Most of us at one time or another have experienced the feeling of being different when we have been in a group – at school, work, professional meetings, or social occasions. This feeling of difference may range from mild awareness of being an outsider to perceptions of being isolated, misunderstood, or not valued. In any case, such experiences leave one feeling alienated and uncomfortable. This exercise is intended to help you think about instances in which you felt different and to explore some ways in which you can become more open to differences and uniqueness in both yourself and others.
Topic: recall a recent (within the last year or so) experience when you felt different from those around you. It could be an experience at school, at work, or in a social setting. When you have the experience in mind provide a description of the following situational factors:
- Describe the situation ( who, when, where, what happened).
- What did you do? How did you feel? How did you act?
- What did you observe others doing? How did they react to you?
- How did the situation end?
To help you think further about differences, using the questionnaire below, identify which number best applies to your situation:
| ISSUE | |||
| How important was the situation to you? | 0 – Relatively | 1 – Important | 2 – Very critical |
| How different were you? | 0 – Very little difference | 1 – Some difference | 2 – Great difference |
| Were these differences visible to others? | 0 – No | 1 – A little | 2 – Obvious |
| Were there power differences? | 0 – I was in charge | 1 – No | 2 – I was being directed by others |
| Were you isolated from others similar to you? | 0 – I had several others like me for support | 1 – One other supportive | 2 – I was alone |
| Were you stereotyped? | 0 – I was treated as a unique individual | 1 – I felt stereotyped | 2 – There was direct evidence of stereotyping |
| Did the situation cause you to react emotionally? | 0 – No emotional reaction | 1 – I felt slightly upset | 2 – I had strong emotional reactions |
Add the numbers which you felt best applied to you in the situation to get your total intensity of differentness score and include the number in your post. Also include your thoughts and feelings about the experience in light of the questionnaire.
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