# Need to be re-programmed. Opinions needed on if it's possible with the army.



## sectech (25 Sep 2008)

This post might be a bit lengthy and I do not require a "please go to your local recruitment center and they will help you"... I have been told that enough in the last 2 days while I asked all the wrong questions.  What I want is people's personal opinions about this post.

As the topic states I believe I need a little re-programming, more specifically I need to be brought down to my bare responses and taught new ways of thinking and reacting.  I'll keep this as short as I can.

I grew up in a single parent family, most specifically my mother raised me.  My problem is that while growing up and I ran into a situation (like most kids do) where I might not of known how to handle it, mom came to the rescue.  The results of all that took 20 or so years and a lot of grief... I have been diagnosed with having "Borderline Personality Disorder", which basically is bunch of symptoms from the result of a lack of skills while growing up.  Example:  Dealing with people, dealing with conflict, productive thoughts vs unproductive thoughts.  Also I was handed down a diagnosis of "Generalized Anxiety Disorder", which I think comes from the same cause, a lack of skills. I am a very motivated person and a very high functioning person, I just have anxiety problems at the moment. 

I know the army has a way of stripping people down and building them back up there way they see fit.   What I need in my life right now is 1) to get passed the medical (I know better then to ask medical questions at this point) and 2) To be given the skills I need to be able to deal with people, work as a team, work in a structured environment and most importantly to show myself that no matter what I think I can't do... I can...  I believe that basic training and that career in the reserves (possibly even reg force eventually) would be perfect for this...   I am not so much wanting the army to tell me how to think, I am asking them to help me think better...  

As for the medical diagnosis... I once had bipolar on that list, but they can't confirm it (a lot of people who have Borderline Personality Disorder are mis-diagnosed) and I firmly believe there will be no anxiety if I am given the tools I need.  There is civilian programs for this and I am aware of what they are.  My decision to submit my application to be in the reserves was not a hasty one (although I might have misjudged my physical strength, and are working on that), I have wanted to join for years... I just never knew WHY I wanted to join.

What does the forum think?


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## Blackadder1916 (26 Sep 2008)

> "Need to be re-programmed. Opinions needed on if it's possible with the army."



The simple answer is NO.  The purpose of recruit training is not to "program" or "re-program" "or "de-program" the individuals who attend.   



> Objectives of the Recruit and Officer candidates courses
> 
> Facilitate the transition from civilian to military life
> Develop military state of mind and behaviour
> ...



Recruits will be, to some extent, "resocialized", but those who do not arrive in at least a modicum of physical and 'mental’ health (and with at least some basic social skills) will generally not fare well on the course.  You probably do not fit that bill as you have admitted already being diagnosed with a mental disorder and (the likelihood of passing an enrollment medical aside) probably do not now have the skills necessary to cope with that “resocialization” process. Recruit training (unless it has changed radically in the 30+ years since I went to Cornwallis) is not the venue to learn those skills.  What you need is not provided on recruit training.

“Borderline Personality Disorder” has a rather benign sound to it, so I’ve included the following extracts from the Mayo Clinic website article about BPD for those who may be unfamiliar with it.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/borderline-personality-disorder/DS00442


> *Definition*
> Borderline personality disorder can be a distressing medical condition, both for the people who have it and for those around them. When you have borderline personality disorder (BPD), you have difficulty controlling your emotions and are often in a state of upheaval — perhaps as a result of harmful childhood experiences or brain dysfunction.
> 
> With borderline personality disorder your image of yourself is distorted, making you feel worthless and fundamentally flawed. Your anger, impulsivity and frequent mood swings may push others away, even though you yearn for loving relationships.
> ...


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## Michael OLeary (26 Sep 2008)

sectech said:
			
		

> I know the army has a way of stripping people down and building them back up there way they see fit.




I think you are incorrect with this assumption.  It is a description of an overly-simplistic view of military training that would not bear out under critical examination.

Try this:

The military has a way, while teaching a variety of technical skills and imparting a range of behavioural expectations, of giving people an opportunity to expand and develop their own latent and overt talents to become good soldiers/sailors/airmen (officers and NCMs).  The military has success when people arrive who are good candidates for this process and have the right potential to succeed.  Without a sound basis for training development and a willingness to participate in their own success, the military can do little for unsuitable candidates.


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## daftandbarmy (26 Sep 2008)

Anyone who joins the army is half nuts. Stop asking us to psychoanalyze you online and go to the recruiting centre to see if they need your half somewhere in the CF right now.  ;D


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## Pieman (26 Sep 2008)

>  Impulsive and risky behavior, such as risky driving, unsafe sex, gambling sprees or taking illicit drugs
>  Strong emotions that wax and wane frequently
>  Intense but short episodes of anxiety or depression
>  Inappropriate anger, sometimes escalating into physical confrontations
>  Difficulty controlling emotions or impulses



Sounds like a typical young soldier to me.


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## TCBF (26 Sep 2008)

- A newborn person is a mostly blank slate: Maybe five per-cent of our "character profile" is frameworked - but that may prove to be a super-critical five per-cent regarding inherited psycho/sociopathology and so on.  Then, being raised cuts in, with the result that by the time we are four years old, ninety per-cent of our character is filled out.  

- Lifetime profound earth shattering changes will leave permanent marks on our character - true dat - but for the most part, nothing the military can (legally) do to us during Recruit training will undo what our genetics and first four years have done.

- A lot of the 'modern' social science thinking to the contrary had it's origins in Marxist dialogue (the NEW Communist Man and all that) as they tried to re-invent humanity.  Predictibly, that failed, though the last survivors of that school of thought are tenured and dying off ever so slowly.

- The CF remains wedded to such a Flower Children view of Human Resources: The MYTH of the volunteer. As a result, we still do NOT insist upon MMPI-2 tests for ALL applicants, even after Clayton Matchee cost us a regiment.


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## sectech (26 Sep 2008)

Blackadder1916:  Thank you for posting the entire criteria for BPD,  what people sometimes forget is that there are varying degrees of an illness or condition and it isn't totally black or white.  In my case I deal with the public all the time, and quite effectively at that.   I believe I stated that I am not asking the army to teach me how to think,  I am asking them to help me develop the skills that I have already.  I also believe someone stated that the first 4 years of a persons life really cannot be touched... my comment to that is that no you can never really be de-programmed entirely but skills can be worked on.  Isn't that what basic training is all about?  Team work? Communication? Pushing you beyond your limits? encouragement?  That is what I am after...

I guess as soon as I said "mental  health" everyone jumped to the extreme end of the scale and started taking it as that I don't have any social skills... There are quite a few docs out there who don't even believe in "Borderline Personality Disorder" and I seriously doubt I would mention it in my medical as I have already undergone skills training (it's always a work in progress), I will however mention the anxiety disorder though...


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## sectech (26 Sep 2008)

And how on earth does a personality disorder tie in with Clayton Matchee?  I am not even in the same book as him when it comes to what he did.


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## Fishbone Jones (26 Sep 2008)

This is done. If you want in, go to the CFRC.

Locked

Milnet.ca Staff


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