Above, the result of an exercise we did last night in class off of the concept of PERCEPTION, EXPERIENCE, and EXPRESSION the three stages of the Youand Model, which is based on the traditional I-Statement from Conflict Resolution/Mediation and the Art Principle of SEEING, EXPERIENCING, and SHARING. Blended, they form an elegant model and tool for reflection on one's own thoughts and feelings and values, at any given moment. Which, within a Youand framework is rooted in The First Principle, from Epictetus, that states: ". . . From the start, then work on saying to each harsh appearance, 'You are an appearance, and not at all the thing that has the appearance.' Then examine it and assess it by these yardsticks that you have, and first and foremost by whether it concerns the things that are up to us . . . "
The image is but a partial one, as my scanner can not capture the entire page of the groups generated inclusions.
The Youand Model
(I-statement plus Perception, Experience, Expression)
I drew a circle, with another circle like a bull’s eye in the center. I called the entire circle THE CIRCLE OF AWARENESS (I just made the name up. Please call it whatever you like.)
The area outside the larger circle, I labeled the area of PERCEPTION.
The space between the inside circle and the outside circle, the area of EXPERIENCE.
The space inside the inner circle, NEEDS/WANTS/VALUES
We, (the group) brainstormed (wrote everything down that people said) that influenced our PERCEPTION:
History
- Past experience
- Memory
Media
Culture
Habits of thought
Age (generation)
Economics
- the haves
- the have nots
- the have a little, want mores
(from Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals")
Personality
Desires (wants)
Self Talk
Fear (emotion)
Archetypal Forces (like gravity, invisible yet powerful)
Needs
Convention
Preference
Environment
Socialization
Taste
World View (Point-of-View)
Religion
Emotions
Family influences
(I just now thought) Political leanings
All these, we agreed, influence the way we PERCEIVE things. So that each of us, influenced by any or combinations of these might PERCEIVE the same thing quite differently, depending on all of these influences. | We reflected on how, problematic it can be to act on what might only be an "appearance" of the thing itself. | Then we brainstormed about our EXPERIENCE of these PERCEPTIONS:
to Judge
to Label
to Prejudge (see a person of color, for example.)
to Avoid
to Assume
to Desire
to Stereotype
to Strategize
to Form interpretations
Thoughts
to Dismiss
and FEELINGS
I shared how FEELINGS are the pointers to the contents of the inner circle:
NEEDS/WANTS/VALUES
We pondered about the implications of all of this.
