Acting ‘As if…’

Intention:

Empathy, that is, being sensitive to the experiences and emotions of others, is a crucial element in healthy and rewarding relationships. One way to develop empathy skills is to deliberately assume different perspectives from our own. When we act ‘as if’ we are truly in the other person's shoes, we realize that physical and social environments change suddenly. We also notice that our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are different. Becoming more aware of and sensitive to other people's experiences makes us more effective in relationships.

Instruction:

Decide on a set period of time (half an hour to a full day) to take on the perspective of someone whose circumstances are significantly different from yours. During this time, try to think and act as if you really are like that. For example, if you visualize yourself as a young child, you would move around on your knees to experience the world from that height. If you imagine yourself as a teenager listening to certain music, listen to it. If you assume a different gender than yours, if you imagine having a disability, or speaking primarily a different language, try to play that role as much as possible when carrying out your activities.

The following are examples you can try:

Different stages of human development (infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, old age)

Different socio-cultural characteristics (socioeconomic level, language, religion)

Others (different gender identity or sexual orientation, different height, or weight, having certain physical or mental disabilities)

Inspection:

·       How and why did you select the perspective you decided to take?

·       What was difficult for you? What was surprising to you?

·       What memories, associations, or discoveries emerged from this experience?

·       What emotional reactions were aroused by this experience?

·       What did you learn from this exercise?