Comfort in Social Situations

Instructions:

Read the following statements and rate what you think your comfort level would be in each situation using the scale below. There are no right or wrong answers. Simply be honest with yourself and do not over-think the situations. However, the way you answer the questions may be different depending on your own social group membership, such as your race/ethnicity, gender, age, weight, or ability status. In some cases, you may not think a situation is personally applicable; if so, mark “N/A” in the space provided. After you have completed all sections, follow the instructions to create a total score for each section.

1 very comfortable; 2 comfortable; 3 neutral; 4 uncomfortable; 5 very uncomfortable

Section A:

_________ Your best friend starts dating a Latino-American.

_________ You go into a Japanese restaurant where all the patrons and employees are Asian.

_________ You realize you are the only person of your race when you visit a community.

_________ A Saudi Arabian sits down next to you on a crowded bus.

_________ Your new doctor went to medical school in India.

Total: _________

Section B:

_________ You find out a family friend is choosing to be a stay at-home dad.

_________ You greet someone but can’t determine the person’s gender.

_________ You take your car in for repairs and the head mechanic is a woman.

_________ You see a little boy playing with a princess Barbie.

_________ You see a business man getting a manicure.

Total: _________

Section C:

_________ You see two men holding hands.

_________ A person of the same sex is flirting with you.

_________ You move in next door to a same sex couple who have two children.

_________ You go on a date with someone who used to date someone of the same sex.

_________ You see two females kiss lovingly in public.

Total: _________

Section D:

_________ You don’t know whether to open a door for someone in a wheelchair.

_________ You watch someone who does not have a visible disability park in a handicap spot

.

_________ You walk by a mentally disabled person who is talking loudly in the grocery store.

_________ Your friend is dating someone with Aspergers Syndrome (high functioning autism).

_________ You are standing in line behind a deaf person at a fast food restaurant.

Total: _______

Section E:

_________ A heavily obese person is working out in the gym next to you.

_________ You are sitting next to an obese woman on a plane.

_________You notice a coworker who is obese is holding up the cafeteria line because

she/he wants to fill the tray.

_________ You watch an obese man get stuck trying to sit in a desk in a classroom

.

_________You friend sees an overweight person and makes a joke about him/her.

Total: _________

Answer the following questions:

1. On which section did you score the lowest? Highest? Or are all your scores similar? Why do you think that happened? Do you feel surprised, disappointed or satisfied by your results? Why?

2. Think about your friends and family and how they might have completed the questionnaire. Do you think their responses would be similar to or different from yours? Why?

3. What experiences have you had that may have contributed to the way you answered the questions?

4. What does it mean if someone reports feeling uncomfortable in the situations described on the questionnaire? Does it suggest that the person is biased against certain social groups? Why or why not?