Embracing Diversity: the Complexities of Reckoning and Accepting Otherness
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Embracing Diversity: the Complexities of Reckoning and Accepting Otherness Richard E. Webb 1 & Philip J. Rosenbaum 2 Accepted: 20 October 2020/ # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Many within society are working to address issues of otherness and the ways people discriminate against others in various ways such as racism, sexism, ageism, ableism, and classism. In this paper we do not pretend to offer a solution, but we wish to add to the understanding of the complexities at play. We consider the importance of how our developmental negotiation and resolution of early childhood processes of separation and individuation incline us to adopt and move between four different existentialrelational positions, each of which colors how we experience ourself in relation to our own self and to other selves. To illustrate how this can dynamically manifest in ways pertinent to the embrace of otherness, we draw on our experiences as psychological consultants to university students, administrators, and faculty. Keywords College student development . Existential-relational position . Sameness and
otherness . Subtext
Introduction The growing awareness of the various dimensions of diversity in our society has led to important conversations and actions, which are welcomed by some and scorned by others. Indeed, between submitting and revising this paper, our awareness particularly around racial discrimination has once again become even more pressing. The urgency felt in addressing racism is playing out in global protests and demands for change. While not directly the focus of this article, we see the need for awareness and acceptance of racial otherness in keeping with the general consideration of this article: namely how do people develop in such ways that allows not just for tolerance of otherness and diversity but a welcome embracing of it. * Philip J. Rosenbaum
1
Lansdale, PA, USA
2
Haverford, PA, USA
Integr Psych Behav
These conversations and actions are occurring throughout society ranging from sports to healthcare. In this paper, we focus on how these conversations can play out at our post-secondary institutions, which in the United States are most often considered to be colleges and universities. As a past and current director of a psychological counseling center at one of these institutions we have often been asked to provide perspective on issues that arise during the academic year. In these situations, we provide consultation not only to student leaders and student groups but also to faculty and administrators, such as deans and directors of various student services. As we hope to show through composite observations, when in this role we have found that consideration of the existential-relational positions (which we articulate below) that each group (students and administrators/faculty) are occupying, helps us better to understand the psychological subtext that contributes to how the various parties in conversation “hear” each other and, thereby, what possibilities they have
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