Workbook1.3PersonCentredPracticeAcrossCultures
Choicemaking–cross-culturaldifferencesandwhatcanwelearnfromthem?July2016
futures UPFRONT
ThisworkbookhasbeendevelopedforNationalDisabilityServicesby:BarbelWinter,ManagingDirector,futuresUpfrontandMariaKatrivesis,ConsultantandTrainerFirstpublished(July2016)©futuresUpfrontFormoreinformationandforpermissiontoreproducepleasecontact:futuresUpfrontemail:[email protected]:www.futuresupfront.com.au ProducedbyNDSNSWLevel18,1CastlereaghStSydney,NSW2000FundedbyNSWDepartmentofFamilyandCommunityServices.©ThispublicationiscopyrightAllrightsreserved.ExceptasprovidedintheCopyrightAct1968(Commonwealth),nouseofthiswork,whichiswithintheexclusiverightofthecopyrightowners,maybemade.ContactNDS0292563100ndsnsw@nds.org.auwww.nds.org.auAboutNationalDisabilityServicesNationalDisabilityServicesisthepeakbodyfornon-governmentdisabilityservices.Itspurposeistopromotequalityserviceprovisionandlifeopportunitiesforpeoplewithdisability.NDS’sAustralia-widemembershipincludesmorethan1000non-governmentorganisations,whichsupportpeoplewithallformsofdisability.NDSprovidesinformationandnetworkingopportunitiestoitsmembersandpolicyadvicetostate,territoryandfederalgovernments.
Table of Contents
1. Preface 21.1 Howtousethisworkbook 21.2 Whatisthisworkbookabout: 31.3 Outcome: 31.4 Whoisthisworkbookfor: 31.5 Howlongwillittaketocomplete: 3
2. The Workbook 42.1 Introduction 42.2 WhatisChoiceMaking? 5
2.2.1 ChoiceMaking–adefinitionandsomemore 52.2.2 Decisionmakingandsupporteddecisionmaking 5
2.3 Choiceandculturaldifference 62.3.1 Choiceandcontrolmeansabetterlife 82.3.2 Doesmorechoicemeanmorewell-being? 92.3.3 Ischoicemakingsomethingwelearn? 102.3.4 Doweknowwhatwewant(whenasked)? 122.3.5 Aremorechoicesbetterforyou? 132.3.6 Ismakingchoiceanexpressionofourindividualityoraboutcreatingharmonyandconnectionswithothers? 142.3.7 Whattodowithallofthat? 14
3. Conclusion 16
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1. Preface
ThisworkbookispartofaseriesofresourcesforthedisabilityservicessectordesignedbyfuturesUpfrontforNDSwithfundingprovidedbytheNSWDepartmentofFamilyandCommunityServices;Ageing,DisabilityandHomeCare.
1.IndividualPractices–workingwithpeoplefromCALDbackgroundswithdisability
1.1Empathy–apracticetoconnectacrosscultures
1.2Activelistening–unconditionalpositiveregardacrosscultures
1.3Choicemaking–cross-culturaldifferencesandwhatcanwelearnfromthem
1.4ReflectivePractice–whydifferentpointsofviewmatter
1.5Workingeffectivelywithinterpreters
2.OrganisationalPractices–buildingaculturallyresponsiveorganisation
2.1Terminologyanddata–aguidetounderstandingculturaldiversityanddisability
2.2Makingthebusinesscase–whydiversityisgoodforbusiness
2.3Aculturallyresponsivepersoncentredorganisation–keyelements
2.4Leadingtowardsculturalresponsiveness–apracticalguideformanagers,teamleadersandcoaches
2.5Buildingadiverseworkforce–practicalstrategies
2.6Valuingbilingualworkers–strategiestorecruit,trainandretain
3.CommunityEngagement–workingalongsidediversecommunities
3.11Community@atime–culturallyresponsivecommunityengagementprinciplesandelements
3.2MakingLinks–networkingwithCALDCommunities
3.3Crossculturalstorybasedmarketing–1story@atime
Thisworkbookispartofthe“IndividualPractices–workingwithpeoplefromCALDbackgroundswithdisability”series.
1.1 How to use this workbook? Thisworkbookcanbeusedinmanydifferentways,including:
´ Asaself-pacedlearningprogrambyanindividual
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´ Asaself-pacedlearningprogramforagroup
´ Aspartofformaltrainingorganisedbyanorganisation
´ Aspartofcoachingandmentoring.
Thisworkbookincludesexercisesandopportunitiesforreflections(whenworkingbyyourself)ordiscussions(whenworkingwithothers).
Thereisplentyofroominyourworkbooktotakenotesandmakecomments.
1.2 What is this workbook about? ThisworkbookisdesignedtohelpyouunderstandtheimportanceofchoiceandchoicemakingasacriticalelementindeliveringpersoncentredsupportsandservicestopeoplefromCALDbackgroundswithdisability.
Werecommendyoualsousetheotherworkbooksinthe“IndividualPractices–workingwithpeoplefromCALDbackgroundswithdisability”series.
1.3 Outcomes Attheendoftheworkbookyouwill:
´ Beabletothinkmoredeeplyaboutchoiceandchoicemaking
´ Useyourlearningtoassistpeoplemoreeffectivelyinmakingchoices
´ Understandsomeofthedifferencesacrossculturesinrelationtochoiceandchoicemaking
1.4 Who is this workbook for? ´ Peopleinterestedinimprovingtheirculturallyresponsiveperson
centredpractice
´ Peoplewhowanttostrengthentheirabilitytofacilitatechoiceandchoicemaking
´ Peoplewhowanttoknowmoreaboutchoicesandwhatwecanlearnfromdifferentculturalpractices
1.5 How long will it take to complete? Thisworkbookshouldtakeabout45minutestoworkthrough.Ifyouwatchallthevideositmighttakeyouaround90minutes
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2. The Workbook
2.1 Introduction ‘Choiceandcontrol’isseenasoneofthecornerstonesofthenewwayofdeliveringdisability(andother)services.Theideaisthatpeoplewithdisabilityareatthecentreexercisingchoiceandtakingcontrol.ThisisseenprettymuchuniversallyasoneofthestepstowardsfulfillingtheintentionsoftheUNConventionontheRightsofPersonswithDisabilities(UNCRPD).
TheUNConventionmentionschoiceseveraltimes,includingasageneralprincipleinArticle3:
“TheprinciplesofthepresentConventionshallbe:
Respectforinherentdignity,individualautonomyincludingthefreedomtomakeone’sownchoices,andindependenceofpersons;”1
Reflections
Canyouthinkaboutthelasttimeyoumadeachoice?Howdidyoufeelaboutyourabilitytochoose?Whatmakeschoicemakingeasyorhardforyou?
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1UNConventionontheRightsofPersonswithDisabilities,http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml
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2.2 What is Choice Making? Beforethinkingaboutchoicemakinganddifferencesacrosscultures,let’sbeginwithadefinition,thenexplorethedifferencebetweendecisionsandchoicesandfinally,thinkaboutsupporteddecisionmaking,whichisparticularlyrelevantinourcontext,
2.2.1 ChoiceMaking–adefinitionandsomemore
“[Choicemaking]isthepoweroropportunityofmakingaselection”2
Okthatwaswaytooeasy.Whataboutchoicemakingassomethingwedo?
“Choice-makingisaninterventionstrategythatcanreduceproblembehaviours,increasemotivationanddeveloppersonalfreedom.”
Or,ifwethinkaboutchoicemakingasaprocess,thereareafewelementstoconsider:
´ Preferences:choicesareaboutourlikesanddislikes(e.g.myfavouriteicecreamisstrawberry)
´ Choicemakingwithinlimitations:choiceshappenwithinconstraints(e.g.strawberryicecreamisnotavailable,soIchoosevanilla.)
´ Autonomy:choicesareanexpressionofourindividuality(e.g.thefactthatIchoosevanillasayssomethingaboutmeandhowIexpressmyindividuality)
2.2.2 Decisionmakingandsupporteddecisionmaking
Somepeopletalkaboutchoicemaking,whileotherstalkaboutdecisionmaking.Inthedisabilitysectorweusebothterms.Wemostlyusethetermdecisionmakinginthecontextofsupporteddecisionmaking.
Thedifferencebetweenchoiceanddecisionmakingcanbeexplainedas:
“Withdecision,itismoreofaprocessorientation,meaningwearegoingthroughanalysisandstepstoeliminate(orcutoff)options.
Withchoice,itismoreofamindsetapproach,meaningwehaveaperceptionofwhattherightorwrongchoicemaybe.”3
Thissuggeststhatifwearethinkingofchoiceandchoicemakingasamindset,ratherthansimplyaprocess,itmakessensethatthismindsetmightbeshapedbyourexperiences,perceptions,culturesandmore.
2http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/choicemaking3https://www.thindifference.com/2012/06/decisions-vs-choices-is-there-a-distinction/
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Givenitsimportanceinworkingwithpeoplewithcognitivedisability,wemustpaysomeattentiontotheideaofsupporteddecisionmaking4,whichis:
“..aprocessofassistingapersonwithdisabilitytomaketheirowndecisions,sotheycandevelopandpursuetheirowngoals,makechoicesabouttheirlifeandexercisesomecontroloverthethingsthatareimportanttothem”
Thecoreprinciplesofsupporteddecisionmakingoutlinedintheabovedocumentare:
´ Everypersoncanexpresstheirwillandpreference
´ Apersonwithdisabilityhastherighttomakedecisions
´ Apersonwithdisabilitycanexpecttohaveaccesstoappropriatesupporttomakedecisions
SupporteddecisionmakingisgroundedintheUNConventionontheRightsofPersonswithDisabilities,especiallyArticle12:Equalrecognitionbeforethelaw.
Video
Oneofthemostexcellentandaccessibleresourcesintheareaofdecisionmakingisthevideo‘Decisions,Decisions’bySpeakoutAdvocacyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmWO3E1kJT4
Thinkingaboutthedescriptionabove,itappearsthatwhilesupporteddecisionmakingisaprocess,awayofworkingthatcanbeeasilyappliedtochoicemaking.
2.3 Choice and cultural difference
Thefollowingpointsaboutthenatureofchoice,howwechooseandhowchoicemakingmightbelinkedtoourculturearemostlybasedontheworkofafewkeyacademicsandwriters.
4ADHC(March2016):SupportedDecisionMaking-FactsheetNo.1;http://www.adhc.nsw.gov.au/individuals/inclusion_and_participation/supported-decision-making
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Videos
LuckilyforustherearealsosomeTEDtalksbythoseacademicsandwritersforthoseofuswholiketowatchaswellasread:
´ MalcolmGladwell:“Choice,HappinessandSpaghettiSauce”onhttps://www.ted.com/talks/malcolm_gladwell_on_spaghetti_sauce
´ BarrySchwartz:“TheParadoxofChoice”onhttps://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice
´ SheenaIyengar:“TheArtofChoosing”onhttps://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_of_choosing
“Howtomakechoosingeasier”on
https://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_choosing_what_to_choose
Throughoutthisworkbook,youwillalsofindreferencestobooksandotherresourcesforyoutofollowup,ifthisworkbookandtheideasinithavesparkedyourinterest.
Reflections
Doyouthinkthathowyouchooseisinfluencedbyyourculture?Haveyounoticedyourattitudesandapproachestochoicebeingdifferentfromthepeoplearoundyou,orhaveyouseendifferentpeoplerespondtothesamechoicedifferently?
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Ok,wehavetoadmitoneoftheabovereflectionquestionsisabitsneakyandweapologise,buthopefullywecanuseittomakeapoint.Sopleasebearwithus.
Thefirstquestionweaskedwas:“Doyouthinkthathowyouchooseisinfluencedbyyourculture?”Ifyourfirstresponsetothisquestionwas“Whatdoesthatmean?Idon’treallyunderstandthequestion?Whatdotheymeanbymyculture?”youwouldberight.
Unlesswehavethoughtaboutthisalot,orweareamemberofaminorityculturewherechoiceandchoicemakingisreallydifferentbetweenourcultureandthecultureofthemajority,ormaybewehavetravelledalotorlivedinanotherculturewithaverydifferentrelationshiptochoice,thequestionsbasicallyisabitsilly.That’sbecausemostlywedon’tseeourrelationshiptoanythingwebelieveorthinkasbeingshapedbyourculture,especiallyifwearepartofthemajorityculture.It’sjustsomethingwedo.Itisordinarytous,average.
Itmaybeusefultorememberthatourexperienceofcultureisabitlikebeingafishinwater.Imaginebeingthefish;youdon’tthinkaboutwater.Waterjustis.Well,notwhenthefishgetspulledoutofthewater.Thenwaterbecomesreally,reallyimportant.Cultureforhumans,isabitlikewaterforfish.Youdon’tpayanyattentionuntilyougetpulledoutofit.
Toillustratethepoint,hereisaresponsefromawomanfromIndianbackgroundcalledShenaIyengar,awomanwithvisionimpairmentwholivesintheUSandwhodoeslotsofresearchonchoice(therewillbemorefromherlater):
“BecauseIwasgoingbackandforthbetweenAmericancultureandSikhculture,therewasconstantstrugglebetweenwhetheryouaresupposedtothinkofyourchoicesintermsofdutyfulfillmentorpersonalpreferencefulfilment.”5
Thesecondandthirdquestionsweaskedyouaboveinthereflectionsection,wereprobablysomewhateasiertothinkabout.It’seasierforallofustoseehowpeoplearoundusaredifferentfromourselvesandsometimesweattributethisdifferencetotheirculture.
2.3.1 Choiceandcontrolmeansabetterlife
InAustralia(andmaybeintheWesternworldgenerally)muchofourcurrentrelationshipwithchoiceandchoicemakinglookslikethisformula:
5NewAmericamedia:Decisions,decisions:theCultureandPsychologyofChoice.http://newamericamedia.org/2010/12/the-culture-of-choice.php
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More choice + control = A better life
Theresearchersinthisfieldseemtoagreethatallhumansvaluesomelevelofchoiceandchoicemaking.Therecanbenodoubtthatmorechoiceandcontrolwillbeagoodthingforpeoplewithdisability,manyofwhomhavehadsolittlechoiceandcontrolinkeyareasoftheirlivesthatanyincreaseinthisareaisanimprovement.
However,makingchoicesiscomplex.Giventhatitissuchacentral‘theme’ofpersoncentredthinkingandcriticalindeliveringonthepromisesofindividualisedfundingassistingpeoplehaveabetterlife,itishelpfultoexploresomekeyprinciplesabitfurther.
2.3.2 Doesmorechoicemeanmorewellbeing?
BarrySchwartz6talksaboutwhatintheU.S.iscalled‘patientautonomy’,thatis,peoplegettochoosetheirhealthcareprovider.Schwartzarguesthatbecausepeopledonotreallyunderstandtheirchoices,thispatientautonomyissimplyshiftingtheburdenandresponsibilityfromsomeonewhoknows(inthiscaseadoctor)tosomebodywhoknowsnothingaboutit(thepatient)andwhoislikelytobeunwellatthetimeofhavingtochoose.Hearguesthatmorechoicedoesnotnecessarilyleadtobetteroutcomes.
SheenaIyengarinherbook7andtheabovementionedTEDtalk,referringtoacross-culturalstudy,saysthathavinghadachoiceinadifficultmatterdoesnotnecessarilymakeapersonmoresatisfiedorhappierafterwards.Shegivesanexamplewhereeitheradoctororthenextofkinhadtomakeareallydifficultdecisionaboutpeople’scareandtreatment(turningofflifesupport).Shefoundthatinthecountrywherethedoctormadethechoicetoturnoflifesupport(inFrance),thenextofkinwascopingbetterwiththedecisiononeyearafterwardsthanthenextofkin(inAmerica)whomadethesamedecisionthemselves.Inaninterestingtwist,thenextofkininAmericacontinuedtoinsistthatitwasimportanttothemthattheyhadthechoice(evensoitleftthemfeelingworsethanthenextofkininFrance).
Finally,despitepublishingabookcalled‘TheTyrannyOfChoice’,RenataSalecl8,aphilosopherfromSlovenia,arguesthatopeningnewchoicescanshiftourthinkingandhelpsusimagineandpossiblycreateanotherreality.Thismeansthat,forexample,havingachoiceaboutparticipatinginamainstreamactivity,ratherthanoneexclusivelyavailabletopeoplewithdisability,mightopenthethinkingofsomeonetothepossibilitythatlifecouldbeinclusive.
6Schwartz,B(2004):TheParadoxofChoice:WhyMoreisless7Iyengar,S(2010):TheArtofChoosing8Salecl,R.(2011):TheTyrannyofChoice
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Thinkingaboutthesefindings,thereareclearlyculturaldifferencesinourrelationshiptochoiceandtheimportanceweplaceonchoicemaking.
Puttingallofthisintoapersoncentredthinkinganddoingcontext,couldtherebesituationswerechoiceandchoicemakingcouldleadtolessgoodoutcomes?
Ofcourse,inpart,thesequestionsdependonwhatwethinkagoodoutcomemightlooklike.Italsodependsonwhetherwebelieveallchoiceshavetobeperfectrightfromthestartorwhethermakingsomechoicesisasmuchaboutlearningabouttheactofchoicemaking,asitisabouttheoutcomeitself.
Reflections
What’syourrelationshiptochoicemaking?Whatkindofchoicesareimportanttoyou?Whatmakeschoicemakingstressfulforyou?
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2.3.3 Ischoicemakingsomethingwelearn?
SheenaIvengar,referringtostudieswithpeoplewhogrewupinpre-capitalistEasternblockcountries,makesthepointthatchoicemakingcanproducefearandanxietyinpeople,especiallyiftheyarenotusedtomanychoices.
Thisisnotanewidea.Kierkegaard,a19thcenturyDanishPhilosopher,saidthatanxietywasthe:
“dizzyingeffectoffreedom,ofparalysingpossibilitiesandoftheboundlessnessofone’sownexistence”9
Soweputstrategiesinplace.Ifchoicemakingbecomesalltoomuchforus,wetrytomanageby:
9Kerkegaard,S.(1844):TheConceptofAnxiety
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´ Creatingyes/nooptions,
´ Distinguishchoicesthatarerealfromchoicesthatarenotreal;
´ Reducingthedifferencesbetweenthechoices(createcategories).
Basically,ifwebecomeoverwhelmedbythechoicesonofferwedonotexperiencethisasliberating,butasconstrainingorevenanxietyprovoking.
Butcanchoicemakingcanbelearned?Howcanwegoaboutit?
FrankSonnenberg,anauthorintheleadershiparea,providesthefollowingadvice:
“Makinggoodchoicesbeginswithtakingchargeofthedecision-makingprocess:
Managethebigstuff.It’sveryeasytogetsidetrackedbyinsignificantissuesinlife.Ifyouspendalotoftimeontrivialstuff,youwon’thavetimetocontemplatethingsthatmatter.
Valuesmatter.Makedecisionsthatareconsistentwithyourcorebeliefsandvalues.Thealternativeinvariablyleadstoregret.
Learnfromthepast.Learnfromyourexperiencesandtheexperiencesofothers.Identifysituationswhereyou’vehadasimilarchoiceinthepast.Howcanyouapplythoselessonslearnedtotheexistingsituation?
Knowwhatyouknowandwhatyoudon’tknow.Don’ttrytobeanexpertineverything.Seekinputandadvicewhenvariableslieoutsideyourcomfortzone.
Keeptherightperspective.Viewanissuefromeveryvantagepoint.Whatdothefactssay?Whatisyourintuitiontellingyou?Isyourconsciencetryingtotellyousomething?Listenup.
Don’tprocrastinate.You’llrarelyhavealltheinformationthatyouneedtomakea“perfect”decision.Sodon’tdemandperfection.ThephilosopherVoltairewarnedagainstlettingtheperfectbetheenemyofthegood.Thatadvicestillholdstruetoday.
Onceyoumakeadecision,don’tlookback,makeitwork.Don’tsecond-guessyourself.Youcan’trelivethepast.It’sawasteofvaluabletimeandenergy.”10
10Sonnenberg,F.(2015):7waystomakegoodchoices;http://www.franksonnenbergonline.com/blog/7-ways-to-make-good-choices/
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Allofthishasrelevanceforusaswemovefromasystemwherepeoplewithdisabilityhadnoorveryfewchoicestoanenvironmentwhereaproliferationofchoicesisexpected.
Workingfromapersoncentredperspective,itmightbeusefulforustorememberthestudiesofShenaIyengarwithpre-capitalistEasternEuropeans.Ifwiththinkofpeoplewithdisability,especiallypeoplewithintellectualdisability,asaculturalgroup,thenwecouldcertainlyseethatalackofchoicesinthepastmightmeanthatpeoplemayexperiencefearandanxietyinthefaceoftoomanychoices.Justthinkingaboutthechoicesmayleavesomepeoplefeeloverwhelmedandworried.
Reflections
Whatareyourstrategiesforchoicemaking?Canyouwritethemdown?(becauseifyoucanwritethemdownthenyoucansharethemwithothers)
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2.3.4 Doweknowwhatwewant(whenasked)?
MalcolmGladwell11saysthatifyouaskpeoplewhattheyreallywant,theydon’ttellyou.Weoftendon’tquiteknowwhatwewant.Orwethinkweknowwhatwewant,butitisnotreallywhatwewant.
Heusesexamplesfromadvertisingfoodthatsuggestthatwesayonething,butoftenwereallymeansomethingelse.
Weallknowaboutopticalillusions,butwearenotsogoodatunderstandingtheillusionsofourmindandhowthoseimpactonourchoicemaking.
Asanaside,ifyouthinkyouknowwhatyouwantandthatyoucan’tbemanipulated,havealookattheworkofwhat’scalledbehaviouraleconomistsintheareaofirrationaldecision-making.DanAriely,aProfessor
11Gladwell,M.(2004):Choice,Happinessandspaghettisauce,Tedtalk;https://www.ted.com/talks/malcolm_gladwell_on_spaghetti_sauce?language=en
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ofPsychologyandBehaviouralEconomics,didagreatTEDtalkandwroteawholebookonthistopic.12
BacktoGladwell,whoalsosaidthatinordertofindawaytowards‘happiness’,wehavetofindawaytoeachperson,personbyperson.Eachindividualisdifferent.Wearenot‘clustersofpeople’.Thissoundsverymuchlikeoperatingfromapersoncentredapproach.
ThetwopointsmadebyGladwellareveryimportanttothoseofuswantingtoworkfromapersoncentreperspectivethatisculturallyresponsive.
Firstly,ifwesimplyaskpeoplewhattheywant,many(butnotall)peoplewillnotknow.Weneedtofindbetterquestions;betterwaysofbeingandexploringchoicestogetherwithpeople;andpeopleneedtohavethetime,resourcesandopportunitiestofindouttheanswersforthemselves.Noneofuscanimaginesomethingwecannotimagine–thismightsoundfunnybutifyouthinkaboutit,youknowthisistrueforeveryone.Sometimeswecannotimaginewhatmightbepossible.Thisiswhylisteningtoandlearningfrompeopleinsimilarsituationsisreallyimportant.
Secondly,ifwetreatpeopleasonegroup(forexample,treatingpeoplewiththesamedisabilityasonegroup,orpeoplefromthesameethniccommunityasonegroup),wewillmisstheopportunityforpeopletomakethechoicesthatworkforthemasindividualswithintheirculturalcontext.
2.3.5 Aremorechoicesbetterforyou?
Mostpeoplebelievethateveryonebenefitsfrommakingchoicesaboutthethingsthataffecttheirlivesandthatmorechoicesarebetterthanfewerchoices.Well,notreally.BothIyengarandSchwartzsaythathavingtoomanychoicesleadsto:
´ Alackofengagement:it’salltoohardandwesimplydelaychoosing.Themorethereisonofferthelesslikelyitisthatwewillchoose.
´ Lesssatisfactionwiththechoicewemade:wearealwaysthinkingaboutwhatwouldhavebeenifwehadchosensomethingelse.Weworryabouthavingchosenthewrongthing,evenifweifweareokwithourchoice.Thisis‘thegrassisalwaysgreenerontheotherside’thinking.
´ Lesssatisfactionduetohigherexpectations:ifthingsaregoodnow,weexpectthemtobeperfectnexttimeandyetnothingseemsevergoodenough.Thisis‘inthegoodolddayseverythingwasbetter’thinking.
12Ariely,D.(2008):Areweincontrolofourowndecisions?;Tedtalk;https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_ariely_asks_are_we_in_control_of_our_own_decisions?language=en
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´ Poorerdecisions:Ifwehave10ormorechoicesinarangeofcriticalareas(suchasfinanceorhealthcare)wetendtomakepoorerdecisionsthanifwehadfewerchoices.
2.3.6 Ismakingchoiceanexpressionofourindividuality?
SheenaIyengarsuggeststhatpeoplefromculturesthatvaluetheselfoverthecollectivesgenerallyseechoicemakingasanexpressionoftheirindividuality,anactthatdefinestheiridentify.
Atthesametime,shepowerfullyprovesthatinculturesthatvaluethecollectiveovertheindividual,decisionmakingbyindividualsismuchmoreaboutanopportunitytoexpressharmonyandconnectednesswithothers.
Nowdoesthisreallymatter?
Yesitdoes.Inacross-culturalexperimentIyengarshowsthatmakingchoicesthatarecongruent,thatis,inlinewithyourculture,resultinbetteroutcomesfromthosechoices.Havingmadeachoicethatis‘culturallyright’youhaveabetterchanceinachievingsuccessasaresultfromthatchoice.InIyengar’sstudythatmeantAmericanchildrenperformedbetterinatestwhentheychoseelementsofthattestthemselves.WhilechildrenfromaJapanesebackgroundperformedbetterwhentheyfollowedthechoicetheirmotherhadsuggestedtothem.
Manypeoplewithdisabilityhavelearnednottomakechoicesandtofirstlistentowhatotherpeoplethink.Peoplewhoarehighlydependentonothersfortheirday-to-daycareandsupportmaylistentoothersandtheirwishesfirst,andthenchoosesomethingthatisinlinewiththechoiceofthepeoplesurroundingthem.
Soagainthelearningfromcross-culturalstudiescanassistusinourpersoncentredthinkinganddoing.
2.3.7 Whattodowithallofthat?
Maybeafteralloftheaboveitsimportanttosayagain:Itisgreatthatpeoplewithdisabilitywillhavemorechoiceandcontroland,likeeveryone,mostwillvaluethat.
ToassistpeopleintheirchoicemakingSheenaIyengarprovidesuswithfourtips:
´ Dropthenumberofchoices:Assistpeopletocutoutchoicesthatdon’twork,thechoicesthatarenotreallyachoiceanyhow.
´ Beforeyouchoose,imaginetheoutcomeofthechoice:Helppeopletotryimagine,trytounderstand(andfeel)theconsequencesofthechoice;assistpeopletomakethatimaginationfeelreal.
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´ Putthechoicesintocategoriesandchooseacategoryfirst:forexample,assistpeopletochoosebetweenfurtherstudyorworkbeforeyouchoosebetweenalltheworkoptionsandallthefurtherstudyoptions
´ Startwithasmallnumberofchoicesandincreaseafterthat:forexample,assistpeopletochoosebetweenicecreamorcakefordessert,andonlythenhelppeoplechoosefromallthedifferentflavoursofice-cream.
Finally,shesays,andweagree,anygoodpersoncentredpractitionercanassistpeopletobechoosyaboutchoosing.
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3. Conclusion
Thisworkbookaimedtoassistyouinunderstandinghowtosupportpeopletomakechoices.Usingresearchandinsightsfromarangeofstudies,includingcross-culturalstudies,wedeepenourunderstandingofhowwehumansarebothsimilaranddifferentinhowweexperiencechoicemaking,whychoicemakingisimportant,andevenhowsuccessfulwewillbeoncewehavemadeourchoice.
Youmayalsowanttohavealookatsomeoftheotherworkbooksrelatingspecificallyto‘“IndividualPractices–workingwithpeoplefromCALDbackgroundswithdisability”.
Reflections
Whataresomeofthetakeawaymessagesfromthisworkbook?Aretherethingsyoudisagreewith?Wastheresomethingthatsurprisedyou?
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