Core values

Food for Thought

Service last week had to do with core values and I've realized that I don't know my core values. Under pressure between multiple desirable choices (or multiple undesirable choices), my drive for action fails. I have nothing to guide my decisions and I fall into a milky uncertainty.

When the church is persecuted (Acts 8 - 9:31) there is great purpose. Under trial, we realize how little some things matter, and how important other things are. We are stripped down to our core values and our entire energy becomes devoted to fulfilling those values. It's a natural and automatic thing we have seen over and over in the history of the church (and humanity in general). And in these settings, the church booms. But the American church has not faced persecution, except in a very passive sense, for quite some time. Nor have I. We've forgotten our core values. As have I.

So what do I do? It is a true saying that "what you spend your time and money on is whats important to you." I find mine. Self-examination. What do I spend my time thinking about? (cognitions) What churns up the most powerful emotions in me? (emotions) Where does my time and money go? (behaviors) These all point towards a few select things that I value. They may be good. They may also not be so pretty.

If I want to live anything close to the manner of a church under persecution, then I have to understand what persecution does. One result is an awareness of core values. Another is devotion to them.

Forensic Psychology

No, not figuring out what dead people are thinking. Shawn can take the lead on that. I went to an informational meeting for the forensic psychology research initiative. In short, forensic psychology is the intersection between psychology and law.

• Psychological evaluations for civil and criminal cases
  "The job caused me psychological harm and I need 2 million dollars to feel better!" Oh really?
  "I'm incompetent for trial because I had a bad childhood!" We'll see about that.
  
• Developing and using screening tools for adult and juvenile cases
  "Let's see if this person would be better served by a mental health institution than a prison."
  
• Advocacy
  "You think you were screwed up before? Let's put you in close quarters with a bunch of other screwed up people for 20 years and see how psychologically healthy you are then."
• Research
  "Crunching fancy numbers on all the above is both exciting and fulfilling as a career!"
  
• And the one you've all head about... expert testimony.
  "Yes, your honor, it is scientifically documented that people with trichotillomania are compelled to pull their own hair out. Without help, they're unable to stop themselves."

Ehh... I'm not so focused on law applications of psychology, but the prof's very statistically-minded, so I think I'll join just to help her crunch numbers and glean from her knowledge. Who knows... maybe I'll fall in love with the field?