Reflect on what you learned from the identity wheel activity. How do our identities effect the way we interact with the world around us? Be sure to reference the discussions in your group as well as the activities with the theater group.
If you missed the first class: Write about the identities that are important to you, these could include race, religion, level of education, etc. Then, share how identities tie into our interactions and relationships with others. How will you be mindful of other identities on your trip?
Blog posts must be 200-400 words, proofread, and void of common grammatical errors.
Your blog posts are due before the start of class next week.
Please email albreaks@ku.edu if you have any questions!
From the identity wheel, I was able to get a more concrete, black-and-white representation of who I am and what components make up both my identity and personality. I’ve done an activity similar to this before and, every time I do it, I think it provides me with a good reminder of what’s important to me; it forces me to evaluate my priorities. But it also provides me with a clear outline of how I’m privileged and disadvantaged, and I think these are important, if sometimes uncomfortable, realities to face. I’m privileged because I am white, cisgender, straight, able-bodied, and middle-class. I am targeted because I am female. These aspects of my personality are so easy to forget, and they often seem secondary to my identity as a college student studying psychology or as a daughter or as a scholarship hall resident. In truth, though, it is these easily forgotten components of my identity that arguably most shape who I am. My advantaged traits have removed obstacles that others must face due to their targeted identities. And my own targeted traits can influence how I am perceived as I attempt to pursue my interests. While I personally haven’t experienced direct disadvantages due to my identity, it’s important to be aware of how others might, especially regarding those who identify in a more targeted way.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to the identity wheel, the interactive theater troupe provided an entertaining, informative preview of certain situations we may be expected to navigate while volunteering. I found it interesting to consider ways in which our comfort level might be pushed, and to reflect upon what my own reactions would be in such situations. Viewing the short presentations helped me begin to mentally prepare for what my role will actually be while on the trip, and how my attitude can influence the group atmosphere. Talking with my group previously about our identities had helped me learn more about who they are and how I can best contribute to the group as a whole. Between the identity wheel and the theater presentation, I feel better prepared for what I am engaging in and for what my role will be.
I found the identity wheel to be an informative exercise because it not only helped me get to know the other volunteers in my group, but it also helped me identify aspects of myself that I find to be important in how I define who I am. It was interesting to see how different people approached the topic; meaning that some had a lot of pieces, some had only a few, some pieces were very specific and others were quite broad. Also it was interesting to see that some viewed certain aspects as a larger portion of who they are while others weighted every aspect equally in defining themselves.
ReplyDeleteIn my group specifically, it was nice to begin to get an understanding as to what our group members have in common and where some of our differences lie. Namely, someone mentioned that they love going out to local restaurants in Lawrence. This sparked a conversation among our group because it was something we all enjoyed and we were able to compare and contrast some of our favorite restaurants. From our identity wheels, we also realized that, though we are all on the same trip, we are all very different from each other. We have two or three people focused on the biological sciences, while everyone else is more accounting or other humanities. Also, we are all at different points in our academic career (meaning we have freshman, sophomores, and juniors/seniors). This will provide all of us with a diversity of majors and backgrounds that we haven’t yet been exposed to in our experience at KU.
It is important to understand our own identities and the identities of those around us because they greatly influence how we see the world, and thus how we interact with it. Personally, I value physical and mental health equally. Thus, when I have a friend who needs help or I’m working with someone who is in need, I will be passionate about listening to them to understand what they need and also encourage them to take care of themselves physically. Someone else who may value mental health more than physical health may meditate with them, or someone who may value physical health more than mental will try to engage them in an active sport. Our values influence how see perceive the world around us and thus how we respond to, or interact with, that environment.
From the identity wheel I learned what characteristics I most easily associate with myself. Having made an identity wheel once before during Alt Breaks, I was prepared for what to include. The first time I made one I had no way of expressing cis-gender, able-bodied, or student. Those items seem obvious now but I had never been forced to consider them before. I realize now that those three traits are very important to my identity even though I did not think of them often.
ReplyDeleteAs a student I spend most of my time thinking about school. Tests, homework, and studying occupy a large part of my consciousness. Beyond actual schoolwork, walking around campus, interacting or not-interacting with my classmates, and attending club meetings currently form the basis of my experiences. The subject material available to me when conversing with non-students feels very limited.
Initially when I did the identity wheel I did not even include “student”. “Student” had never occurred to me as an identity since everyone I knew was a student and had always been so. Only recently, as I have made friends that are not students and existing friends have graduated or dropped out of college, have I been able to acknowledge the degree to which being a student affects my identity.
The theatre group demonstrated the difficulties of communicating across identity differences. For volunteers to be effective, they must recognize their own identity and attempt to temper it in favor of both their group and those they are serving.
The identity wheel activity helped highlight the different ways that people gain a sense of their identity. While the majority of the sections on my wheel came from characteristics of my personality, others in group identified with things they were involved with on campus, the sports they play, or where they grew up. While those things are not significant to me, it is important to keep in mind that it means a great deal to others. This promotes an environment of mutual understanding, where no person feels like their identity is being questions or even attacked. This ties into the way we interact with the world around us, because while I may identify with being an introvert, not everyone will understand why I enjoy spending time with myself. In fact, introversion can often be mistaken for disdain or feelings of superiority towards others. It’s important for me especially to keep this mind, in order to make sure that I’m not putting others off with my actions.
ReplyDeleteA similar situation occurred in the activities acted out by the theater group. While the actors/actresses portrayed volunteers that did not (for the most part) have any ill intentions, the way they behaved left room for misunderstanding and hurt feelings. Being aware that they were surrounded by people from different lifestyles with different identities could have influenced them to think twice about the words they chose to use and the way they chose to act.
There were many things that I learned in the identity wheel activity. First, I felt it was able to help me personally identify the qualities about myself that I believe are the most important. This was shown with the sizes of the pie pieces. I felt that most of my group put positive qualities on their identity wheel. We are more likely to want to show others things about ourselves that we see as good. Still, I think some people may have been hesitant to share more some of the more personal things about their identity, such as religious views, until someone else shares about that personal of a topic first. Our identities definitely affect our interactions with the world around us in multiple ways. When we associate ourselves or others with a certain group or label, it can cause us to separate ourselves from others who aren’t the same. This can be dangerous, because this can cause alienation or even segregation. On the other hand, when the varying identities of everyone are appreciated instead of being used to label, everyone will feel like they’re valuable.
ReplyDeleteI definitely enjoyed the theater group. They brought up topics I hadn’t even considered beforehand. One topic that was introduced was how southern mannerisms can be used to create a barrier of professionalism. This was discussed after a volunteer said some unprofessional things to a person being served in one of the skits. If the volunteer would have used terms like “sir” and “ma’am” and were more polite, the interaction would have been much better. These terms show respect and show that they are being professional. My site is in Fort Worth, Texas, so this concept definitely applies.
The identity wheel activity was a very thought-provoking activity. It allowed me to identify which parts of my life and my interests are more significant than the other areas in my life. The activity allowed me to understand myself better and define my identity as an individual. I learned that everyone weighs different things differently. I also realized that the identity wheel of an individual is molded by his or her personality and environment. Consequently, our different identities affect the way we interact with the society around us. As an international student, the elements of my identity wheel were very dissimilar from my group members’ identity wheel. This leads to my point of having different experiences will create different identities that will affect our approach to society in various ways. However, the elements in our identity wheels are not permanent and constantly change. We tend to mix well with other individuals of similar identities and interests. We feel more comfortable in those groups and sometimes, might even alter some elements in our identity wheel to fit in well by changing our priorities in life. We also act according to our interests by being involved in the areas which we enjoy or excel in. When we are passionate about something, it becomes a big part of our identity.
ReplyDeleteThe KU Interactive Theater Troupe was very entertaining as well as educational. I learned that different identities can easily cause miscommunications and unwanted frictions among group members. The activities by the theatre group showed me that being sensitive to another person’s identity can play a huge part during our daily interactions. This is why understanding one another’s identity during the early stages of a friendship is crucial so that we may find a “common ground” of interests and build onto those relationships. Conflicts can be prevented and good friendships can be maintained. This session also prepared me to face communities of different backgrounds and life experiences, which will definitely benefit my encounter with the community at my winter break site.
In the identity wheel activity, I was challenged to select the most significant components of my identity. Through this activity, I was able to learn more about my own personal values and traits. When I compared my wheel to the wheels of the other members of my group, I realized that we shared a couple of fundamental values. We all talked about our families. However, we differed in our gender identities, sexual orientations, majors, racial identities, and hobbies.
ReplyDeleteSlight variations in people’s identities are often the catalysts that spark conflict in the world. However, despite our differences, the members of my group were polite and open-minded during our discussion. In the right situation, diverse identities can create meaningful conversations. People can use their differences to collaborate and build a better society. In the wrong situation, people refuse to listen to other viewpoints, and diversity can lead to tension and even violence. When we interact with other people, we should be aware of our own personal biases, and we should consciously attempt to be open-minded. The wheel activity was a useful way to help the members of each group connect with each other and learn about diversity.
The theater group’s presentation reinforced the lessons I learned in the wheel activity. The performances demonstrated communication problems caused by diversity. I thought it was interesting that something as simple as a facial expression or a careless statement can lead to conflict. The leader of the theater group also provided helpful tips for bridging communication gaps and connecting with people over the course of our service trips.
The identity wheel activity really challenged me to go beyond how I was identified in high school and really seek who I am in the big picture. It helped me to realize that I can be anything I want to be and I don't have to let anything define me. I don't have to be defined by my sorority because I am an x-amount of other qualities.
ReplyDeleteThe activity was very helpful for my group because upon our first meeting, we were all somewhat shy and didn't really know what to talk about. Learning about the five other girls in my group amazed me. I'm so glad I got to know things about them that I would have never known otherwise. For example, one soft-spoken group member is yoga trained. Overall our group showed a decent amount of diversity but we found common ground in the fact that we are all passionate about service and went out on a limb by participating in Alternative Breaks (none of us have done a break before). Although we at first seemed very different, we were soon laughing and discussing the great food in Lawrence.
The theater troupe was very eye-opening to me. I was amazed by the talent of these students. They were given minimal amounts of information about our hypothetical scenarios and could instantly take on the role of another person in another setting. And they didn't just act like another person, they really knew how to portray attitudes and even body language. They were very knowledgeable of the current issues some of the Alternative Breaks work with.
The first class was nothing I expected it to be but nonetheless made me excited to continue learning and growing with this experience.
The identity wheels definitely served their purpose of getting to know our group. It let us share our similarities and become aware of our differences.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I noticed while sharing our identity wheels is that most of our group included their sexual and gender orientation. We had great diversity in our group’s sexual orientations. For some this was a very large part of their identity wheel while for others, such as myself, it was only a small sliver. Although it took up different sized pieces, our sexual and gender orientations were all important enough to us to include in our identity wheels. This gives the idea that we share similar values about the subject and that we appreciate other sexual and gender identities.
Another identity commonly shared in our group was mental illnesses, such as ADHD, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. Such illnesses significantly impact a person’s thoughts and behaviors so getting to learn about these aspects of our group members will allow us to understand each other and work together better. We will have a better understanding of the members’ points of view and how to handle issues within our group.
Almost my entire group used their majors as an identifier. Majors dictate which classes a student takes and therefore dictates how they spend a lot of their time. The majority of our group is science majors in varying forms of chemistry and biology. Because our majors are similar we will share a similar college experience academically. However, there is at least one non-science major in our group. This allows us to learn about college experiences and classes much different than the ones most science majors are used to. Our majors gave us both a similarity and a difference for us to all grow on.
The Interactive Theater Group also addressed the similarities and differences between people and how they affect interactions. The group focused specifically on issues that we may run into on our alternative breaks. They addressed issues such as racism and financial status. The group itself was also a great example of how difficult it can be to remain inoffensive even if you actions are purely out of good intentions. Although the Interactive Theater Group only had good intentions, they unknowingly offended students in the audience. After the performance, some students were discussing the camping skit in which there was a poor Russian character. They were talking about how the skit seemed offensive because of how the Russian character was portrayed. This is the perfect example, though unintentional, of the issues we may run into not only on our alternative breaks, but in our daily lives as well.
The identity wheel activity was very informative and thought provoking. I have never personally made an identity wheel, so this was the first time that I was able to think about my life, and understand what characteristics about myself I hold to be most important. The activity allowed me to identity myself and gave me the opportunity to share my identity with my fellow group mates. I was able to understand what qualities that are important to me and are not important to other people. It is interesting to see how differently the other members in my group and I view ourselves as individuals. The majority of my identity wheel consisted of activities that I have the opportunity to participate in while here at the University of Kansas. It was very interesting to see the portions of other people’s identity wheels. One’s gender and religion were more important to some people than to me. I enjoyed being able to understand what truly matters to some people because it helps me relate to them better. We can see where we are similar and different, and we can use those to our advantage while on our trip together.
ReplyDeleteOur identities affect the way we interact with the people around us, which was portrayed by the KU Interactive Theater Troupe. This group of students was able to place themselves in a character within a situation in the matter of just a few seconds. They were able to portray different situations that we will be put into use while on our breaks. We will have to work with others who have completely different identities than ourselves, and we can’t let our differences prevent us from achieving our goals for this alternative break. As a group we will have to work together to think about the students that we will be working with. We can’t go in with preconceived notions because we don’t know their backgrounds. We don’t want to upset them by saying something insensitive. The theater group helped understand the identity differences that we will need to be prepared to face. In order for us to be effective, we will have to make sure to think before we speak and before we act.
The identity wheel activity helped me realize what I considered important about myself, and it also helped me know more about my group members. I had never done an activity like this before, so at first it was hard to come up with divisions, but eventually I was able to come up with a good mixture of components I was proud of and components I was not so proud of. This was a fun activity where we could learn multiple things about our group members in a short amount of time. Although we all put down KU as being part of our identities, we all have different majors, interests, and beliefs. Many of my group members identified as being part of an organization, sorority, or club through campus. Being part of something bigger than ourselves helps give us a sense of purpose, and this contribution strengthens our identities. Just knowing my group members’ goals and how they spent their time helped me understand them so much more as individuals rather than hearing personality traits alone.
ReplyDeleteThe Interactive Theater troupe’s performance was a fun way to watch how people with different backgrounds, personalities, and aspirations interact during uncomfortable situations. It never crossed my mind when I first applied for Alternative Breaks that conflicts could arise. This sparked me to start thinking of how to keep the break positive and productive in adverse conditions. My favorite scenario was the imitation of the Everglades group in Florida. Although we will hopefully not be stranded somewhere without phone service during our break, this performance helped me start thinking about what I can do to be the most prepared or help the kids I will be working with if they are in bad moods. How we act or what we say can easily offend people. The kids at Playworks may not be as privileged as most people in my group have been, so it is important for us to respect and be sensitive to their backgrounds and identities in order to be the best volunteers we can be.
The identity wheel was an enlightening experience. To figure out the biggest pieces of the pie, it was easy because they are such huge parts of my life. However the small chunks were more challenging. It was especially difficult to decide what really defined me not just from my perspective but also from the perspective of those around me. Some of the things I wrote were words that I commonly used to define myself but others I wouldn’t personally use. However I realized that others might just from looking at me, such as Caucasian.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed sharing with the group because we saw some of the ways that our interests overlapped and also got to explain what made us unique. Our identities have a much larger effect on how we perceive the world around us than I realized. Most of the time I just sweep my individualities under the rug but when we were discussing I realized that I had the exact same experiences as some of my group members but because of my background, they had felt completely different. Within our group these differences were strengthening because they gave us new perspectives.
However, when the theater troupe performed, they made it clear how those differences could become confrontational. I appreciated their approach because they really showed us some of the problems that could arise that we wouldn’t think of on our own, while keeping the atmosphere fairly light hearted. I know that these situations will be challenging but I think that’s why it’s so important that our group is diverse. Hopefully in situations that I might not have experience with, one of my peers will have more insight and vice-versa. This activity is definitely an eye opener for what you personally have to contribute and where you can look to others for their strengths.
Thanks to the pinwheel activity I took time out for both introspection and evaluation of my interpersonal knowledge. Listening to the other members of my group explain their pinwheels helped me feel more familiar with them and far more comfortable. Not only did I learn about myself and others in our group based on what we put in our pinwheels, but we—as a group—also learned from what we left off of our pinwheels. During our discussion our site leader noted the fact that none of us included our economic class on our pinwheel. From this we determined that our economic class was likely high enough that it wasn’t a major concern in our lives; in other words we might often take our economic advantage for granted.
ReplyDeleteThis led into our conversation of privilege and how we should be more cognizant of our privileges when interacting with others. Our identification with privileged groups can lead us to make assumptions about others’ backgrounds that are often untrue. For example, if I were interacting with an adult in a professional position, being a traditional college student may lead me to assume that the individual with whom I am conversing has a college education, and I may ask something along the lines of “What was your senior year in undergrad like?” A question like this could end up making them uncomfortable if they would then have to tell me that they never graduated college. The importance of interactions like this was also reflected by the theater group; economic privilege was specifically referenced in several of the scenarios acted out by the group. In many of the cases the volunteer characters forgot to “check their privilege” before interacting with others. For example, in the woman’s shelter scenario, one of the volunteer characters had assumed that the women would be capable of buying whatever toiletries and cosmetics they may be missing using their own money. Assumptions like these lead to tension which inhibits our ability to effectively help.
The activities from this class period have reminded me to be more heedful of assumptions I may be making when interacting with others. Not only has this prepared me to interact more appropriately with the individuals I plan to serve this winter, but I also am more aware of the assumptions I used to make during my day-to-day interactions.
The identity wheel was a great depiction of the way I currently self-consciously view myself. The entities of identity features written in my identity wheel also expose how I may be generally perceived. Also, my identities will always be factors to influence expectations and behavior of the people I interact with. For instance, the fact that I am female allows men to treat me differently – in a more polite manner – in comparison to when they interact with other men. Another example of a feature of my identity which affects the way I interact with the world around me would be my ethnic identity of being Chinese. Being Chinese is inevitably tied to certain social expectations during an interaction, especially in a society whereby Chinese is not the dominant race. For example, people who are aware of the pattern of interaction in Chinese culture may avoid eye contact during a conversation with me as a form of respect and understanding, even though maintaining eye-contact is necessary in most Western culture.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, I can relate with most of my teammates as we share many similar features of identity. When I shared my identity wheel with my team mates, they nodded and listened intently. They also offered comments when I mentioned identity features that they related to (being a girl, honors student, bookworm etc.). My group’s discussion was patterned in the common women speech fashion which gives emphasis to sharing and intimacy in comparison to the male-speech which typically centres proposing hierarchy.
From the identity wheel activity, I acknowledged certain differences and similarities that I share with my teammates and in a boarder sense the people of America, from a foreigner’s perspective. The theater group acted out the many obstacles that the alternative break teams may face which allows a realistic imagination of how the experience may be. It also demonstrated possible scenarios which may play out against my favor due to certain social stereotypes against my nationality or skin color.
P.S. I registered for class late and I was told by Ally that late posts are allowed for this entry?
Rachael Watson, Alt Response:
ReplyDeleteIt is kind of difficult to choose which identities are important to me, personally out of the many that are often spoken of: age, race, sex, gender, ability, religion, and so on. There are some I am actively reminded of every day. Whereas, others operate less distinctly as ongoing background noise; ever present, but easy to ignore and can be left unexamined for long periods of time. Nonetheless, these identities intersect to create my perspective of the world around me and this means that each of them is relevant and contributes to who I am as a whole.
Identities tie into our interactions and relationships with others in both direct and indirect ways. For example, a man and woman who share many other distinctions such as socioeconomic location, geographic location, race, etc. are more likely than not to have divergent experiences of the American mainstream lingerie industry. These experiences will directly inform their perspectives of the subject and their personal feelings surrounding it, even if they ultimately agree on intellectual assertions such as ‘thongs are terrible’ or ‘the ongoing marketing and portrayal of women as objects is morally and politically inaccurate and inappropriate as well as demeaning to individuals of all sexes and genders’. It is important to note that this does not only apply to one-on-one contexts, but also large scale situations, as these involve large groups which are composed of individuals, who are comprised of intersecting identities.
On my trip this winter, I will be mindful of other identities, by trying to avoid putting myself in someone else’s shoes. I think this is a seemingly effective exercise we often teach children with the best of intentions, yet it is trickier than it looks. If you’re genuinely taking the steps of the exercise, you would want to clear away all your own perspectives and attempt to start from scratch. What we often do instead is think, ‘What would I do in that situation’ or ‘I think I would be grateful for…’ and the big problem with that is that you’re still using your own lens; you’re still putting yourself first as the authority. Sometimes, you have to just take a moment and listen to someone else, really listen. It’s okay to have some static upon first taking in a new message. Something I learned from my experience with Clifton StrengthsFinder exercises, is that a team is often at its best when its members do not share the same strengths- here, we could think of this in terms of ‘power through diversity’ or ‘full development in many perspectives’. So, it’s actually a little in the spirit of selfishness that I intend to be mindful of the identities of others on my trip, because I think it is an opportunity to learn and a comprehensive method of finding solutions, framing challenges, and authentically serving others.
I learned quite a bit actually. This gave me the perspective on where people come from and how different we all are. Each of us got to share a little piece of our lives with each other and get a little closer as a group. I enjoyed everybody’s stories about why their wheel was the way it was and how they got to this point in their life.
ReplyDeleteAfter completing these, we were privileged with KU’s improv group. They did a great job showing us different scenarios that could happen while we are on our break. They helped us to see the challenges that we might see as well as just help to prepare us. I learned a lot about how we have a lot of things that others don’t. We are privileged people that need to show we are there to help, not there to better ourselves.
I am going to my site because it does have to do with my major, but I also want to learn more than just what KU has to offer. As a teacher, I want to be able to help all of my students succeed. This site will help me to achieve my goals and acquire the knowledge necessary to complete my job as a teacher, effectively.