Craig has committed to examining his unconscious biases, and over the past couple months, he has tried to maintain mindfulness about his interactions with others. Through his meditations, he begins to recognize a pattern of avoiding people who have diverse gender expressions. Craig is able to identify his feelings of anxiousness and unease that result in frenetic behavior on his part when walking through campus, shopping or engaging in various daily activities. Craig’s anxiousness is so great that in some instances, he has changed directions when walking, abandoned tasks or had trouble focusing and relaxing.
With his new consciousness, Craig reflects on where these anxieties come from. He is able to identify messages he received from his parents and other trusted adults in his childhood and young adulthood. Left unchecked, these messages have manifested into the anxiety he experiences today, which makes interacting and collaborating with different people very difficult.
Craig challenges himself to interrupt his anxious behaviors and question his initial reactions to people different than him. Craig also pursues opportunities to engage in conversation and form relationships with people who have diverse gender expressions. With time, Craig finds his anxieties are replaced with meaningful and rewarding relationships.
- The Issue: Craig experiences anxiety when he encounters people with diverse gender expressions. His reactions are frenetic and make it difficult for him to interact with people who do not match his expectations regarding gender norms.
- The Deliberation: Craig commits to mindfulness and confronting his implicit bias. After recognizing and interrupting his anxious thoughts, Craig immerses himself in experiences that force him to learn and grow.
- The Growth: Craig's fears and ignorance and reduced, and he is able to form meaningful and rewarding relationships with people who are different than him.