There's the obvious physical distinguishing characters, fat or thin, short or tall, hairy or greasy etc etc... Then there's a dash of the attitude, bitchy or nice, loud or quiet, funny or dull etc etc. Of course we add in status for a little spice, rich or poor, lives in this area or that, drives this or that, wears those or these etc etc. And summing it all up nicely with their groups, goth or prep, freaks or geeks, bimbos or brains etc etc...
Etc etc
It's not that I'm saying it's a bad thing, it's often just things we notice that help us distinguish between people, no harm just observations... But when does it stop being an identifier and starts being a cage...a stereotype...a stock character system in which everyone fits a certain profile?? `Do we really realize what we say, how we say it and most importantly why we say it?
I only mention this because I've met a lot of teenagers recently living with severe anorexia; male and female. I found when sharing my hospital experiences with a close nursing friend that I had to explain to her the patients she may encounter in future practice, how I approached them, what interventions we gave and generally what they were like... Of course, I started with the most logical approach, the physical, what their age was, gender, their body structure, alterations to their function... moods, psychological influences, significant trauma history etc. Obviously I gave no real identifying information... but all of them I could easily sum up in two sentences... a lot of repetition was involved as I went down the list of six. They shared common traits, showed similar histories, presented with almost identical symptoms and in some ways were almost indistinguishable in character...
An common example, (the following is in no way related to any alive or dead person, any similarities are pure coincidence, etc etc) Leisha: Is a 14year-old girl, she's tiny for her age, vomits often, has stopped eating, exercises vigorously, behavioral issues, family history of depression/suicide/eating disorders/mental health issues but very intelligent albeit manipulative and exhibits no will to get better. This is what we see, this is it...this girls 14 years of life, summed up in one paragraph...this would generally be the whole handover for an eating disorders patient to new nurses starting a shift, they all seem to know the drill without knowing that specific patient, it's likely no more will be said...unless they 'act up' of course.
Many a times I have not only heard other health professionals use the terms "the anorexics", "Anos", "ED kids" or "the skinnies" but have in fact have used them myself when referring to them. I have not meant it in a harmful or vindictive way...it unfortunately became a common saying, a norm of sorts...in which there was no shock at the mention of it... almost acceptable in a way. Not harmful because it was a common occurrence. Of course every nurse knew it was unprofessional and often tried not to say it but would be out with the slip-of-the-tongue.
They are just an example I'm using, there are many times throughout my clinical experiences where I have seen this and even became a part of it... I've seen it with minorities such as Maori or Pacific Islanders, even around Pakeha in NZ...all assumptions based on what I believe and have experienced...
It is not about how we think but how we perceive! Perception is taking in a stimulus and applying personal factors such as previous experiences, knowledge, mainstream opinions and emotions until it warps into the shape we want it to...with this we evaluate situations...cultures ...families...people. We see a PI family and assume their family is large and may in fact live together or very closely and although that may be true and based on a wide variety of research we will perceive what WE know...and with that as a guide we fit people in to boxes, categories and titles.
Even in using the word 'they' I am placing them in a group I believe share similar characteristics and habits. It is as if human beings cannot not function or thrive without placing people into these categories...almost like a survival tool... a guide to assessing your situation in respect to others. Like I said before, it is not bad or good... it almost just appears necessary in a way; but with this we must tread lightly.
Do not be swept forward blindly in life, question what is normal, as that is, more often than not, the way that needs to be questioned the most!
