Abnormal Behavior

Lindsey Corey

Abnormal Behavior Assignment

Pd4b

In my experiment, I decided to see how people would react to me being in a wheelchair in public. I expected people to be pretty helpful and do things like open doors for me a lot, which they did. But also, it was really awkward at the same time because when I’d be in a store or something, a lot of people would stare at me, which made me really uncomfortable. When I think about it, I guess when I see someone in a wheelchair, I don’t realize that I’m really staring at them wondering why they’re in that condition; I’m assuming that’s what people were thinking about me, but being on the other side of the situation really made me understand how it feels! In the end, if I had to do that all the time and feel the same reactions from all those people, I could see how it would bring down my self-esteem or make me feel less confident than I normally do. Socially, I don’t think I’d be as outgoing just because it would bring a lot of attention to myself which would cause people to just stare more; I don’t think I would like it at all. Overall, this whole experiment allowed me to have a lot more empathy for people who are in physically challenging conditions like that. I never realized how just having to read people’s expressions and wondering what they think about you could be so nerve-wracking!