Emerging dissertation research · Early thinking - Seeing Difference Differently
Could greater awareness of interpersonal difference help us understand one another, and recognise when respect is called for?
Dr Rona Mackenzie · Master's research in Character Education
Supported by
What might change if we became better at noticing the difference before judging the person?
The idea I want to explore
We encounter difference constantly.
People think, communicate, make decisions, process information and approach situations differently. Yet our own preferences can easily become the lens through which we interpret somebody else's behaviour.
Someone may appear difficult, slow, disengaged, overly direct or indecisive when what we are encountering may instead be a legitimate difference in how they prefer to think, work or respond.
My developing Master's research in Character Education explores whether increased awareness of interpersonal preferences might change what people notice in everyday interactions, particularly their ability to recognise situations in which respect for another person may be called for.
What might be happening?
I notice that you are different from me.
I notice my own reactions, assumptions and judgements in relation to your difference.
I recognise that something morally significant may be happening: how I perceive and respond to your legitimate difference matters.
These are not proposed as fixed stages. Becoming more aware of difference does not necessarily lead to respect. It is the space between recognising difference and recognising its moral significance that particularly interests me.
How might I explore it?
My current thinking combines three elements:
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Co-Valence
making interpersonal preferences and differences more visible
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Facilitated exploration
exploring our reactions, assumptions and interpretations of difference
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Repeated reflective noticing
paying attention to encounters with difference in everyday life
The research asks:
What, if anything, changes in what people perceive over time?
It is interested equally in change, no change and experiences that challenge the proposition.
Why respect?
Respect is often articulated as a value within organisations and schools. My interest is slightly different.
Rather than asking whether people value respect, I am interested in whether they recognise the ordinary moments in which respect becomes relevant.
Before we can reason about what a respectful response might be, or choose how to act, we may first need to notice what is morally significant about the situation in front of us.
Where this is now
This is emerging dissertation research, not a final research design or organisational proposal. The current thinking is for a small longitudinal qualitative study with adults (aged 18 and over) from any sector.
Could this be interesting to you?
There may be interesting possibilities for these ideas wherever people work or spend time together: through participation in the research, through leadership development using Co-Valence, or through wider exploration of difference and respect within teams and groups.
At this stage, this is an invitation to a conversation,not a proposed programme.
If the questions resonate, I would be interested in exploring where they connect with your own interests and what, if anything, might be useful to take further.