1. Assessing the Strength of Our Tendencies
The following is from The Power to Change Your Life by Kathryn Jason and J. McMahon published by Doubleday Co.
On a scale of 5 to 1 (5= very often; 4= often; 3=sometimes; 4= seldom; 1= hardly ever) rate your answers to the questions below. Although the total score for each tendency is not an exact measure of that tendency, nevertheless, a high score between 20 and 25 on an irrational tendency and a low score below 10 on one of the rational or supra-rational tendencies may give you pause to examine them more closely.
Irrational Tendencies
Confusion
___ Are you unclear about what is important to you in life?
___ Do you lack purpose in what you do?
___ Do you think or feel in one way but behave in another way?
___ Are you unclear about how you see yourself?
___ Are you unable to set clear goals and work toward reaching them?
Dependence
___Do you usually seek someone's approval before acting?
___Do you feel unsure about your judgments?
___Do you have the feeling that someone is always evaluating you?
___Are your ideas about yourself simply a reflection of the way you think people see you?
___Do you usually choose a very dominant person to be with in your relationships?
Rebellion
___Do you expect people to behave according to your needs all the time?
___When things do not go your way, do you withdraw and sulk?
___Do you usually blame others for your unhappiness?
___Do you get to a point in situations that you feel you have to prove your independence?
___Are some of your major decisions away from something (body) rather than toward something(body)?
Skepticism
___Do you usually believe the worst about people?
___Are you afraid to speak openly and honestly to your friends?
___Are many of your thoughts negative rather than constructive?
___Do you spend more time thinking about your deficiencies than about your potential?
___When people offer to do something for you, do you usually search for their hidden selfish motives?
_______ Total
Rational Tendencies
Order
___Do you have control of your moods so that your activities are not disrupted by extreme mood swings?
___Are you in the habit of setting goals for your personal and career development?
___Do you feel organized in your life?
___Do you usually have a good reason for what you are doing?
___Do you prudently limit your activities so that you are not spread too thin?
Control
___Do you usually feel even tempered in stressful circumstances?
___In stressful circumstances do you focus your attention on ways of solving the problem rather than on your negative feelings about the situation?
___When confronted with a problem, do you focus your attention on your personal goals?
___Do you feel in charge of yourself in the presence of authority figures?
___Do you feel at ease in delegating authority?
System
___Do you look at life as a whole and integrated experience rather than a series of unconnected events?
___Are you aware of how your thoughts, behaviors and feelings in one area of your life affect the other areas?
___Do you occasionally evaluate your whole system of living to see whether it is healthy and productive or neurotic and destructive?
___Are you careful not to undertake too many activities in order not to disrupt the harmony of your schedule?
___Do your values operate consistently in all areas of your life?
Certainty
___Do you believe you must be one hundred percent sure of success before you act?
___Do you feel very anxious when you experience significant changes in your life such as, changing your job?
___Do you regularly require reassurances of loyalty and affection from people close to you?
___Do you prefer to think of yourself as stable and consistent rather than changing?
___Do you usually avoid making decisions if the risk of failure is greater than ten percent or so?
_______ Total
Supra-rational Tendencies
Vision
___Do you reflect from time to time on those specific ideals and people that give meaning to your life?
___Do you spend time thinking about your mental powers that enable you to see your potential as a person?
___Do you wonder about your destiny?
___Do you think about a contribution that you can make to a society instead of dwelling on just material profit?
___Do you define yourself in terms of what you love?
Freedom
___Do you usually feel open instead of guarded in expressing your feelings?
___Are continually trying to expand your understanding of yourself and others, so that in knowing more you can do more for yourself and others?
___Do you change the order in your life when that order prevents you from realizing your ideals?
___Do you find little resentment or rebellion in yourself after deep self-reflection?
___Do you feel that you are able to move in any direction that you choose?
Change
___Do you accept unexpected situations without getting upset?
___Do you feel confident and not threatened by new ideas?
___Have you changed your point of view on some important issue after your acquired more knowledge?
___Is searching for truth more important to you than being right in your opinion?
___Do you accept change in other people without getting upset?
Creativity
___Do you feel challenged in a positive way by the uncertainties that you experience in your personal relationships or in your work?
___Can you stay a long time with a problem in your search for a solution without becoming frustrated?
___Do you feel enthusiastic about trying new ideas in your personal life?
___Do you prefer to work with complex problems rather than routine ones?
___Do you give your imagination complete freedom to compose new combinations of ideas?
_______ Total