I thought I should mention that although the claim that I'm generally pretty fearless is true (I fit the Star Trek slogan to "boldly go where no man has gone before"), I should say that the leadership of the Vienna mission managed to really scare the bajeebers out of me - I became really terrified of them about a quarter of the way through my 2-year term. I never was afraid of the Communists though, and surgery generally doesn't phase me either, but the mission did succeed in scaring me.
***
Then I got to thinking this afternoon as I was out running errands about how lonely I really am. It would be so much easier to just go along with the crowd (after all, what's wrong with Dr. Dobson or Jerry Falwell anyway?) And maybe I should have joined the red scare movement and gone and just buried myself in a bomb shelter somewhwere. Heck, I was probably even the only one (or at least one of a small minority) of the Washington, D.C. area residents who wasn't all panic stricken over the Beltway sniper rampage in 2002.
However, my efforts to deal with spiders have been known to rival the defensive efforts the Vienna mission took to protect itself against missionaries.
Now, the Beltway sniper incident might help you understand more what I mean about irrational fear (other than big spiders). The snipers, as far as the public, or anyone for that matter, knew seemed to be hitting randomly, so people were curtailing activities, keeping children home, etc. My attitude was that, yes, they're out there and it's tragic for the victims, but, realistically, what are my chances of being involved in an attack? There wasn't really anything I could do about it anyway, so I might as well go along and live my life as usual. I remember one Sunday during the attacks when I was in Virginia (I lived in Maryland) at a Russian Baptist church and one of the ladies asked me, with a tone that to me indicated fear, what I thought about the sniper attacks. I remember sort of being surprised at the question because it hadn't taken a very prominent place in my thoughts even, although I was informed about what was going. I'd get the news about it and then go about my day as usual.
Now this can't be compared, really, to the situation in Vienna. I'm not saying that they shouldn't have taken any measures at all towards being judicious in their activities, but I am saying that to be in permanent panic red alert status that seemed to justify almost anything and trump other things that might have been more important is wrong. So I thought it was way out of proportion and I disagreed with the measures they took, many of which I saw as unbiblical.
In saying this I'm being more erudite now in presenting my thoughts than I could have been at the time, but that's because I've had about 15 years to think about it and at the time everything was happening fast and heavy and there were so many things going on that it got confusing, especially towards the end (which I think - and thought then - was intentional). However, I did think even then that what they were doing was way out of line and that there were also unbiblical aspects to it; I did think like that, even then in the middle of it.
***
As I said in the last post, this chapter section is called "Debasement Experiences."
This section starts out with a reference to some prior discussion about "resocialization organizations", but that must have been before this chapter, and I don't have that part of the text. Here's what the Blackwell Online Encyclopedia of Sociology says about it:
"Resocialization is a process of identity transformation in which people are called upon to learn new roles, while unlearning some aspects of their old ones. The need to learn new roles may result from voluntary or involuntary changes in status. When the role requirements of the new status conflict with an individual's earlier or primary socialization, the process of resocialization may be necessary. This process often requires an unlearning of internalized norms, values, beliefs, and practices, to be replaced by a new set which is considered appropriate to the new role. Resocialization most often occurs when an individual is called upon to adopt a new specialized status, often in adulthood. Thus it is sometimes referred to as adult socialization. Examples include joining the military or a religious order; training to become a doctor, lawyer, or police officer; becoming a prisoner; or being hospitalized for mental illness. In each case, a person is required to take on a new identity as a professionalized or institutionalized self, and must adopt new ways of relating to both self and others. Behaviors and values that were considered normal in ordinary society are seen as deviant and undesirable in the new situation and must be unlearned. In addition, many of the new behaviors and values are considered deviant on “the outside.”..."
Now back to Van Maanen:
"This mode of socialization is most frequently encountered in 'resocialization' organizations. As noted, resocialization organizations aim to destroy old and create new behavioral predispositions in their new members (Wheeler, 1966). Goffman (1961:14) noted that such settings process a neophyte through a 'series of abasements, degradations, humiliations and profanations of self.' The object of such a process is to force the new member to relinquish his previous roles by depriving the person of his incoming self-image." (p. 106)
The lingo used for this process in Vienna was that of Christian growth and maturing, and the changes required were in consistent with biblical teachings. I hope you understand that I'm saying that's how they presented the process. Any trials (often, mission-induced in my experience) that a newcomer might need help with were eagerly met with understanding and the the Bible wide open. Thus, the mission, by way of the individual mentors, could coach the newcomer into the proper attitude. The lesson learned was helpful, but the process itself also set in motion a vehicle for building trust and developing appropriate relationships as well. If we look at this as both the ends (the problem issue and its resolution) and the means (coming to the coach for guidance) were both useful, and I think the latter was sometimes more important than the issue itself.
In this way, the mission had a need for the newcomer to feel troubled, needy, homesick, culture-shock, confused, etc. in order for this process to be set in place and proper socialization to happen. It's possible that socialization didn't happen at all there without each new arrivee experiencing at least some of this. But to ensure that this happened they rigged situations that would engender stress, while at the same time having the appropriate individual(s) ready, waiting and waiting with warmth and friendliness.
This is heavy stuff, I know, but this did happen and I'm not going to mince my words about it.
***
"This method refers to dramatic experiences the individual undergoes that have the effect of detaching him from his previous attitudes and ways of thinking about himself and substitution of a more humble self-view that will permit easier application of organizational influence." (p. 106)
Nothing the mission did and nothing outside the mission either succeeded in detaching me from my previous attitudes, etc. The whole time I was there I clung to them, except some attitudes, I think, became even less of what the mission would have wanted. That is, my attitudes towards the mission, in particular, got worse.
There was one event about 5 months into my service with the Vienna mission that was probably most extreme effort they could use to get me debased. But even that just drew me farther from the mission if anything.
I don't know that I've ever thought of this before, but it's possible that the whole time I was with the mission they were trying to get me to the debasement point. Maybe. Anyway, it's one theory to consider.
If it's any consolation, the Komsomols (1991) weren't very successful either, although they did get me to do something pretty stupid. But then, maybe it was stupid to stay in the mission for 2 years too.
***
"[T]he extent to which this mode is utilized depends, in part, upon the ability of the organization to hold the new members captive." (p. 106)
It's not like being behind bars or risking a military court order could hinder us from leaving the mission, but it would have been pretty difficult to leave once you got there.
The thing is that, forgetting anything before you even got to this point, you had to go through the process to get accepted by the sending mission and also by the joint Vienna mission, which for me took almost a year. Then you spend a year or so going around to churches speaking to raise your financial and prayer support, and then finally you go thousands of miles from home and land in a foreign country. If one were to leave the mission after all that, there's be a lot of explaining to do before supporters, including friends and family, who were often also supporters. The logistics were pretty daunting, really.
And if you did decide to leave, what would be your reason?
Culture shock? Heck no, if you had culture shock that would be your debasement and the mission would fix that in quick order and usher you into the inner sanctum.
Okay, how about work conditions? Are you kidding? This is another debasement opportunity that your mentor will more than gladly help you work through.
So then what you're left with, pretty much is you disagree with their theology or their methods. If you say you disagree with their theology, the folks back home are going to wonder why you didn't notice this problem before you got there? Didn't you do your homework.
Okay, then, how about the methods of operation? What did you expect?! You're going towork in a Communist country? D-uh! Hello! Yoohoo? Anyone home?
No, you probably could have decided to up and go home, but I expect you'd have to find a different reason than one presented here. I can think of one, but I'm not going to address it yet. Let's just say, there was a limit as to how debased you were supposed to get and how long it should last.
***
We only have one more teaching method, but we'll have to wait for tomorrow.
You know what would be really, really nice? If someone eventually somewhere read some of these and actually understood me. I forget what it's like to be understood, and that would be really nice. But maybe I'm asking for the moon, and I should be satisfied knowing that at least God understands me, undoubtedly better than I'd like though.
After being a children's librarian I'm tempted to say "Goodnight, Moon!" Oh well, I guess I just did.
Good night, stars and everyone else out there too.
~ Meg
***
While out going to the drug store just now I thought of something else about the debasement method of socialization that might be worth mentioning.
Once you were in a debased position, and being debased in this context was subjective (you had to feel it in such a way that you would seek help regarding it), I think the only way to get it resolved was via the mission, which would then help you resolve your problem in such a way as to take you along the intended path of socialization.
Any other means of resolving the felt debasement would end out leading in the opposite direction - towards alienation from the mission. Depending on the circumstances, this could be a minor glitch in the socializatation process, or it could be more significant in and of itself or be just one step in the direction away from the mission. But if you wanted to stay in the mission, you had to pass this milestone, which probably should have been the one big thing to lead to mutual trust between the newcomer and the mission. This would be your leap of faith into the lap of the mission (apologies to Kierkegaard for the misuse of "leap of faith").
More often then not, when I experienced things that were probably meant as part of this process I sort of let them not phase me, like the proverbial water off the duck's back, or like I almost ignored them or didn't indicate that anything was wrong. I just sort of took everything in stride and tried to maintain a very congenial spirit through it all. But eventually, I got worn down and the stress was affecting me, so I experienced how it could be very difficult to ward off debasement efforts repeatedly. (I tended to take everything literally and ignore any potential inuendos or implied meanings - and this was very conscious (i.e., I knew I was doing this at the time)).
I think that as long as that entry step where mutual trust was established (you on the weak and needy end, them on the strong and wise end) had not yet been reached these debasement efforts would continue. Eventually, though, I felt that they were no longer trying to socialize me, but instead trying to minimize any potential damage I could do to the mission (via bad p.r., for example) or something along those lines.
As I'm writing this, it does fit a lot of what I experienced in Vienna, but I'm still not absolutely sure that socialization explains everything. I still think there might have been another force related to my dad's work.
In my discussion here about debasement, I think that the individual experience of this process probably varied widely, although I think it was a commonly used tool for socializing newcomers.
***
While out going to the drug store just now I thought of something else about the debasement method of socialization that might be worth mentioning.
Once you were in a debased position, and being debased in this context was subjective (you had to feel it in such a way that you would seek help regarding it), I think the only way to get it resolved was via the mission, which would then help you resolve your problem in such a way as to take you along the intended path of socialization.
Any other means of resolving the felt debasement would end out leading in the opposite direction - towards alienation from the mission. Depending on the circumstances, this could be a minor glitch in the socializatation process, or it could be more significant in and of itself or be just one step in the direction away from the mission. But if you wanted to stay in the mission, you had to pass this milestone, which probably should have been the one big thing to lead to mutual trust between the newcomer and the mission. This would be your leap of faith into the lap of the mission (apologies to Kierkegaard for the misuse of "leap of faith").
More often then not, when I experienced things that were probably meant as part of this process I sort of let them not phase me, like the proverbial water off the duck's back, or like I almost ignored them or didn't indicate that anything was wrong. I just sort of took everything in stride and tried to maintain a very congenial spirit through it all. But eventually, I got worn down and the stress was affecting me, so I experienced how it could be very difficult to ward off debasement efforts repeatedly. (I tended to take everything literally and ignore any potential inuendos or implied meanings - and this was very conscious (i.e., I knew I was doing this at the time)).
I think that as long as that entry step where mutual trust was established (you on the weak and needy end, them on the strong and wise end) had not yet been reached these debasement efforts would continue. Eventually, though, I felt that they were no longer trying to socialize me, but instead trying to minimize any potential damage I could do to the mission (via bad p.r., for example) or something along those lines.
As I'm writing this, it does fit a lot of what I experienced in Vienna, but I'm still not absolutely sure that socialization explains everything. I still think there might have been another force related to my dad's work.
In my discussion here about debasement, I think that the individual experience of this process probably varied widely, although I think it was a commonly used tool for socializing newcomers.
