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( Social and Cultural
Awareness )
Mr. / Girgis
( Social and Cultural
Awareness )
What is Social Awareness?
Being the third step in developing emotional intelligence,
social
awareness is a skill that we all must work to build within
ourselves. In a broad sense, it means having an awareness
and
understanding of the world around us.
This includes environments, cultures, communities, societal
norms, problems, struggles, and all
other areas that make
up the social atmosphere in which we live.
But
the way I am discussing social awareness is in a much
more narrowed
sense. I want us to look at how social
awareness leads to the
development of emotional
intelligence.
One of the most prominent figures in the field of emotional
intelligence is Daniel Goleman.
He breaks emotional
intelligence down into four subsects: self-awareness, self-
management, social awareness, and relationship
management.
In relation to emotional intelligence, social awareness is
best defined as our ability to accurately understand the
emotions of other people and empathize with them.
Empathy is a large component of effective social
awareness, and something we will go into more depth later
on in the article.
Social awareness
is all about taking the focus off ourselves for
a moment and beginning
to think about those around us.
This can be very difficult to do for
some of us, especially if
we are often wrapped up in ourselves and consumed by
our own thoughts.
It requires suspension of
selfishness and self-absorbed
thinking in order to accurately identify
and understand how
those around us think and feel.
The easiest
way for me to understand social awareness is
by one simple word:
consideration. It all boils down to
taking a second to consider how our
thoughts, emotions,
and actions impact others. This is a large aspect of external
self-awareness which is why the two skills are often
intertwined.
Consideration
to me is a much simpler way of thinking
about social awareness because
since I was a kid, I’ve
heard the phrase, “Be considerate of others.”
This
refers to how my actions impact those around me. If I
say something
hurtful, how will it make the other person
feel? If I act without
thinking, could it possibly harm
someone else? Or, on a more positive
note, how can I be
of the most service and benefit to other people?
Taking
all of these questions into consideration, as well as
many others, can help ensure we will be acting in a socially
aware manner.
But,
however you best understand social awareness, the
fact remains the same
that it is an important skill to build
within ourselves.
"The easiest way for me to understand social awareness is
by one simple word: consideration. It all boils down to
taking a second to consider how our thoughts, emotions,
and actions impact others."
Why is Social Awareness Important?
We are social creatures,
and we live in a world where
relationships and social interactions play a
large part in a
successful life. This makes having the ability to understand
the emotions of others incredibly important.
If we lack social awareness, then it can cause our lives to
be much more difficult and full of friction.
It’s not that social awareness all of a sudden will make us
a social
butterfly, it simply means we will relate to our
fellow man or woman in a
more positive and meaningful
way. We will have a better time
understanding their
struggles and what makes them joyful.
The ability to relate to others is significant in creating
rapport and building strong bonds.
What I would like to do is break down some of the key
benefits you can expect from high social awareness.
Stronger Connections/Relationships
One of the key benefits of
building social awareness is the
strength of connections and
relationships it provides. A lot
of the time when we hear these terms,
we automatically
think in a romantic sense. Yes, social awareness
improves
these relationships, but it is not limited to the romantic
world.
Let’s think about it in terms of sports. This is a world
where
relationships are king. A truth that has been difficult for me
to accept, but a truth, nonetheless. Whether we are talking
about landing a
starting position on a team, getting signed
to a team, or even being
given an opportunity to try out,
relationships play an important role.
If
you lack social awareness, it can be difficult to form
such
relationships. However, if you learn to master social
awareness, you can build strong, meaningful connections.
For instance, having the
ability to understand and
empathize with your coach can help you build a
stronger
bond with him or her. In turn, they will be more engaged
in
helping you improve and reach your athletic goals.
Now, it may
come off that I am saying social awareness
helps to build relationships
and this is good because you
can gain something. However, that is merely
a side effect.
Building better relationships with your coaches, teammates,
friends, or partners simply leads to increased fulfillment
and a more positive interaction overall.
Conflict Management
I almost titled this section “Avoid
Conflicts” but that doesn’t
really grasp the essence of social awareness
in this case.
See, some conflicts are unavoidable and by trying to
avoid
conflicts altogether, we may only be further worsening the
issue.
Sometimes
conflicts are necessary, especially when a
certain topic or concern needs to be worked through. What
social awareness provides is better
management when it
comes to conflicts.
When we get into an
argument, without a high level of
social awareness, we often become
defensive and firmly
hold our viewpoint. However, this is not a very good way
to work through any kind of disagreement.
All that will
result from this type of interaction is further
frustration and arguing.
But, if you have high social
awareness, then conflicts can be navigated and handled
in a more positive manner.
This is due to the
ability social awareness provides to take
the other person’s point of
view. If we can understand why
they are upset, why they feel hurt, or
why they think what
they do, then we will have a better chance of coming
to a
compromise or agreement.
In this way, conflicts will be much healthier and will actually
have a positive effect on your life and relationships.
Increased Positivity
The two previous benefits should shed light as to how
social awareness increases our overall positivity.
It’s
no secret that a positive life is a better-lived life.
Anyone who used
to sulk about and now lives more
upbeat and positive can attest that it
is a much better
way to live (once you get over the initial addiction to
that
negative feeling).
When we are experiencing better
relationships, as pointed
out in the first benefit, it will be easier to
be positive about
certain situations. Continuing the example used regarding
a relationship with your coach, having such a strong bond
will
improve your outlook.
You will feel more positive about your
sport, your athletic
improvement, and your ability to keep progressing
to a
higher level.
In line with the second benefit, better-managed conflicts will
lead to a better feeling of positivity about your relationships
and your life in general. When we are constantly in a state
of disagreement, it can be difficult to see the
bright side of
any situation.
However, when we are able to navigate such situations
more smoothly, it is much easier to see a positive light in
our lives.
"It’s no secret that a positive life is a better-lived life.
Anyone who used to sulk about and now lives more upbeat
and positive can attest that it is a much better way to live
(once you get over the initial addiction to that negative
feeling)."
Less Discrimination
As we grow in social awareness, discrimination towards
other people will decline.
Whether
this is discrimination based on culture, race,
class, or any other
factor, being socially aware helps to
eliminate such thinking.
The reason for this lies in empathy.
Understanding
how another person thinks and feels
makes it incredibly difficult to discriminate and think poorly
of them. Once you get to know the
inner-workings of
someone, you look less at their external appearance
and
condition and view them more for their internal beliefs
and
emotions.
Also, having the ability to understand multiple
perspectives makes discrimination difficult to hold onto.
Most
of the time, discrimination is rooted in differing
beliefs. We feel
that the way we think is right and so
naturally, the other persons must
be wrong. And wrong
typically means we view it as inferior.
Instead,
when we exhibit high social awareness we can
empathize and understand
why someone else thinks and
believes differently than we do. This does
not mean we
must then agree with them or adopt the same views, but
we
can appreciate them for their unique opinions and
outlook on the world.
Components of Social Awareness
Now that we have gone over what social awareness is in
a broad sense and
why it is so important, it will be useful
to go into more detail as to what the components are.
The definition of social awareness that
was given earlier
sheds a little light on this but leaves a bit of room
for
wondering. What exactly makes up social awareness?
What are the
intricate characteristics that we all must
possess in order to display this skill?
Well, there are four components of social awareness,
some of which have already been alluded to. The
components are as follows:
"The definition of social awareness that was given earlier
sheds a little light on this but leaves a bit of room for
wondering. What exactly makes up social awareness?
What are the intricate characteristics that we all must
possess in order to display this skill?"
Empathy
This is such a big one, that it could stand alone in a
description of social awareness.
Merriam-Webster
defines empathy as, “The action of
understanding, being aware of, being
sensitive to, and
vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and
experience of another.”
This really fits the overall definition of
social awareness.
Simply by focusing on being more empathetic, your
social
awareness will grow and become much stronger.
Perspective
The second component of social awareness is
perspective.This refers to the viewpoint we take on
situations or concepts.
In terms of social awareness, it’s not enough to simply look
at a situation from our own perspective. We must have the
ability to see through the lenses of other people.
When we can take a situation,
like a conflict as described
above, and look at it from different
perspectives, this
shows incredibly high levels of social awareness.
Respect
The
third component of social awareness is respect.
What I am referencing
here is the ability to give another
individual your respect and consideration when it comes
to their beliefs and opinions.
Being
socially aware involves empathizing and taking the
perspectives of other
people, especially those of different
backgrounds and cultures. This is
primarily where respect
comes into play.
We must have the ability
to push our own opinions and
judgments aside and truly listen and seek
to understand
the views of someone else.
Compassion
Here
we have the fourth component of social awareness.
This is the
culmination of the previous three into more of
an actionable piece.
Compassion
involves taking action on behalf of another
person. This action is a
result of the empathy, perspective,
and respect you have developed.
Think
about compassion as taking action for those who
cannot take action for
themselves. You stick up for those
individuals who cannot, in order to
alleviate their burden.
As an athlete, this can take the form of
sticking up for a
teammate who makes a mistake or a coach seeking to
help lift the feelings of defeat from their players.
How to Build Social Awareness
In working to build social awareness within ourselves,
there are certain guidelines we can follow to quicken up
the process. If you wish to cultivate high levels of emotional
intelligence within yourself, then
focusing on improving
social awareness is an important piece to the
puzzle.
Become a Better Listener
If we want to improve our social awareness, then one of
the easiest ways to
immediately do so is by becoming a
better listener. No, do not go out
and get a hearing aid,
that’s not what I’m referring to.
When talking about becoming a better listener,
it’s all about our frame of mind going into the conversation.
Many
times, we will be having a discussion or listening to
someone with the
sole purpose of responding. This puts us
in a defensive mindset and does
not allow us to really gain
insight into how the other person is
feeling.
What we must do is listen to understand.
Be
inquisitive and excited to learn what the other person
has to say. Give
them your full attention and it will be
remarkable how fast your social awareness skills begin
to grow.
Pay Attention to Body Language
We can tell a lot by the way a person presents themselves.
While
you’re speaking to someone or while they are
talking, pay attention to their body language. Do they look
tense or uncomfortable? Are they
showing signs that
you’re making them uncomfortable or angry?
By simply noticing the other person’s body language you
can gain a better understanding of how they are feeling in
that moment.
Put Yourself in Their Shoes
I’m
sure this is a phrase you’ve heard often but is it
something you
actually do? It can be quite difficult to
actually put ourselves in the shoes of another, especially
if we are in conflict with them.
But, in order to gain a complete understanding of their
opinions and beliefs, it is a vital tool to use.
All
that you have to do is think to yourself, “How would I
feel if I was
this person? Would what I am saying or how I
am acting be upsetting or
hurtful?”
Just by performing this exercise, you will automatically
gain a higher sense of social awareness.
Final Thoughts
Social
awareness is one of the key components of
emotional intelligence. It is
a skill that allows us to
understand how another person is feeling,
empathize
with them, and take a different perspective on a situation.
It
can be a very difficult skill to develop. We often get so
caught up in
ourselves that taking the time to understand
someone else is not on our
list of priorities. However, it is
a valuable skill that we should all strive to cultivate within
ourselves.
Do you think social awareness is important? I would love
to hear your opinion so please leave a comment below.
I hope that this article was helpful, and you gained a better
understanding of what social awareness is, why it’s
important, and how
to better develop it within yourself.
If you have any questions
about social awareness or any
other performance psychology topic, please
feel free to
reach out to me.
Thank you for reading and I wish you the best of
success in all that you do.
![PDF] Integrating Culture into Language Teaching and Learning: Learner Outcomes. | Semantic Scholar](https://d3i71xaburhd42.cloudfront.net/5e3262d79d75e312572e05e7794a0cc346cfa186/8-Figure1-1.png)
1. Express interest in the ethnic background of
your students.
Encourage your students to research and share information
about their
ethnic background as a means of fostering a
trusting relationship with
fellow classmates.
Analyze and celebrate differences in traditions,
beliefs,
and social behaviors. It is of note that this task helps
European-American students realize that their beliefs
and traditions
constitute a culture as well, which is a
necessary breakthrough in the development of a truly
culturally responsive classroom.
Also, take the
time to learn the proper pronunciation
of student names and express interest in the etymology
of interesting and diverse names.
2. Redirect your role in the classroom from
instructor to facilitator.
Another important requirement for creating a nurturing
environment for students is reducing the power differential
between the instructor and students. Students in an
authoritarian classroom may sometimes display
negative
behaviors as a result of a perceived sense of social
injustice;
in the culturally diverse classroom,
the teacher thus acts more like a
facilitator than an
instructor.
Providing students with questionnaires
about what they
find to be interesting or important provides them with a
measure of power over what they get to learn and
provides them with
greater intrinsic motivation and
connectedness to the material.
Allowing
students to bring in their own reading material
and present it to the
class provides them with an
opportunity to both interact with and share stories,
thoughts, and ideas that are important to their cultural
and social perspective.
3. Maintain a strict level of sensitivity to
language concerns.
In traditional classrooms, students who are not native
English speakers
often feel marginalized, lost, and
pressured into discarding their original language in
favor of English.
In a culturally responsive classroom, diversity of language
is celebrated and the level of
instructional materials
provided to non-native speakers are tailored to
their
level of English fluency. Accompanying materials
should be
provided in the student’s primary language
and the student should be encouraged to master English.
4. Maintain high expectations for student
performance.
Given that culturally responsive instruction is a
student-centered philosophy, it should come as
no surprise that expectations for achievement are
determined and assigned individually for each student.
Students don’t receive lavish praise for simple tasks
but do receive
praise in proportion to their
accomplishments. If a student is not
completing
her work, then one should engage the student
positively and
help guide the student toward
explaining how to complete the initial
steps
that need to be done to complete a given
assignment or task.
5. Incorporate methods for self-testing.
Another potent method for helping students become
active participants in learning is to reframe the concept
of testing. While testing is usually associated with grades
(and therefore stress) in traditional
classrooms, in a
culturally responsive classroom frequent non-graded
tests can be used to provide progress checks and
ensure that students
don’t fall behind on required material.
Teaching students to self-test
while learning new
information will help them better remember and use
what
they’ve learned in class and will help them realize on their
own when they need to study a topic in greater depth.
6. Maintain an “inclusive” curriculum that remains
respectful of differences.
A culturally responsive curriculum is both inclusive in
that it ensures
that all students are included within all
aspects of the school and it
acknowledges the unique
differences students may possess.
A culturally
responsive curriculum also encourages
teachers’ understanding and
recognition of each
student’s non-school cultural life and background,
and provides a means for them to incorporate this
information into the curriculum, thus promoting inclusion.
Elements of cultural awareness:
Cultural Awareness sub-skills
Facing the Third Millennium, any countries should
prepare young generation with cultural awareness
and critical thinking skills so as to survive in the global era.
Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of
actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing,
synthesizing, and/or evaluating information generated by,
observation,experience,
reflection, reasoning, or
communication, as a guide to belief and action.
Cultural Awareness Activities
That last one is particularly important. Students and
families from different backgrounds may be just as
unaware of certain differences as you were before you
did your research. Get on the same
page with them and
discuss what you are doing to be sensitive to them
and how they can communicate with you further.
This can be a major
challenge on its own, especially
if there is a language barrier, but do not be discouraged!
The extra effort needed to connect to families pays
dividends in how much you learn about them, how much
the home-school connection grows, and how supported
your students feel.
