Discussion: A compass should only be a ...

A compass should only be a support. I know plenty of people who orienteer without a compass. I think corridors, and afterwards analyzing the gps track, would be. an exercise that would be really helpful for moving past these difficulties you're experiencing.
http://o-training.net/w/Corridor_orienteering

And that's my unsolicited opinion.

Thierry likes corridor-O too. TG+compass

I suspect this is due to some combination of WIOL/my dad (by necessity) emphasizing map reading over compass skills, the nature of Puget Sound terrain, and my own laziness and complacency...

Tthe hurry-hurry-hurry "sprint" mindset which it is in my nature to adopt.

Ok, so I'm not elite or fast or any of that, but after orienteering in Seattle for 10+ years now, and running in a lot of sprint races, I completely 100% agree with your sentiments. I think I looked at my compass once on Saturday. Heck, I went 9 months of running without a compass back in 2013.

So whenever I'm in terrain where I need to use the compass as support, I tend to be sloppy with it and make mistakes.

@Greg - haha not at all, I appreciate the advice. Corridor-O is a great idea and would be both painful and helpful, I think. Right now I basically mistrust my compass to the point where I don't rely on it unless there's no other option, which is no problem until I'm in "sensory deprivation" terrain. Then I get into trouble.