Thursday, March 5, 2009
Judging and Categorizing
In my opinion it is possible to perceive others without in some way judging or categorizing them but it is very unlikely. There are methods we can use to be better prepared in our perception of others for instance being mindful. According to Trenholm, (2008) mindful processing is “when we act mindfully, we actively think about the world, creating new understandings rather than relying on old” (p. 54). I believe that many of us unconsciously use a construct referred to as chronically accessible constructs. Trenholm (2008) states, “these constructs are likely to color and bias our interpretation of others and their messages” (p.52). A method that can assist us in not judging or categorizing is called cognitive complexity. Trenholm (2008) states, “Cognitive complexity occurs when an individual has a large, rich, and varied set of personal constructs. The cognitively complex person is willing to combine seemingly contradictory characteristics in creative ways, realizing that people are not all good or all bad” (p. 52 – 53).
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Hello sjsueducatedfool! What are some real world examples of what you have written here? :)
ReplyDeleteA real world example of this happened recently in the Martin Luther King Library. I was trying to find a book and a homeless man in the library could tell that I was getting frustrated. He offered to help me find the book. I would usually categorize a homeless person as uneducated and sometimes scary. It took some effort to get this categorization out of my head but once I agreed to let the gentleman help me, notice that I refer to him as a gentleman now and not a homelessman, I was shocked at how much knowledge he had on the subject I was studing. Needless to say being mindful of the situation and having an openmind that this man may not be in the category that I placed him was an eye opening experience. But as you can still see once I placed him out of the category of homelessman, I put him the category of gentleman. So yes I still judged and categorized him but by using the methods of mindfulness and cognitive complexity I was able to somewhat put it aside. So as you can see I did state that it is possible to not judge or categorize someone but highly unlikely and I still feel this is true. I tried not to judge or categorize but I did, even when I used some of the methods. I always say never say never because there is always a chance it can happen and that is why I say it is possible for someone not to judge or categorize individuals or groups.
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