This section was definitely a lot easier to read than the others! My favorite chapter was chapter 5. I think understanding others is essential to life -not just being an effective leader or group member. While I do think it is important to understand and respect differences between people and cultures - I think it is equally important to understand and respect the similarities. Furthermore, the same understanding should come between men & women. The authors quoted another in saying: "'...the degree of overlap between the sexes is as important, or more important, than the average differences between them.'" If men and women could spend more time focusing on things they have in common then what sets them apart, maybe we could better bridge that divide that exists in so many different settings of life.
In chapter 4, the authors pointed out that in order to truly understand yourself, you have to ultimately figure it out on your own. (p. 121) I think this is important to remember. Many people rely on others to help them understand themselves. And, while that may help - it can not get a person to the end result.
Self awareness is not only good for the self, but for others as well. The section discussing ethical behavior in chapter 4 states that, "a person of character promotes ethical decision making and expects ethical behavior from others." (p 133) So, understanding the self promotes "good" behavior and in turn not only expects it from others but provides an example, as well.
Furthermore, in chapter 6, the authors states that "'leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of morality and motivation.'"(p 194)
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I like how you talked about the quote that said: "...the degree of overlap between the sexes is as important, or more important, than the average differences between them." In my Social Inequalities class (we might have touched on it in this class as well...) we have talked a lot about how there are more differences among individuals of a particular sex than there are between the two different sexes. This is interesting to think about especially for this class because--like you said--men and women need to spend time thinking about what they have in common instead of constantly pitting themselves against each other. If we could jump over that hurdle it seems like together, we would be making a HUGE step toward equality. Now, if we could get everyone to care...
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