions that is most helpful for you?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Other than support and coaching advice, what are three other ways I can be most helpful to you?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What should I do if I see you getting off track?

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6. How should we end each coaching session?

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7. What should I do if you miss a coaching session?

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8. What would be happening now if you hadn’t started this coaching process?

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9. Do you have goals set for success in multiple life areas?

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10. What are your three biggest concerns about being more successful than you’ve ever been?

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C.  Ongoing Checkpoints

(This is just an example of a form I often use with clients seeking clearer career options.  Tailor-make your own questions to keep help your clients find clarity and confirm ongoing progress.)

Life Direction Reflections

Name__________________________Date_______________

1.   Who gave you your first job?  What kind of job was it?  How much money did you make?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.   If you look at your life so far, what activities have had the greatest value or worth?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3.  How has an unexpected change affected you?  How did it make you feel?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.  What were your childhood goals and ambitions for life?  Which ones have you been able to fulfill?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5.   When you daydream, what do you see yourself doing?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6.   Have you ever had a sense of destiny, calling, mission or clear purpose in life?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7.  What have been the happiest, most fulfilling moments in your life?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8.  Who are two or three people you know who seem to have accomplished their dreams in life?  What do you remember about their accomplishments?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9.  When you look at your personal life, what have you done that you consider having the greatest value?

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10.  What strengths have others who know you well noticed in you?

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11.  List five words or phrases that best describe you.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

12.  Write briefly about your father or mother’s attitude toward work and how that has affected you.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

13.  Are you a goal setter?  Do you typically set goals at the first of the year?  If not, why not?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

14.  In what kind of settings are you most comfortable?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

15.  How do you respond to management?

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16.  How would you manage other people?

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17.  Are you better working with people, things, or ideas?

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18.  Are you more analytical, detailed, and logical, or are you one to see the big picture, and respond with emotion and enthusiasm?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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19.  Are you steady and predictable or do you seek variety and new challenges?

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20.  Are you verbal and persuasive or are you the caring, empathetic listener?

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21.  What are three or four ideas you have had over the years that you have on the back burner or have since seen someone else develop?

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22.  Describe three or four times in your own work experience when you have been paid on results or on completion of the job rather than just for putting in your time.

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D.  Seeing Larger and Unexpected Goals

Here is a section of a follow-up I recently sent to a couple I’m working with.  I usually open with a summary of how I see their situation – and then move into first steps for what I want them to do.  I give assignments freely.  It will make your clients feel like they are getting more than just a friend to talk to.  Just view this as a sample – and then create your own pattern for moving your clients along the path toward the success you have both identified.

This then picks up about half way through my follow-up letter:

     There are several considerations that will assist in clarification, and I would recommend that you approach it as follows:

1. Review your Personality Style Computer Reports.  Clarify what accurately describes you.  Recognize that what we want is not to change you but to find opportunities that in fact use your strongest skills.  In that, be comfortable being who God made you to be.  There are no limitations in exploring new options with any particular style; what we want though is to embrace what is unique about you.  In as much as there is the tendency in each of us to think the “grass is greener on the other side of the fence,” I want you to embrace your uniqueness as we start to look for meaningful applications.  As discussed, you both have drawn on your ability a lot in your past “successes.”  Now is the time to blend your natural tendencies and your desires into your activities as well.  We want to embrace your God-given “uniqueness” but look for positive ways to live that out.
2. I’d like for you each to complete the Goal Setting and Five Year form. It really is in planning your LIFE that career and vocational decisions become meaningful.  Address issues like:  Do you guys want to continue living in here? In the house you are in now?  How much time do you want to devote to working, knowing what you do about your past work commitments?  What part does generating income play?  Be specific here – don’t think that it is just being materialistic or self-centred.  If you are a faithful steward of resources God allows you to control, what would you like to flow through you to bless others?  What do you want to accomplish in other areas of your life?  What do you want to accomplish as parents?  As spouses?  What are your goals physically?  What do you want to be able to do in your involvement at church?  In the community?  In the world?  This is a great time to look at the big picture, not just at job and career.  Feel free to dream, but recognize that we never go farther than we can see in our dreams.  Remember, I said that people usually end up pretty much where they expect to end up.  Be careful of seeing limitations that are not really there.  But understand the power of being able to “see” where you are going.  And as you can see from this process, the right “job” is simply one tool for a successful Life.
3. Fill out the Life Directions form I am attaching to this letter.  You both think very philosophically and spiritually and the questions you are asking are not just nuts and bolts process questions.  This is a great time to deal with values, dreams and passions, knowing that we want to incorporate those into your life work (vocation, job, business, career).  The issue of feeling “called” or having a “mission” in any sense is not something to be taken lightly.  Your suspicion that your work is not fully part of your calling is certainly significant and something that probably won’t just go away.  Sometimes, the best options are right under our noses.  Be sure to read Acres of Diamonds in the back of the book.  Look for the recurring themes in this piece.  Trust that there can be an application of your core values and passions; that you will not have to detour from those just in order to create income.
4. From #s 1, 2 and 3 create a clear focus.  Developing a Personal Mission Statement will help bring these together.  You are a perfect candidate for this in that you are well read, are committed to personal priorities and have a spiritual approach to real success.  We want it to integrate what you know about yourself and your:

• Skills & Abilities
• Personality Traits
• Values, Dreams & Passions

1. Be careful of allowing “oughts” and “shoulds” to creep in.  You are mature enough to see the uniqueness God has given you and the expectations of others can cloud this picture.  You’ve got all the components already – it’s just a matter of pulling them together.  Allow yourself to develop it as it fits you.  A short paragraph is fine as long as each part adds something specifically.  But when completed, we should have something that “resonates” soundly and something that provides some parameters by which we can filter any activity in your life, including work.  (I’ll attach a worksheet to guide you through this process.)
2. Write out what you want to accomplish in your work or career: e.g.  Something you are passionate about, enjoy, time freedom, embracing creativity, something that “connects with your Life Plan” and is fulfilling, provides a sense of accomplishment, able to develop open-ended income, help other people improve their life situation, etc.  In as much as we are not seeing glaring red flags about the direction of your career path, I’d like you to be confident that you are not trapped where you are currently or in what you are doing currently.  Jim, your list of Revenue Streams ideas is incredible – a lot of natural applications that build on your current knowledge and expertise.  As I mentioned, risk is when you don’t have control.  These ideas apply already affirmed skills and areas of expertise you have – thus “risk” is greatly reduced.  And as we also discussed, being at the mercy of one “arrogant prick” inherently has much more risk than directing 4-5 things that you know you do well.  With Multiple Steams of Income you immediately give yourself a lot of insulation and security from unexpected events. 
3. Have fun as you continue brainstorming, including those things you have always considered enjoyable.  Believe that there are many options out there for you.  This step is critical because you seek independence yet security, money yet freedom from materialism, predictability yet creativity.  This process should help reconcile some of these issues.  We need to find things that compliment your personal style, not force you to be something you are not.  The power of confidence in having the right idea is in first having a lot of ideas.  Trust your sense of peace in this process.  Nothing is too unrealistic or impractical at this stage.  You can also list things that cover the spectrum of work models.  List things that cover a variety of applications.  Look at things that would create income based on results rather than being dependent on your time.  Then weigh all of these against what you know about yourself.  What are the 3 or 4 ideas that best embrace what you know about yourself?  I will give you some other idea generators as we start to develop more focus. 
4. Create a time frame.  I know you are uncomfortable with “not having a plan” and that this has been a long-term search already.  I am suggesting the 48 Days to just move through these outlined steps and have really taken a fresh look at yourself – who you are and where you’re going.  This is an aggressive time frame, but one that will keep you moving through the planning phases quickly.  In as much as I list a lot of elements of introspection and personal planning, I also believe in definite time frames to keep from spinning one’s wheels.  As you start to develop clear options, your unrest to make a change will likely increase.   
5. Put yourself around winners and people you admire.  One of the key characteristics of successful people is that they put themselves around people who are performing at the level at which they want to perform.  There will always be naysayers, small thinkers, whiners and legalists.  Avoid them.  You are on a different path.  Trust that this process will be confirmed by the desires of your heart.  I will share feely the many methods I have used with my writing to generate income.

     It is a delight working with you guys.  I commend you on your deep thinking and commitment to integrity, character, ministry and service.  Always look for the unusual, unique but authentic application of your desires and abilities.  I am living proof that what you are facing can be focused into a productive, fulfilling life outside the traditional boxes.

     Listen to the CDs, review the material, complete these steps, discuss these things together and with others you trust, and expect supernatural insight.  Keep a pad by your bed for those middle of the night revelations and carry one with you at all times.  Once you create the mindset to expect new ideas they will begin to flow more freely.

     Just start on these steps – I’ll help you with the details.   I have plenty more resources as we need them.  Once you’ve had a chance to work through some of these steps, the options will start to become clearer. 

     You are in a great position of strength to begin this process.  You have health, great academic and work experience, each other’s support, no immediate financial pressure and your own commitment to positive change.  Resist any tendency to think you are locked into one particular application.  Just create a clear plan and begin to move toward it.  Above all, keep optimism, hope and belief high.  Clarifying the unique giftedness God has given you will give you the boldness and enthusiasm to move forward with confidence.   I am confident that you can work through this transition and into a more fulfilling next stage of your life.  It will be exciting to see the implementation of your dreams! 

I tend to be pretty deep and require a lot of introspection and written work from my Eagles Club clients.  I talk and lead, but also expect a lot of work to be done by my clients.  I encourage you to develop your coaching around your strengths.  There is not one “right” process.  But keep asking yourself what gives the most value and the most real progress toward goals you’re coaching toward. 

•    Genesis                Genesis through Deuter-

•    Exodus                 onomy are called the

•    Leviticus              Pentateuch, or the Torah

•    Numbers              by Jewish practitioners (Prackticum)

•    Deuteronomy

•    Joshua                 Joshua through Esther

•    Judges                 are known as the

•    Ruth                      Histories

•    I, II Samuel

•    I, II Kings

•    I, II Chronicles

•    Ezra

•    Nehemiah

•   Esther

•    Job

•    Psalms                 Hymns / songs of praise.

•    Proverbs              Sayings attributed to

•    Ecclesiastes        Solomon and wise men

•    Song of Solomon            Love poetry

•    Isaiah                    Prophecy

•    Jeremiah              Prophecy

•    Lamentations      Sad songs about exile

•    Ezekiel                  Ezekiel through

•    Daniel                   Malachi are also

•    Hosea                   books of prophecy

•    Joel

•    Amos

•    Jonah

•    Micah

•    Nahum

•    Habakkuk

•    Zephaniah

•    Haggai

•    Zechariah

•    Malachi

This handout should give you a brief overview of the organization and contents of the Bible.  Familiarity with this material will make your study of art, literature, and culture easier, which is crucial if you wish to begin to understand the richness and scope of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, or other periods of history influenced by Christianity.

The Bible is divided into two parts; the first is known as the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament, and the second part is known as the New Testament. (Note that “Old Testament” is the term used by most Christians, but scholars consider it more accurate to use the term “Hebrew Bible.”) Each Testament further divides into individual books, and each book divides into chapters. The writings of the Bible contain a diverse array of literary forms, including poetry, prose, myth, legend, history, hymns, love stories, letters, religious and secular law, proverbs, and prophecy. The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) describes the religious life and history of ancient Israel before the birth of Christ, while the New Testament deals with the life of Christ, with the expansion of the early Church after his death, and with much of the doctrine of Christianity.

The Bible exists in multiple translations. If you are examining biblical influences on specific authors, it is useful to know what versions existed at the time the author wrote, and which ones he would likely have been familiar with. For instance, Shakespeare’s works shows familiarity with the Geneva Bible (1560) and the Bishop’s Bible (1568). However, he did not have access to the King James translation of the Bible during his early writing, as King James did not ascend to the throne until 1603. The medieval period used Saint Jerome’s Vulgate Latin version, which is available in the Douay-Rheims English translation today. The following lists the titles of each book of the Bible, the type of writing each book contains, and some of the people and events you may encounter in your studies.

The Hebrew Bible originally was written in Classical Hebrew. In the book of Genesis we find the stories of Creation, Adam and Eve, the Fall of Man, Cain and Abel, Noah and the Ark, the Great Flood, Abraham and Isaac, and Rebecca at the Well. Exodus describes the slavery of Israel, Moses and the burning bush, the Ten Plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and the Ten Commandments.

Matthew        Matt.-John are known as the four

Mark                  Gospels, and they tell of the life

Luke                  and ministry of Christ.

John

Acts                     Church History

Romans                    Romans through Philemon

I, II, Corinthians      are “the epistles” (letters).

Galatians                  Many of these letters are

Ephesians                from the Apostle Paul to

Philippians the new Christian churches

Colossians

I, II Thessalonians

I, II Timothy

Titus

Philemon

Hebrews

James

I, II Peter

I, II, III John

Jude

Revelation                The Apocalypse and a vision of the World’s End

The most authoritative Bible for the Middle Ages was the Vulgate Bible, St. Jerome’s Latin translation of Old Testament and New Testament texts. The Douay-Rheims Bible (1609 AD) is translated from the medieval Latin into English; a version is still available in Catholic bookstores,. Note that the Catholic tradition divides the two books of Samuel and the two books of Kings into I, II, III,and IV Kings. The book known to Protestants as Chronicles is called the Paralipomenon by Catholics; the Book of Nehemiah is called I and II Esdras by Catholics.

The modern Catholic and medieval Vulgate versions of the Bible include many other books not found in the King James Bible. In the Protestant tradition, the term “Apocrypha” applies to books that are included in Catholic Bibles, but not in Protestant Bibles. These books include Tobias, Judith, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, the Book of Wisdom, and I and II Macabees. Additionally, the Vulgate also includes Daniel 3.24-9 and 13.1-14:42, and has a slightly different numbering system for the Psalms. The Pseudepigrapha are scriptures that enjoyed the same authoritative status as the Gospels in early Christianity, but these were cut from late both Catholic and Protestant Bibles and later considered inaccurate or false. In the Old Testament, these include the Book of Enoch (a demonological treatise that only survives complete in an Ethiopic text) and the tale of Susanah. In the New Testament, the Pseudepigrapha include the Gospel of Nicodemus (which recounts Christ’s harrowing of hell), the Shepherd of Hermas, the Epistle of Barnabus, the Didache (“secret” teachings of the twelve apostles), and various “Infancy Stories” of Christ’s childhood, along with legends of the Virgin Mary.