The Power Of Vulnerability Reflection (The Self, Perception, and Communication)

"The Power of Vulnerability" Reflection

Please view the following Ted Talk and respond to the questions below: http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability?language=en

25 Points

1. Dr. Brown makes this statement about relational connection:"Connection is why we're here it's what gives purpose and meaning to our lives."

A.) Do you agree, or disagree? Why?

B.) Which connections in your life would you describe as most important? How did these connections become strong?

2. How is vulnerability related to self-disclosure and your self-concept?

3."We humans have a tendency to define things by what they are not. This is especially true of our emotional experiences."

How would you define vulnerability in terms of what it is not?

4."I see the cultural messaging everywhere that says that an ordinary life is a meaningless life."

Think about what you watch on TV, the magazines you read, the music you listen to on the radio, and the billboards you drive or walk by everyday. What are some of the expectations and messages (subtle and not-so-subtle) that fuel the fear of being ordinary?

5."Vulnerability and courage beget vulnerability and courage."

When have you experienced this in your own life? When has your vulnerability opened the door for someone else or vice versa?

6."In simple terms, if they love it, you're worthy; if they don't, you're worthless."

A. Have you ever attached your self-worth to how something of yours was received?

B. How did that affect your ability to share it with others and navigate the reaction of others?

7."And numbing vulnerability is especially debilitating because it doesn't just deaden the pain of our difficult experiences; numbing vulnerability also dulls our experiences of love, joy, belonging, creativity, and empathy. We can't selectively numb emotion. Numb the dark and you numb the light."

What are the emotions you try to numb and what emotions would you like to experience more in your life?

8."I realized that courage is one of the most important qualities that Wholehearted people have in common. And not just any kind of courage; I found that Wholeheartedness requires ordinary courage."

How do you understand the difference between heroic courage and ordinary courage?