Assignment task:
Review the video and material below then write 2-3 sentences for each of these.
Define "Otherness": In your own words, explain what the term "otherness" means to you. Consider how it relates to the ways we perceive and interact with people who are different from ourselves in terms of culture, race, gender, religion, or other characteristics. Need Assignment Help?
Personal Reflection: Reflect on your personal experiences with "otherness." How have you encountered it in your life? How did it make you feel, and how did you respond to those situations?
Dealing with "Otherness": Describe your approach to dealing with "otherness." What strategies do you use to bridge gaps and foster understanding when you encounter differences? How do you work to create an inclusive environment in your interactions?
Who will you take to lunch? Based on the video provided in this module, explain who you would take to lunch and why? What would you want to learn?
Material to use to answer above questions
YouTube Video: Sesame Street - One of These Things (with Wegman's dogs)
YouTube Video: Take "the Other" to lunch | Elizabeth Lesser
The concept of "otherness" has been a powerful force throughout human history.
"One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong" is a song from Sesame Street that has stuck in my head for many years. Although, one might assume it to be harmless, it is a lesson that teaches children to focus on the differences, rather than the similarities. This form of cognitive training teaches us to see people that may be different than ourselves in the same manner, which is that they don't belong. In all honesty, I have sung this as a joke, when I have been the minority in a certain situation (example: only girl in the room or oldest student in class). From early on, we are socialized to process information this way. Unfortunately, this is a major aspect of how our society works in general. This manner of thinking has caused conflict among diverse groups.
More often than not, rather than seeking and identifying a common ground with others, what is observed are the differences that exist in race, gender, sex, ethnicity, religion, social status, education, tax bracket, and even age. When these aspects differ than our own personal and social identity traits we consider the other party a member of the "out group," without fully processing aspects that could assimilate them to one's in-group. According to the social dominance theory, if the individual has negative social value this categorizing or separation is done in an attempt to protect the in-group to which we belong and to protect the status and power in the hierarchy along with resources. Identifying and protecting one's place in all of this seems to be how one is able to identify best with one's self. Therefore, if an individual has determined that a person is indeed a member of the out-group and considers them a threat, then as social identity theory predicts, the in-group individual will protect their group under these conditions and there is potential for conflict.
From early on, we are socialized to also look for those who most resemble ourselves, as we are repeatedly taught to find someone who we have something in common with, as a worthy friend or partner. Why wouldn't we be encouraged and encourage others to seek out people who are different and that could enrich our lives with more knowledge, open mindedness, more tolerance, and more understanding? This type of motivating factor for choosing our in-group occurs socially and occupationally. Often one's differences can be an obstacle in opportunities and promotions, particularly if they are not a part of the in-group that those in power belong to.
Diversity is present wherever one may turn, in everyday living. Whether it be interactions in school, work, business, finance, in the services we receive, and even at the grocery store. It is only logical that we attempt to find ways to improve inter-group relations. Diversity can present positive and negative opportunities, it appears that the outcome is based on whether stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination communication and or respect are present. One intervention that has supported that the potential exists to improve inter-group relationships is "contact", where equal, but diverse groups are able to better acquaint and understand each other, through contact and by finding a similar goal to work on (Bikmen, 2011). This intervention can improve bias or discrimination that may have existed. Diversity management in the workplace or helping children de-categorize in school can also improve inter-group relationships, correct biases and stereotypes (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).
Geert Hofdtede so eloquently explained cultural diversity as the differences in the "software" in each individual's mind, (which includes experiences, culture, race, gender, values, socialization) but that we all have the same basic hardware, which is the biological brain (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). With this thought in mind, it should be less of a challenge to consider similarities and attempt to find ways to respect and be considerate of other people's culture. It has been suggested that cultural responsiveness is a way to exist within and among diversity and differences. This concept is based on exploring and honoring the differences of others, instead of attempting to change them and "requires openness to the viewpoints, thoughts, and experiences of others" (Williams, 2012). Perhaps, if we can modify our belief system about "otherness" as a negative thing, from the messages we have been taught so early on, about things that are different not belonging (Sesame Street - One Of These Things, 2007) then less conflict would occur.
References:
Bikmen, N. (2011). Asymmetrical Effects of Contav=ct Between Minority Groups: Asian and Black Students in a Small College. American Psychological Association, 186-194.
Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psycholgy: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). California: Sage Publicationss.
Sesame Street - One Of These Things. (2007, July 1). Retrieved October 2, 2015, from YouTube
Sesame Street - One of These Things. (2015, Masy 18). Retrieved October 2, 2015, from YouTube
Williams, L. Q. (2012, December 30). How to Accept and Respect other Cultures. Retrieved October 3, 2015, from HUB Pages:Sociology and Anthropology
A piece from an organization The Cultural Mastery posted:
How do you deal with otherness?
"Humanity is infested with a lethal disease. Fear of the foreign. Uneasiness with otherness.
One could argue that during the last decade there has been a growing global trend of Xenophobia. Dealing with otherness appears to be really difficult for many. Years ago some people argued that globalization will alleviate the fear of what people perceive as foreign. Right now we are experiencing the opposite, especially in the so-called developed Western world. Globalization brought us an almost unlimited exchange of goods and services, it didn't necessarily come with a widespread acceptance of different ideas and worldviews.
Turn on the news at any given moment, anywhere in the world, and you will be confronted with reports of violence against people. It is probably safe to assume that one main reason why humans resort to violent behavior is an inability to resolve conflicts with dialog and compromise. And often conflicts arise between people who view each other as being different. Of course, otherness is not the only cause for confrontations, however, often it's what is foreign that lets people respond with fear.
As humans we have a choice in how we react to our environment. We can follow instinct, we can reply based on emotion, or we can use reason and intelligence. When people resort to an aggravating outside impulse with the primal reflexes of fight or flight, there is a chance for a violent response. And even if a person's reaction to disrupting impulses bypasses the reptilian part of the brain and is processed in the brain's limbic system (from which emotions and value judgements originate), how we discern a good stimulus from a bad one is based on prior experiences. If those were unpleasant, a hostile reaction is more likely.
Human BrainOur brains record memories of behaviors which produced either agreeable or disagreeable experiences. These experiences shape the value judgments we make - more often than not unconsciously - and they exert quite a strong influence on our behavior.
Or, as you will hear me say during training sessions: Don't believe a word I say. Because everything I say is biased. It is based on my own experience.
To overcome this bias, whether it is conscious or unconscious, it is necessary that we increase the number of experiences we have and that we create new memories which will overwrite the old ones. The more pleasant memories we have with otherness the less likely we are to react to the foreign with fear, apprehension, or violence.
In our cultural coaching programs, we facilitate making these new experiences by encouraging the participants to expose themselves to situations in which they will encounter new things and behaviors - actions and manners that differ from what the coachee considers to be "normal." Stepping outside of the proverbial comfort zone is the best way to learn and to grow as a person.
This isn't accomplished over night, to master one's flexibility in the face of otherness it takes practice and commitment. It is also not rocket science.
To illustrate how easy it can be to challenge your own view of the world, I'll point you to a TED talk by Elizabeth Lesser, co-founder of the Omega Institute, who says:
I'm deeply disturbed by the ways in which all of our cultures are demonizing "the Other" by the voice we're giving to the most divisive among us. Listen to these titles of some of the bestselling books from both sides of the political divide here in the U.S. "Liberalism Is a Mental Disorder," "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot," "Pinheads and Patriots," "Arguing With Idiots." They're supposedly tongue-in-cheek, but they're actually dangerous. Now here's a title that may sound familiar, but whose author may surprise you: "Four-and-a-Half-Years of Struggle Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice." Who wrote that? That was Adolf Hitler's first title for "Mein Kampf" - "My Struggle" - the book that launched the Nazi party. The worst eras in human history, whether in Cambodia or Germany or Rwanda, they start like this, with negative other-izing. And then they morph into violent extremism.
Now, while Lesser's perspective is guided more by the often contentious dynamics of the political arena, her approach applies just as much to global professionals who face behavioral differences when working and living abroad, or when leading, managing, and motivating across cultures.
Lesser's concept for dealing with otherness is radically simple: Take someone who doesn't agree with you (or whose different behavior is a challenge for you) to lunch and ask them three questions to find out what's really in their hearts. In doing so, there are a few guidelines.
First of all, decide on a goal: to get to know one person from a group you may have negatively stereotyped. Then, before you get together for lunch, agree on some ground rules. These work well: don't persuade, defend or interrupt. Be curious; be conversational; be real. Then you go into these questions.