After a year of no posts, I had to write something. The closer I become to finishing graduate, the more enlightened I become about myself as a person and my choices. This is part 1 of at least 2 posts. I started a post about my realization of what I wanted to do with my career and I realized that there is so much more. This first part is more about how I have grown and changed as a person. The second part is more about my career.
My first enlightenment occurred while I was an undergraduate student. I grew up in a small, rural community with little diversity and little push to be more or do more. I lived a pretty sheltered life. It wasn't until I was in my 3rd year of classes in my psychology program in college that things changed. I changed.
I have always prided myself on being open-minded and empathic and I have always been very flexible in my opinions and have always seen "the grey area." By taking many elective classes, I realized that I had many stereotypes that influenced the way in which I thought about people and interacted with them. I realized my lack of "worldly" and "cultural" experiences made me feel even more shy and reserved and uncomfortable in certain situations. I realized how little I knew and how little I tried to know about people who were different. After working with African Americans, I realized that they are typically louder than I am, but not much different. After studying in Spain for a semester, I appreciated what it was like to be a minority and how rude people can be if you don't speak the language with confidence. I experienced what it was like when someone has a negative stereotype against you because of where you are from. After taking various religion classes, I finally began to form my own opinions. I formed my own opinions not just about religion, but about everything. It all started when I realized than many people who claim a religion as their own, only do so because they were raised in that they religion. They listen to what their parents and religious leaders have to say and do not question anything.
I have always prided myself on being open-minded and empathic and I have always been very flexible in my opinions and have always seen "the grey area." By taking many elective classes, I realized that I had many stereotypes that influenced the way in which I thought about people and interacted with them. I realized my lack of "worldly" and "cultural" experiences made me feel even more shy and reserved and uncomfortable in certain situations. I realized how little I knew and how little I tried to know about people who were different. After working with African Americans, I realized that they are typically louder than I am, but not much different. After studying in Spain for a semester, I appreciated what it was like to be a minority and how rude people can be if you don't speak the language with confidence. I experienced what it was like when someone has a negative stereotype against you because of where you are from. After taking various religion classes, I finally began to form my own opinions. I formed my own opinions not just about religion, but about everything. It all started when I realized than many people who claim a religion as their own, only do so because they were raised in that they religion. They listen to what their parents and religious leaders have to say and do not question anything.
This trend of forming my own opinions was
further influenced by taking many psychology and hard science classes.
The basic thing you are taught is to question everything.
Just because someone speaks confidently or has fancy degrees, does not
mean that they are right or true or best. Sometimes people have their
facts wrong and sometimes people try to trick you (like NPR does for April Fool's Day).
So, I started to question myself and others. I didn't question ideas and opinions of others to be rude or disrespectful, but because I was trying to figure out my own opinions of things and why I had those opinions. I stopped trying to fit into a box or stereotype. I stopped trying to be like other people to fit in. I stopped being judgmental about some things because someone close to me had judgments. My opinions about others' actions shifted from thinking people were bad or good because they did what I thought was bad or good to thinking that I don't care what other people do as long as their actions don't harm others. I still have opinions of what is "good" or "bad," but I judge others if they are not harming others. This has helped me become a better person and a better clinician because I can better embrace the basics of being a good therapist.
This road of enlightenment has been difficult at times. People don't always agree with my opinions and decisions, but I am happy and better for finally making my own opinions and being my own person.
So, I started to question myself and others. I didn't question ideas and opinions of others to be rude or disrespectful, but because I was trying to figure out my own opinions of things and why I had those opinions. I stopped trying to fit into a box or stereotype. I stopped trying to be like other people to fit in. I stopped being judgmental about some things because someone close to me had judgments. My opinions about others' actions shifted from thinking people were bad or good because they did what I thought was bad or good to thinking that I don't care what other people do as long as their actions don't harm others. I still have opinions of what is "good" or "bad," but I judge others if they are not harming others. This has helped me become a better person and a better clinician because I can better embrace the basics of being a good therapist.
This road of enlightenment has been difficult at times. People don't always agree with my opinions and decisions, but I am happy and better for finally making my own opinions and being my own person.
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