Archives: CBU Faculty

Do you know what your purpose in life is? If not, don’t worry – you’re not alone. A lot of people don’t know what their life’s mission is. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find out. This blog post will discuss how to discover your purpose in life and start living a more fulfilling existence. So, if you’re ready to find out what makes you truly happy, keep reading! 

In the book, The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho tells the story of a shepherd boy named Santiago who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. Although he knows that such a quest may mean leaving the love of his life behind, Santiago feels drawn to follow his “Personal Legend” despite the challenges and sacrifices it will undoubtedly entail. As the boy begins his journey, he meets an array of characters—some of whom teach him valuable lessons, while others attempt to dissuade him from continuing on his quest. Ultimately, Santiago succeeds in finding his treasure and true purpose in life. 

The story of Santiago reminds us that the journey to discovering our purpose is often fraught with difficulty and heartache. Nevertheless, those brave enough to embark on this journey are invariably rewarded with a great treasure: the knowledge that they are living their lives according to their deepest desires and highest aspirations. 

Finding Your Purpose 

Although the concept of “purpose” is often spoken about in spiritual or religious contexts, it’s important to remember that everyone has a unique sense of purpose—regardless of whether or not they subscribe to any particular faith tradition. In fact, some of the most successful and fulfilled people have taken the time to reflect on what brings them meaning and satisfaction and have made a conscious decision to align their lives with those things. 

Of course, this is easier said than done. It can be difficult to identify our deepest desires, let alone figure out how to turn them into reality. If you’re having trouble getting started, here are a few questions you can ask yourself: 

– What makes me feel most alive?  

– What am I most passionate about?  

– What am I really good at?  

– What do I deeply care about?  

– What contribution do I want to make in the world?  

– Whose life do I want to touch in a positive way?  

– How do I want to be remembered when I’m gone?  

Answering these questions isn’t easy, but it’s worth taking the time to do so. Once you’ve identified your purpose, you can begin making small changes that will help you move closer to living it out daily. And while there will inevitably be challenges and setbacks along the way, remember that every step forward is a step in the right direction.  

Conclusion:  

The journey toward discovering your purpose can be challenging but ultimately rewarding.  

By connecting with what brings you fulfillment and satisfaction, you can begin making small changes to help you live out your purpose daily. Remember, every journey begins with a single step. 

Coelho, P. (1995). The alchemist. Thorsons. 

When it comes to understanding and preventing suicide, there are a lot of myths floating around. As we go into the holidays, for example, you may hear that suicides are more common around this time (CDC data say that is not true). This kind of misinformation makes it even harder to talk about a question that is already complicated by the fact that the risks and causes of suicide are not the same across all people and groups. In my work, I’ve dedicated time to understanding the risks of maternal suicide so that I can work within local and national communities to be part of the prevention solutions.

Maternal Suicide Awareness Month is observed every September in the United States. The purpose of the month is to bring awareness to the problem of suicide among mothers and to provide resources for those who may be at risk. While it is widely accepted that motherhood can be a joyful and rewarding experience, it is also often stressful and overwhelming. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, up to 20%, that is an estimated 1 in 5 women will experience symptoms of mental illness during pregnancy or in the first year after childbirth. And tragically, suicide is one of the leading causes of death for pregnant women and new mothers. Every year, approximately 700 mothers die by suicide. This represents a significant increase from previous years, and the trend appears to be rising. And while maternal suicide rates are highest among Black women, it’s a problem that impacts women of all races.  

In the United States, suicide rates among new and expectant mothers have been increasing for years. Maternal suicide is now the leading cause of death for women during the perinatal period—the time from pregnancy through the first year postpartum. A variety of factors can contribute to maternal mental health problems, including postpartum depression, anxiety, and stress. Addressing these issues is critical, as they can often be the first step in preventing suicide.  

Poor postpartum mental health can put women at greater risk, as can experiencing psychosis during pregnancy or postpartum. But one of the most important risk factors is simply being a woman of color. Black women are four times more likely to die by suicide than white women. Studies have shown that Black women are more likely to experience poor mental health after giving birth, due in part to systemic racism and social inequities.  

While women of all ages and backgrounds can experience postpartum depression, certain groups are more vulnerable. Pregnancy and the postpartum period are times of great physical and emotional transition, and for some women, these changes can lead to serious mental health problems. Maternal mental health disorders can range from mild to severe, and can profoundly impact a woman’s ability to function in her everyday life. Left untreated, maternal mental health disorders can lead to suicidal thoughts and behaviors. For example, women who have a history of depression or anxiety, who experienced a traumatic birth, or who lack social support are more likely to develop postpartum depression. In some cases, postpartum depression can lead to psychosis—a break from reality that can include hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia.  

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to preventing maternal suicide, but there are steps we can all take to support mothers in our community. Maternal suicide is a tragedy that can be prevented with awareness, education, and support. Maternal Suicide Awareness Month is an important time to start these conversations and begin working towards solutions. We need to break the silence around this issue and start talking about the ways we can support new moms. By raising awareness and providing support, we can help save lives.  

If you are a mother struggling with mental health issues, please know that you’re not alone and there is help available. Reach out to a therapist, counselor, or support group today. Together, we can make sure that no mother has to suffer in silence. If you know a mother who may be at risk, please reach out and offer your support. And if you are interested in getting involved in Maternal Suicide Awareness Month, please visit Moms Demand Action or Maternal Mental Health NOW to learn more about how you can help make a difference. 

By E. Russ Bermejo, MSW, Lecturer 

This is Part 3 of a 4-part blog post.   

Read Part 1: An Invitation to CBU Faculty and Students

Read Part 2: Designed for Courage: Me & Myself

Read Part 3: Designed for Co-Creation: Teacher and Student

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The Third Relationship: Researcher and Participants 

So how can we be more connected in our research?    

Freire’s critical examination of the student-professor relationship in the classroom would extend to how research agendas are set by universities. When asked to describe how Freire’s work could impact research, Valerie Kinloch of the University of Pittsburgh stated the following:  

“(Freire) encourages us to take a critical perspective, especially when collaborating with other people in community contexts, as we attempt to address pervasive questions about inequality. He also situates research within the reach of the everyday – the everyday realities, lives, lived conditions, struggles, and hope of people – to make research accessible to who we are working with and writing with/about in our research. Thus, research is not singularly about publishing articles and books, but about writing new ways of being into existence that can, fundamentally, change the world for the better.”

If universities are to be organized to address the most pressing social, economic, and political inequities,⁵ it would take direction for its research agenda from the needs identified by marginalized and oppressed communities.   

Freire’s critical pedagogy was influential in developing participatory research models such as participatory action research (PAR). Relationships and power are examined once again, this time in the context of research. Freire’s concept of praxis, (that knowledge is developed through a cycle of action and reflection) is essential to PAR’s methodological approach that engages researchers and community members in dialogue (Hardina, 2012).  

Participatory approaches to doing research have gained critical attention across the behavioral and social sciences, as scholars, activists, and practitioners committed to social action work closely with communities to identify their concerns and develop plans for transformative change (Torre and Fox, 2015).  It is research that translates knowledge into action.   

The values orientation of participatory research, such as PAR and community-based participatory research, challenges the hierarchical and extractive approaches of traditional research through its core beliefs that:  

• Knowledge is not a product of academia, but a result of engagement with the community⁶ 
• Community participation is critical in every phase of the research process.⁷  
• Decision-making should be done by those most affected by the outcomes of the decision. 
• Development of structures, processes and social networks within the community to meet their own needs empowers members towards self-determination and exercising power over their own lives. 
• Building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships between academia and community 

Our recurrent theme emerges once again:  An essential part of being fully human is exercising our God-given capacity to create, make, and build. We do this in partnership with our Creator and in collaboration with others. These creative and relational capacities are part of our imago dei DNA.   

Conclusion – An Insurrectional Faith 

It seems that pedagogy, scholarship, and research have an insurrectional quality and function. If that is true, then we must choose between courage or comfort.  As Christian scholars, we have (or should have) an insurrectional faith and worship a King that does not stay in ivory towers (see Philippians 2:6-7). How we teach and pursue knowledge are consequential and fundamental matters especially in our fragmented times. The great objective is that we can recapture what it means to be truly human – inextricably connected mutually interdependent, and creative beings. This is how we were designed. Once we realize this, we can know in our hearts that we truly belong to our Creator and one another so we can courageously get on with our three-point agenda spelled out in Micah 6:8 – “to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.” 

Reflect and Discuss: 

1. What values orientation drives your research practices and approach? Are there any parts that you feel need to be re-examined?   

2. How insurrectional is your Christian faith? In what areas (especially teaching, scholarship, and service) do need to challenge the status quo or business as usual? What kind of relational and institutional supports could help you meet those challenges?   

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⁶ The relationship between the university research center and the community is re-examined by Jenny Onyxher in 2008 article entitled “University-Community Engagement: What does it mean?” published in the International Journal of Community Research and Engagement

⁷The slogan “Nothing about us without us” asserts that no policy should be created without the full and direct participation of those it affects. It was adopted by the disability rights movement in the 1990s as a call to action around the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

References: 

Hardina, Donna (2012). Interpersonal Social Work Skills for Community Practice. First Edition.  Springer Publishing Company.  

Torre, Maria E. and Fox, Madeline (2015). Participatory Action Research in Social Research. International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences. Second Edition.  

By E. Russ Bermejo, MSW, Lecturer 

This is Part 3 of a 4-part blog post.

Read Part 1: An Invitation to CBU Faculty and Students

Read Part 2: Designed for Courage: Me & Myself

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The Second Relationship: Teacher & Student  

Once we transform the relationship with ourselves, we can move towards transforming our classrooms and lecture halls.     

I am currently re-reading Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, a book I first encountered as an undergraduate sociology student at UCLA and frequently cited in numerous papers during my MSW graduate program. As a new educator, I am reading this book in renewed ways.   

In the Pedagogy of Oppressed, Freire takes a critical look at the “banking method concept” of education, which sees students as passive learners who are containers and receptacles to be filled by the teacher. It is perhaps one of the prime examples of human disconnection and it happens on some level every day in our (my) classrooms. Freire asserts that this type of education is dehumanizing since it sees students as merely in the world, not with the world or with others. Students are spectators, not recreators and are given no scope for creative freedom or critical thinking. In other words, this type of education shares an ideology of oppression.   

Freire proposes a problem-posing pedagogy which aims to raise critical consciousness. To liberate students into this critical consciousness, we must help them engage in active learning. Active learners take new information and apply it, rather than merely taking note of it. Firsthand use of new material develops personal ownership. When subject matter connects directly with students’ experiences and contexts, they care more about the material they are learning and will act on it. So as educators, we must work to stimulate critical thinking and awareness in our students so they can transform reality.   

Taking active learning seriously means re-thinking the traditional classroom and even turning it inside out or upside down. One pedological strategy that has drawn increasing attention in higher educational settings is “flipping” in which the classroom format is turned completely around.   In the flipped-classroom, the students view and listen to lectures on their own time freeing up class time for experiential exercises, group discussion and question and answer sessions. The classroom now becomes a space to work through problems, advance concepts and engage in collaborative learning, active interaction and dialogue. The professor serves as a mentor, coach, facilitator and tour guide of learning opportunities rather than just a lecturer or grader (Gerstein, 2012) 

Freire challenges us to re-examine the teacher-student relationship so both are simultaneously teachers and students. Essentially, we teach each other. This is only possible if I recognize that knowledge is inherently about power. But when teaching and learning is a mutual and relational endeavor, power is shared and relationships are restored. Co-creation replaces our need for control and reclaims our capacity for connectedness which good teaching depends on. It’s pretty awesome that we get to create environments in which students can be active creators of knowledge that can transform the world.⁴ 

Reflect and Discuss: 

1. What is your reaction to the idea that teaching as a mutual endeavor in which you and the students teach each other? Why is this paradigm shift particularly challenging for us in higher education?   

2. How are you nurturing critical thinking and awareness in your classroom and instruction? What changes do you need to make to ensure you are developing this essential skill for your students?   

Coming Next: Part 3: Designed for Action: Researcher and Participants 

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⁴ In the revised Blooms Taxonomy framework (2001), creating, designing, constructing, assembling, developing, formulating, authoring, is considered to be the highest level of thinking. See https://www.bloomstaxonomy.net/

References: 

Freire, Paulo (2018). The Pedagogy of the Oppressed: 50^th Anniversary Edition. 4^th Edition. Bloomsbury Academic.  

Gerstein, J. May 15, 2012.  Flipped Classroom: The Full Picture for Higher Education.  www.usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com 

By E. Russ Bermejo, MSW, Lecturer 

This is Part 2 of a 4-part blog post.   

Read Part 1: An Invitation to CBU Faculty and Students

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The First Relationship: Myself and I 

If we are to live connected lives, the first relationship to be re-examined is our relationship with our selves.   

In his book, “The Courage to Teach – Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life” Parker J. Palmer states that “we teach who we are.”  Parker adds “Teaching, like any truly human activity emerges from one’s inwardness, for better or worse. As I teach, I project the condition of my soul onto my students, my subject, and our way of being together.”  Consequently, knowing ourselves is as crucial to good teaching as knowing our students and respective subjects.   

So how are we to do this? We can start by first examining our fears. Fear is primal and also universal. Palmer says we as educators, in particular, swim in fear. I’m a terrible swimmer, but I’m pretty good at swimming in these types of waters. And I can identify at least my three big oceans:   

• Fear of failure² 
• Fear of not being good enough 
• Fear of disappointing others 

Since our cognitions are connected to our emotions and actions, one of the easiest things to do when we have fearful thoughts is to disconnect emotionally and relationally.  When we retreat, the deep waters become even more difficult to tread as we struggle with unhealthy egos, despair, and isolation.   

But here is the good news:  Although this deep inner work starts with us, it doesn’t have to end with us. The antidote is community and connection. Palmer adds:  

“If we want to grow as teachers – we must do something alien to academic culture; we must talk to each other about our inner lives – risky stuff in a profession that fears the personal and seeks safety in the technical, the distant, the abstract.”  

The current practice literature on leadership has raised our awareness of the importance of emotional intelligence and vulnerability in strong leaders. Brené Brown is a social work professor and researcher who studies about shame and connection, states “Vulnerability is our most accurate measurement of courage.” Her TED Talk on the Power of Vulnerability is one of the top five most-viewed TED talks in the world, with over 50 million views.³ Henri Nouwen similarly writes in “In the Name of Jesus – Reflections on Christian Leadership” 

“Somehow we have come to believe that good leadership requires a safe distance from those we are called to lead. Medicine, psychiatry, and social work all offer us models in which ‘service’ takes place in a one-way direction. Someone serves, someone else is being served, and be sure not to mix up the roles! But how can we lay down our life for those with whom we are not even allowed to enter a deep personal relationship? Laying down your life means making your own faith and doubt, hope and despair, joy and sadness, courage and fear available to others as ways of getting in touch with the Lord of life.”  

If we are to show more fully in our relationships, we must first show up fully to ourselves.   

And when we show up as our most honest and authentic selves, we can call forth the same in our students.   

As CBSS faculty, we have the opportunity to lead by example to create this type of environment here at CBU. Who else is better equipped than Christian behavioral scientists, anthropologists, psychologists, sociologists, and social workers to set a new culture and do the “risky stuff” that Palmer encourages us to do if we want to flourish as a university? If not us, who?   

Reflect and Discuss: 

1. What are your fears as a professor or educator? In what ways are those fears played out in your interactions and relationships in the classroom? 

2. What can we do individually, as a department, college, and university to do the “risky stuff” of talking about our inner lives with others as Palmer describes?   

Coming Next: Part 3: Designed for Co-Creation: Teacher and Student 

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² Read Dr. Sophia Mun’s CSHB blog post from November 2021 where she shares two big ideas about the “right way” to fail.

³ Brown’s latest book “Atlas of the Heart -Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience” identifies 87 emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human and provides vocabulary to talk about it.

References: 

Kondrat, Mary E. (2013). Person-in-Environment. Encyclopedia of Social Work. Oxford University Press.  

Nouwen, Henri (1989).  In the Name of Jesus – Reflections on Christian Leadership. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company. 

Palmer, Parker J. (2017).  The Courage to Teach – Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life.  20^th Anniversary Edition. Wiley. 

As we enter the Fall season, we see decorations of ghosts, goblins, and signs that say Boo and Beware. Of course, these decorations are meant to be fun for children and families. The Fall season is when kids get dressed up as their favorite superheroes and television characters. Some kids find the courage to brave the scary haunted house down the street. Luckily, for the kids, these pretend experiences are intended to spark the imagination and offer good-hearted family fun. I hope you can enjoy some activity like this in the Fall; if you choose. But, as a student of organizational leadership, one of the terrifying subjects for leaders and administrators is the high turnover in the workforce, especially in social services.  

According to Gartner, Inc.,  U.S. employee annual voluntary turnover is likely to jump nearly 20% this year, from a pre-pandemic annual average of 31.9 million employees quitting their jobs to 37.4 million leaving in 2022 (Gartner Inc., 2020). In public child welfare, states experienced 14-22% annual turnover rates, with caseworkers staying on the job for an average of 1.8 years from 2003-2015 (QIC-WD, 2021). The costs of employee turnover are many. High turnover rates are expensive, and they tax existing workers because the remaining workers experience high caseloads. High attrition rates also negatively impact children and families and cost taxpayers millions annually (QIC-WD, 2021). 

Potential Solutions 

Researchers have spent millions examining the causes and solutions to employee attrition and retention (QIC-WD, 2021). In fact, there are whole national centers funded by the federal government dedicated to addressing this issue. Some solutions to reducing employee turnover include hiring the right people, providing adequate training and support, increasing pay and benefits, and providing a supportive environment. As an organizational leader, I am always interested in ways to recruit and retain a quality workforce. We know that increased job satisfaction is positively correlated with employee retention rates. In other words, when employees experience satisfaction in the workplace, they are less likely to leave and more likely to stay. Job satisfaction is “the sense of satisfaction and positive attitude of the person towards his/her work as a result of the working life or the harmony between him/her and working conditions” (Sarikaya & Keskinkiliç, 2020, p.434). According to Sarikaya & Keskinkiliç (2020), “job satisfaction is one of these positive emotions, and its high-level presence depends on organizational, administrative and individual variables” (p. 436). So, if we want to improve employee retention, we must increase job satisfaction.  

Organizational Awareness 

According to the literature, organizational justice greatly influences job satisfaction (Pignata et al., 2016). Organizational justice refers to the perceived fairness or unfairness within an organization (Angulo et al., 2018). The literature suggests that employees with greater organizational awareness have greater trust in the organization, leading to higher job satisfaction (Alward & Phelps, 2019; Hirschy, 2011; Jang, 2013; Pignata et al., 2016; Sarikaya & Keskinkiliç, 2020). So, what is employee awareness?  

Awareness is “a cognitive state, which refers to having information about a certain set of people, events, and objects” (Jang, 2013, p.63). Alward and Phelps (2019) discuss organizational awareness from the perspective of visibility. They say that “visibility is an indispensable piece of the concept of trust and can assist with avoiding and potentially recovering from communication breakdowns and misunderstandings” (Alward & Phelps, 2019, p. 76). In other words, Alward and Phelps found that low levels of awareness and team member visibility contribute to a lack of trust, and perceived fairness, which results in communication challenges and misperceptions and lower levels of job satisfaction. Therefore, team members need to be visible so their peers can get to know them and be aware of who they are and what they have going on in their lives. The literature suggests awareness opportunities and activities support team members in defining their expectations of their teammates, and awareness promotes trusting behavior (Alward & Phelps, 2019).  

Recent Study 

Recently, I conducted a small study to examine whether organizational awareness predicts job satisfaction. The study included 35 participants, 34% (n=12) were male, 63% (n=22) were female, and one declined to say. The age of the participants ranged from 25-76 (N = 35, M=43.94, SD=10.98). What I found was consistent with the literature. The results indicated that organizational awareness statistically significantly predicted job satisfaction, b1 = .-12, t(33) = 7.66, p < .05. A one-unit increase in organizational awareness was associated with a .28 increase in job satisfaction scores. The model explained a moderate proportion of the variance in job satisfaction, R2 = .16, F(1, 33) = 6.10, p < .05. 

Key Takeaways 

While my study was small, the implications are helpful to organizational leaders interested in improving job satisfaction related to employee retention (Newton et al., 2022). Despite the limitations, organizational leaders should be encouraged to develop strategies that create coworker awareness of professional tasks and personal life events (e.g., birthdays, marriages, vacations, etc.) to improve job satisfaction (Sarikaya & Keskinkiliç, 2020). Ultimately, organizational leaders interested in retaining their workforce should consider creating opportunities for coworkers to connect and get to know each other. So, host a potluck, go on an adventure, or maybe even host a trunk or treat festival.

References 

Alward, E., & Phelps, Y. (2019). Impactful leadership traits of virtual leaders in higher education. Online Learning, 23(3), 72–93. 

Gartner Inc (2020). Gartner Says U.S. Total Annual Employee Turnover Will Likely Jump by Nearly 20% From the Prepandemic Annual Average. Retrieved from  https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/04-28-2022-gartner-says-us-total-annual-employee-turnover-will-likely-jump-by-nearly-twenty-percent-from-the-prepandemic-annual-average  

Hirschy, M. J. (Jody). (2011). Virtual team leadership: A case study in Christian higher education. Christian Higher Education, 10(2), 97. 

Jang, C.Y. (2013). Facilitating trust in virtual teams: The role of awareness. Advances in Competitiveness Research, 21(1/2), 61–77. 

Newton, N., Hunter-Johnson, Y., & Niu, Y. (2022). Exploring the influence of job satisfaction upon the retention of Bahamian special educators. Journal of Education, 202(1), 58–68. https://doi-org.libproxy.calbaptist.edu/10.1177/0022057420943179  

Pignata, S., Winefield, A. H., Provis, C., & Boyd, C. M. (2016). A longitudinal study of the predictors of perceived procedural justice in Australian university staff. Frontiers in Psychology, 7. https://doi-org.libproxy.calbaptist.edu/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01271 

Sarikaya, S., & Keskinkiliç Kara, S. B. (2020). Organizational trust and organizational support as a predictor of job satisfaction. International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 12, 435–467. 

Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD), 2021. How can public child welfare agencies get and keep a great workforce? Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau. 

Abraham Maslow introduced the Hierarchy of Needs in 1943 and put “self-actualization” at its very peak. According to him, self-actualization represents the highest order of motivations (need), which drive us to realize our true potential and achieve our “ideal self”. The continuous growth in the self-help book market might be supporting the existence of this need in human beings; however, achieving the “best (ideal) self” is not as easy as it sounds.  

Why?  

Life is suffering. Life is full of challenges and pains. If achieving the best self were our life goal, then challenges and obstacles are along the way to reach to the goal. We could fulfill our potential only by overcoming challenges, but it is difficult to face sufferings.   

Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. 

Once we truly know that life is difficult- once we truly understand and accept it-then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters. 

The Road Less Traveled- M. Scott Peck

I had my first son 12 years ago. It was a such a demanding job to take care of a new-born baby. I could not sleep the whole night for months in order to feed the baby. The pain from sleep deprivation took away all the joyful moments I should have had with my baby. I was angry and even depressed. Four years later, I had my second son. He woke up every two hours during night like his brother. But from the experience, I already knew what it would be like to take care of a new-born baby, and I already had accepted the fact that this was a demanding job. Once I accepted the fact, I found myself enjoying the time spent with my son day and night.  

If you want to be your best self, first of all, accept the fact that life is suffering. Then, you could use all of your resources and energy not to complain about the problem, but to solve it. Then, you could get one step closer to your best self.    

If you want to make your life better, you gotta do what’s right every single day. 

Blue Miracle

Once we accept the necessity of challenges and pain in our lives and do our best to make things better, we could grow. To ameliorate pains and grow, what we need most is to take responsibility and act courageously and truthfully.

We must each adopt as much responsibility as possible for individual life, society, and the world. 

12 Rules for Life an Antidote to Chaos Jordan Peterson

You have a choice to take an easier way. That is doing nothing. But the problem is when you choose the easier one, the pain doubles to say the least. You need to be courageous to choose the difficult path. In other words, you need to have the courage to take responsibility and commit to the truth. Are you willing have courage for your best self?  

References

Peck, M. S. (1978). The road less traveled : a new psychology of love, traditional values, and spiritual growth. Simon and Schuster. 

Peterson, J. B., Doidge, N., & Van, S. E. (2018). 12 rules for life: An antidote to chaos. 

Quintana, J. (2021). Blue Miracle. IMDbPro. 

“Curiosity is a basic element of our cognition,” write Kidd and Hayden in the first line of their abstract for their paper The Psychology and Neuroscience of Curiosity. Underneath things we now take for granted, was a curiosity about something observed. (I mean, who thought “I should pluck this green bean from this coffee plant, grind it up and soak it in some hot water for a nice start to my morning?”) Ultimately, Kidd and Hayden argue that despite the pervasiveness of curiosity, it’s not well studied nor is there a clear, comprehensive theory that might explain how and why it operates as it does in human life. Given that other research has supported the conclusion that curiosity is meaningful in the development of scientific thinking and important in effective problem solving, this seems like a significant absence in the literature. This absence is especially noteworthy given that curiosity seems to have more than just an instrumental function, with scholars arguing that curiosity is a moral imperative and a key intellectual virtue. 

So, if curiosity is developmentally natural and so important, why does it feel so hard? Am I the only one who feels like I have to actively work to cultivate a spirit of curiosity? 

One of the reasons that I can glean from the research literature for why curiosity can feel hard is because of its association with uncertainty. Curiosity is (or can be) a response to uncertainty which, on its own, can be difficult to deal with. For example, a research study found that people are least likely to respond with curiosity when they have no idea about something or when they are certain about something. Consider this with the finding that uncertainty about outcomes increases curiosity…and decreases happiness. Perhaps you don’t need a research study to confirm that the feeling of uncertainty can be unpleasant. So, as we might expect, we adopt habits to reduce the unpleasant feelings of uncertainty. What are these habits? Certainty! 

The Dunning-Kruger effect is one of my favorites on this topic of overconfidence and certainty (check out this great 5-minute explainer video). The punchline is that if we think we’ve got things all figured out—whether consciously, unconsciously, or by a failure to intentionally examine ourselves—we squelch our chance of exercising curiosity. I want to share why I think this is a really big deal.  

Curiosity opens you up. 

What do I mean by “opens you up”? I mean that when we exercise our curiosity, we have to adopt a position that says there might be more to this than I can see. Maybe I don’t know everything that’s at play. There may be possibilities that I haven’t thought of yet. In the same way that the shriveled coffee bean is nothing more than a shriveled bean until someone responds to it with curiosity, there are possibilities around us (right now!) that we cannot see because we haven’t bothered to wonder about them.  

When we look at the world with curiosity and wonder, there are possibilities—possibilities in the world and possibilities within us. It’s this liminal space, the space between what is and what could be, sparked by a twinge of curiosity, where I have so many times heard God speak. Instead of jumping to conclusions (“that person said that to me because they are a jerk!”), in my moment of curiosity (“I wonder what prompted that response?”) God can call me to more fully image him, responding in love, compassion, grace, and forgiveness. God can also call me to see myself more fully, calling me to responsibility for my role in that situation (“If someone spoke to me the way I spoke to them, I’d probably have said that too.”)  

You see, in this, curiosity is risky. By definition, you don’t know. That means you also don’t know what you’ll find. In the example above, sometimes I find compassion for someone else and sometimes I find my own sin. Either way, I have found myself open to the finding when I orient toward the world and the people within it with curiosity.  

I have a prayer that I regularly come back to. God, give me eyes to see and ears to hear. (See, as a context, Jeremiah 5:21, Matthew 13:15). When I pray this, what I’m asking is that God will orient me to wonder about the world in a way that reveals something I’ve never bothered to notice. This prayer is for me to attend to injustices I have lived beside for decades but never seen. To hear the suffering underneath the words spoken to me that have gone unnoticed. To look at the world not as I see it, but as Christ sees it. This, at its core, is an exercise in curiosity as it requires me to start with the conclusion that the world may not be as I believe it to be. I want to be open to God’s instruction, through his scripture, the Holy Spirit, and the fellowship of believers. I want to be open to this learning and, consistent with the research, I find that a posture of curiosity makes me open to this.  

So what does this mean for you, this semester? I think that depends a great deal on what you are sure you’ve already figured out. So, in this space, I invite you to curiosity. In your classes. In your relationships. In your work. In your play. Ask questions. Allow yourself to wonder—not just about things, but about people. As we open ourselves up to the possibility that our initial ideas may be insufficient, incomplete, or—more profoundly—dead wrong, we open ourselves to awe and wonder about the world and God’s actions within it. You don’t need to rush to the answer; slow down, ask questions, and do the long work of wonder-in-search-of-understanding, the kind of understanding that opens new realms of curiosity, realms previously hidden. When we start with our foundation in Christ, the questions we ask invite him to lead us to new vistas where we can see his world—the world we study—more clearly. As I see it, this understanding, born from curiosity, informs our faithful presence in this world. It’s in that spirit that I come alongside you, sharing that I’m truly excited to see where your curiosity journey takes you.  

I’d like to hear from you: How will you cultivate curiosity today? 

By E. Russ Bermejo, MSW, Lecturer 

This is Part 1 of a 4-part blog post.   

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We are designed for connection.   

During the 2021-2022 academic year, our University Provost chose connection as the theme. I loved how Dr. Charles Sands continually reminded us to connect with others throughout the year.   

This intention has forced me to think more deeply about how we are connected. I have a collection of Japanese kokeshi and Russian matryoshka dolls, which are wooden stacking or nesting dolls kept at each of my desks at home and campus. These heirloom pieces remind me how we are connected. They are a 3-D representation of “person-in-environment” (also known as PIE) a theoretical framework that underpins the social work profession. PIE is a practice-guiding principle that highlights the importance of understanding individuals and their behavior in light of the environmental contexts in which they exist (Kondrat, 2013).  

It is quite easy to compartmentalize our lives or partition our thinking into artificially-created domains or silos. Where my mind wants to isolate or separate, and provide easy explanations to complex issues, these wooden dolls remind me to do otherwise. We are not mere objects, instead we have meaning defined by our interactions with our environment. We cannot see ourselves or anyone else outside of the world they exist in; or as essayist, Anaïs Nin wrote “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Context always matters.   

Seeing our world connected doesn’t sound earth-shattering, until you try to live it out intentionally. In practice, living connected is not easy.   

How do we stay connected in a fragmented world? This was a question that I explored in my earlier blog post where I looked towards Japanese arts forms to show us the way towards meaningful integration. In these upcoming series of blog posts, I want to explore three questions:   

• Blog #2: How do I live a life that is connected?  
• Blog #3: How can my teaching be connected?  
• Blog #4: How can our research be connected?   

In each blog post, I will explore a key relationship to answer each of these questions, which, unsurprisingly, are all connected.   

If you are faculty, I hope you find these blogs as invitations for brief and ongoing reflection and introspection, knowing that we show up more fully to our students when we show up fully to ourselves.   

And if you are a student, I hope you will also accept the invitation to live a self-examined life¹ (see Socrates) so you can discover life that is truly worth living (see Jesus). Although these posts were written primarily with faculty in mind, you are also on a journey here at CBU to discover a connected life of faith and scholarship. Together, we can live out our purpose, living a life of connection, courage, co-creation, and action. So, thank you for reading.  

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¹ The unexamined life is not worth living.”-Socrates

 

Assessing for Acculturation Level may Matter in Mental Health Care

I recently conducted a training on the adaptation of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for diverse populations for a group of about eighty-five community mental health clinicians. The training was focused on equipping community mental health clinicians on how to adapt CBT for culturally diverse clients. I was in awe of the dynamic discourse that took place. The feeling of excitement and the energy in the room was undeniable. The clinicians seemed not only genuinely interested in the topic- but also excited. We began by going over general terms such as ethnicity, race, privilege, and humility.  

I then realized that perhaps for some of the clinicians, it may have been one of the few times that they had an opportunity to engage in introspection of the self -in terms of diversity issues that may influence the therapeutic process. They seemed to be carried away by one of the exercises we did in which they were asked to identify diversity factors that may label them as belonging to a majority or minority group. All clinicians spoke English and shared that they identified as being part of the majority group in this matter. A handful of the clinicians shared that English was their second language, and one of these clinicians shared that their accent, associated with their native language often lead others to ask them if they were born outside of the U.S. or if they were raised elsewhere. They then shared about their journey via the process of acculturation.   

Acculturation is a process in which an individual chooses the adopt the concept of cultural maintenance—that is to maintain their culture of origin (language, values, norms etc.) or they choose the concept of contact and participation, that is to integrate and adopt mainstream language, values and norms (Berry, 1992; Berry & Kim, 1988; Berry & Kim, 1980). The clinician shared that they had successfully integrated into the American culture after living in the U.S. for about seven years-yet they have worked with clients who have lived in the U.S. for over twenty years who still did not speak English. I noticed a tone of judgment in their voice and kindly nudged – asking them to elaborate. They shared that for this client to be most successful in the U.S. they should choose to integrate themselves more effectively into society and adopt the English language. We then had a larger room discussion of the pros and cons of the decision to adopt English as a second language vs. to retain their mother tongue.   

The theory of acculturation outlines that being either high or low on cultural maintenance or contact and participation leads to four possible strategies of acculturation: a) integration, which is also known as biculturalism, b) assimilation, also known as the loss of the native culture, c) marginalization, defined as the loss of both the native and dominant culture and lastly, d) separation, defined as increased ethnocentrism of the native culture (Berry & Sam, 1997; Berry, 1992; Berry & Kim, 1988; Berry & Kim, 1980). Amongst these four strategies, research shows that individuals who adopt the strategy of integration have better mental health outcomes compared to those who choose separation (Berry, 2013; Lee, Sobal, & Frongillo, 2000; Rogler, Cortes, & Malgady, 1991). As we continued on this conversation, the clinician received feedbacked from other clinicians in the room such as, “as clinicians we need to respect our client’s choice, regardless if we agree with it or not” and, “I think that even if the client may do better in life if they choose to integrate, it is still their choice, and we must accept it”. The dialogue was rich, and we could have been there for hours!  At the end of the day, we realized how much acculturation matters. 

Further, we discussed the role of acculturative stress among our clients. Acculturative stress is defined as a stress reaction in response to the process of transitioning and adopting the norms, values and language of the dominant culture (Berry, 1997; Yakishko, 2010). In this process, migrant workers may experience an acculturative stress, a stress reaction in response to life events that are rooted in the experience of acculturation (Berry, 1997). This type of stress is different from general life stress and hassles because it is uniquely linked to migrant workers’ process of transitioning and adapting to their environment, such as linguistic limitations and loss of social status (Berry, 1997; Yakushko, 2010).  Interestingly, Berry’s work has found that the greater the cultural difference, the greater level of acculturative stress (1997). This is important as acculturative stress has been found to be associated overall negative health issues such as poorer sleep quality, insomnia, and poorer self-reported physical health (Gonzalez-Guarda, Stafford, Nagy, Befus, & Conklin, 2021). 

Needless to say that our conversation on the topic ran beyond the time allotted and we just had to move on. We agreed that at the end of the day, it is up to the client and as clinicians, we should support their self-determination.  We also agreed that in some way, shape or form, acculturation matters- in terms of how the client may be experiencing and navigating the process of transitioning – or not, into the dominant culture. Another key take away from the dialogue was the power of assessment. Assessing our client’s level of acculturation may bring to light pertinent information related to their treatment plan. For more information on the matter, consider the Center for Substance Abuse and Treatment, Improving Cultural Competence (2014) manual, as it offers an excellent list of instruments to measure identity and acculturation.

References 

Berry, J. (2013) Professor John Berry, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Queen’s University, discusses cross-cultural psychology. Prof Berry was Visiting Academic at the Centre for Applied Cross-cultural Research, Victoria University of Wellington, in 2013. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAm0iqkZCKI 

Berry, J. W. (1980). Acculturation as varieties of adaptation. In A. M. Padilla (Ed.). Acculturation: Theory, models, and some new findings (pp. 9 –25). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.  

Berry, J. W. (1992). Acculturation and adaptation in a new society. International Migration, 30, 69 – 85. Berry, J. W. (2003). Conceptual approaches to acculturation. In K. M. Chun, P. B. Organista, & G. Marin (Eds.). Acculturation: Advances in theory, measurement, and applied research (pp. 17–37). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.  

Berry, J. W., & Kim, U. (1988). Acculturation and mental health. In P. R. Dasen, J. W. Berry, & N. Sartorius (Eds.), Health and cross-cultural psychology (pp. 207–236). Newbury Park, CA: Sage. 

Berry, J. W., & Sam, D. L. (1997). Acculturation and adaptation. In J. W. Berry, M. H. Segall, & C. Kagitc ̧ibasi (Eds.), Handbook of crosscultural psychology (pp. 291–326). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. 

Berry, J. W. (1997). Immigration, acculturation, and adaptation. Applied Psychology, 46, 5–34. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.1997.tb01087.x 

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US). Improving Cultural Competence. Rockville (MD):  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 2014. (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 59.) Appendix B, Instruments To Measure Identity and Acculturation. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK248425/ 

Yakushko, O. (2010). Stress and coping strategies in the lives of recent immigrants: A grounded  theory model. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 32, 256–273. 

 Yoon, E., Chang, C. T., Kim, S., Clawson, A., Cleary, S. E., Hansen, M., … & Gomes, A. M. ( 2013). A meta-analysis of acculturation/enculturation and mental health. Journal of counseling psychology, 60(1), 15.