The Pursuit of Other Peoples’ Perspective...Matters
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Photo credit Penn Today
On Saturday, February 6th, 2021, Dr. Angela Duckworth joined members of the University of Pennsylvania Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Alumni community for an informal conversation on ways we have been impacted by COVID-19. The conversation was part of a fundraising opportunity for MAPP Alumni conceived by Leona Brandwene, the Associate Director of the MAPP program. Leona had proposed a special session with Angela for MAPP Alumni if the community was able to raise over $20,000 for the Christopher Peterson Memorial Fellowship, which provides tuition remission for select students admitted to the MAPP program each year. With the possibility of spending time (once again) with arguably one of the most prominent researchers in the MAPP program, alumni quickly started donating to the very worthy scholarship fund. MAPPsters completely surpassed the initial goal of $20,000, ultimately raising over $42,000! THAT is how excited we were as a MAPP community to spend a quality hour with Angela.
The anticipation of the event — which started for me back in November when the planning had commenced — lived up to its expectations. Even dropping and breaking my favorite mug, filled with my Saturday morning espresso, just five minutes before the event, couldn’t dampen my mood. My intuition — judging by the smiles and bright eyes on our Zoom meeting — is that many other alumni felt very similarly. And, I have carried Angela’s shared wisdom and insight into the weeks that followed, allowing me to separate myself from adverse situations and recognizing that my perspective is just that — mine — one out of 7.5 billion.
Perspective
Early in the conversation, Angela shared research by Lee Ross in Perspectives on Psychological Science. Ross’s 2018 article compares his previous work on the fundamental attribution error (the tendency to overemphasize personal characteristics and ignore situational factors in judging others’ behavior) to a more nuanced variety Ross called the truly fundamental attribution error where we, as humans, may attribute causality to a person as opposed to the situation.
Being an educator — and, more importantly, a person — I could easily relate to many of the examples that Angela shared. For instance, here are a couple of my own examples of a truly fundamental attribution error. When a student stands up to get a new pencil when we start taking notes in my classroom, I may immediately assume the student is unprepared and didn’t have a proper writing utensil ready, when in reality the lead on their last pencil may have just broken. Or, in another instance, if I’m walking down the street and smile and greet a passerby who does not acknowledge me, I may believe that she is unfriendly and possibly even rude. What I don’t know is that person is wearing earbuds (and jamming to their favorite tunes) and simply didn’t hear me.
Angela described Ross’s proposition that attribution errors may just be a much more generalized psychological error that is referred to as naive realism, or our profound belief that we see the world completely objectively, and if others see it differently, then the other people most be wrong. “It’s like, we just cannot imagine that our perspective is subjective and limited,” Angela stated. She adds that, unfortunately, our given certainty in our own certainty may act as an Achilles heel to deep connection, not only during a global pandemic, but in our normal everyday lives. Therefore, Angela suggested, “it is a really intellectually heroic thing” to recognize and appreciate that someone outside of yourself is both real and has their own reality, which (most likely) does not coincide with our reality.
Other People Matter
For Angela, the cardinal lesson of 2020 is the late Christopher Peterson’s well-known phrase, “other people matter”; empathy, she adds, is critical to truly recognizing the other person's perspective.
To begin to recognize another’s perspective, however, we must recognize our own shortcomings. By default, we view the world through a solitary lens — our own. Adversely, we attribute much of our own views, virtues, and humanness to those with whom we come in contact when, in reality, they each have completely unique interpretations that propel them through life and influence the way they interact with and perceive others.
Our experiences and thoughts are, to us, an absolute — a reality that all others see, view, and feel the same way. Because I am an elementary school teacher and legislation that funds early childhood education is a priority for me as a voter, I cannot fathom why other voters may oppose such legislation. I brush my teeth right before I go to bed, so I assume that is everyone else’s nightly practice as well. These foundational processes of thought go far beyond our expectation of opinion and, in many ways, become facts to us.
This realization, as Angela explained, is a concept with which we form our very limited scope of reference and must continue to grapple. Angela points out that this “friction of empathy is profound,” not only during the current COVID-19 season, but even in most minute, ordinary aspects of life.
Both/And Thinking
Attribution error — and its relationship with character — was a theme throughout the conversation. As we transitioned to a more flexible question-and-answer format, Angela suggested that we embrace a “both/and” viewpoint. In education, specifically, it is important to focus not only on character, and not only on context, but on both, and to be aware that things may be more complex and nuanced than we initially recognize.
This both/and perspective may relate very closely to how Angela wrapped up our chat — by urging us to adopt an experimental mindset in order to encourage us to try out new perspectives, mix up old habits, and learn something in the process and from the outcome. Angela pointed out that while habits help us in some circumstances, they may prevent us from trying new things and realizing that what we have always been doing isn’t the best. This includes thought patterns and associations — such as the very human state of naive realism. “Even though habits are great, 2020-2021 is forcing us to experiment and maybe that isn’t so bad. We have probably learned more in the last 12 months — whether we like it or not — than we did in the prior 12 months,” she concluded.
Challenging, and Changing, Our Perspectives
As we allow Angela’s insight to settle deeply within us, I think she would heartily support the thematic resolve that by living the adage “other people matter,” we must be able and willing to acknowledge that other people have a unique perspective — a truth that is very real to them. Indeed, the story playing in another’s mind is as strong a reality as the story playing in ours.
The current COVID-19 era may be an obstacle in our ability to journey through daily life while promoting and exemplifying Chris’s message of inclusivity and belonging. While the entire nation is social distancing and many are working remotely, it seems unlikely that we could be ambassadors of “other people matter.”
However, this may actually be the most optimal time to challenge our own perspectives and practice incorporating others’ truths. When we scroll through social media and see a post that offends us, we can practice distancing ourselves from our own story and attempt to recognize and appreciate the postee’s perspective. When we are cooking dinner and our partner wants a salad instead of the pizza we were craving, we can utilize the safety of our relationship to process the differences in our plans for food that evening. When we are at the store when someone isn’t appropriately covering their nose and mouth with a mask and we catch ourselves jumping to conclusions about the person’s character, we can reset our thinking and recognize many other things — beside terrible character — could be influencing the current circumstances.
While navigating the coming months (maybe years) of our collective COVID normal of Zoom meetings, scarcely packed street corners, and less social time than we may desire with family and friends, Angela has offered us a unique opportunity. We can hone critical skills of connection, empathy, and inclusivity by strengthening our ability to acknowledge and appreciate that other people have a perspective all their own, and that perspective matters.
About the Author
Jessie Spurgeon is a Title 1 elementary school teacher in Boise, Idaho. She is passionate about teaching young, aspiring minds and watching kids challenge their own assumptions and misconceptions while supporting their own unique strengths and viewpoints. With a degree in both Human Physiology and Elementary Education, she is also passionate about reforming education through a foundational focus on mental health and well-being. Jessie wrote her Masters of Applied Positive Psychology capstone on the integration of resilience and well-being skills in teacher education programs. Check out her suggestions on how to change education for the better in her Rooted In Resilience: A Framework for the Integration of Well-Being in Teacher Education article.
