SOB-test
A test set for detection of Survival-Oriented-Behavior
By Dr Jaan Suurküla
Although DMT has proven very reliable and useful one when it comes to detection of proneness for Survival-Oriented-Behavior, it is desirable to complement with another objective method to ensure unquestionable results, which is important for several reasons, not the least because many unsuitable people aspiring for top positions will question the results.
So I propose a combination of two tests at least:
1. Defence mechanism test (DMT-Neuman)
This is a sensitive and reliable method for detecting disturbances associated with SOB, used for selecting combat pilots as well as top executives. It detects the presence of psychological defence mechanisms (DM) that suppress or distort anxiety-provoking impressions, thereby impairing judgment. DM are an expression of chronic anxiety, so called “trait anxiety”, and can be understood as a habitual means of suppressing impressions that increase anxiety. For more, see
People with pronounced Defence Mechanisms (DM) don’t need more testing, while I think people with lower levels of DM should be tested with brain imaging if they are otherwise very competent for the job. Although DMT is a reliable test, there exists no psychological test that is 100%.
Please note that the experience from the Swedish and other air-forces show that conventional psychological tests for indicating anxiety proneness (SOB) are much too insenstive and miss a majority of SOB cases, even severe ones. This is the reason why DMT is used by several aritforces around the world as the major selection instrument for combat pilot training.
2. Brain imaging with stress provocation
There are different methods for imaging the functioning of the brain. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and MagnetoEncephaloGraphy (MEG) are among the most used ones.
MEG has been found to be useful for imaging the activation of centers governing survival-oriented behavior. It is simpler than PET, seems to give apparently sufficient iformation and is therefore desirable.
PET has been commonly used for imaging the activity in the brain cortex, including detecting “functional holes”, as illustrated in this brain imaging picture.
Stress provocation test using MEG
This is a new test idea that needs to be standardized before it is useful. It is based on the experience that under stress, certain areas of the brain (we call them “stress-related-brain” SRB regions below) show an increased activity as revealed by MEG scanning.
I suggest the following procedure:
MEG is done in two steps.
- Resting
- Exposure to a stressful (anxiety-evoking) situation
A person with a high level of stress tolerance will show little or no increased activity in Stress-Related-Brain regions at stress provocation. But, in a person who is prone to SOB, increased activity can be expected in SRB-regions.This difference is because, contrary to common belief, the stress-response is mostly not directly caused by external conditions, unless there is an obvious danger, but occurs after an assessment process, where the emotional basic trust (basic feeling of security) plays a pivotal role. If a person is insecure, many situations are assessed as stressful. For more about this, look up the string ” insecure personality ” at “Top leaders should be tested.
People who have increased activity in SRB-regions already before stress exposure need not be stress-tested as this indicates significant chronic SOB.
Addition March 2010
I have become aware of a very similar test, used by professor professor Zang Hee Cho, the inventor of the PET-scan method. He used MEG for testing alterations of brain reactions to stress. An especially remarkable study that he did was to expose people to a very strong stress stimulus (strong heat) before and after 5 months of practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM). He found that the brain reaction to stress was lowered by 40-50% after 5 months of practice of TM indicating a considerably improved stress-tolerance = lower SOB. See the diagram below. The more excited the brain, the more colored areas light up:
A similar, but inverse reaction could be expected under the suggested stress provocation test suggested above. Before the exposure to stress, the brain would look more like the picture to the right above, and during stress, it would be more like the left picture – the more pronounced the more SOB.
This result indicates that the suggested MEG test for SOB is likely to work. Perhaps pain actually should be used as the anxiety-provoking “stressor” in the test.
The remarkable effect of TM indicates that it is an effective method of reducing SOB. Actually this is also indicated by several other research reports including a study on people who failed on DMT (indicating high SOB) at the selection for Swedish Air-Force combat pilots. After one year the DMT-points had improved considerably, see here. A SOB-improving effect of TM has been indicated by other studies as well, including research sponsored by the NIH- indicating that TM effectively reduces the chronic stress/SOB state underlying high blood pressure (see for example About.com for a simple summary).
The research on TM, including the pain study of Cho, actually underscores the profound connection between SOB, stress tolerance and brain stress. The lower the brain stress, the lower SOB. This indicates that the suggested MEG test is likely to be an important tool for selecting SOB-free leaders.
Source: Orme-Johnson, D. W., Schneider, R. H., Son, Y. D., Nidich, S., Cho, Z-H. Neuroimaging of Meditation’s Effect on Brain Reactivity to Pain. NeuroReport, August 23, 2006.
Final remarks
Chronic stress is a very common condition and has serious detrimental effect on the quality of the functioning of the brain associated with Survival-Oriented-Behavior.
Therefore, it is very important that top-level decision-makers, including top politicians and governmental executives are subjected to this kind of testing in order to ensure that they don’t have this detrimental condition.
A combination of Defence Mechanism Test and brain imaging would be a valuable evaluation procedure.
Furthermore, there is a test procedure, using computerized EEG analysis, so called EEG coherence analysis that has been found useful to assess the opposite of SOB, that is the degree of prefrontal cortex dominance (see “Top leaders must be tested“)and the associated integration of the functioning of the brain, which appears as increased EEG coherence.
I think it would be of great value for the society if top leaders were selected among those performing best on such tests. In addition to ensuring intelligence, foresight and excellent judgment, prefrontal cortex dominance is associated with responsible, reliable, honest and humane behavior, that is highly desirable in top leaders and executives.
As pointed out elsewhere, the recent economic depression would probably not have occurred if such people had been in charge in stead of the apparently highly SOB-people – shortsighted, greedy, ruthless, irresponsible and dishonest (if not criminal) people apparently dominating Wall Street financial institutions.
