Quote:
Originally Posted by Betonov
A better option would be to make somekind a psychological test, to somehow probe the mind of a newcommer, to see whether he/she is thinking about making a better live for themselves or something sinister.
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I have been a clinical psychologist. Forget the idea, it is not possible. And any questionaires you might consider can be cheated by spreading the word on what kind of "right" answers the subject is expected in order to pass the test.
That is one of the problems with the integration test that has been implemented in Germany two years ago - by decision of bureaucratically thinking politicians who do not have a clue on what they were talking about when assuming they could test the willingness to integrate by a test on knowledge about German history and culture (a test of knowledge that even many native Germans would fail to pass, btw.
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I for example could learn American history and the design of the political system and it'S institutions, and I even could answer with the mandatory "yes" when the question is asked wheter or not I believe in a theistic deity (during the interview migrants to the US have to answer with "yes" if they want to get permission for citizenship - so it was reported in a German docu movie some years ago, and confirmed by the American embassy in Berlin). But whether my replies are meant honest and serious or not, and whether I want to do harm to the US or not - remain to be things unanswered by such a "test". It means nothing.
Psycho-Tests only make sense if the subject voluntarily accepts to be honest or has a sufficiently strong own-interest in being honest even if that honesty could lead to failing the test, or is mentally incapable to be dishonest (due to a deranged state of mind). In case of migrants wanting to gain any kind of permission or access, you can safely assume that they have a bigger interest to give the answers that they think will get them what they want, instead of being honest even if that means they fail.
And then there is the psychological problem of internal psychological tension and dissonance - a person can desire to be honest indeed even if that means disadvantages, but then still has to deal with inherent tendencies in it'S cognitions and behavior to give the answers that subconsciously are expected to be the answers that get him/her a passing for that test. It is a variation of the old dilemma that when you are being told to be spontaneous - by that order alone you already can no longer be spontaneous. If you try to be spontaneous because you "try", then you are not - becasue you "try". If you try to be spontaneous because you are being told to be so - you are not, because you follow a demand.