Reactions

After analysing photographs of Ross’ house (see post below) we discussed our findings with each other to assess whether or not we actually could tell things about each other without knowing each other.

Ross’ reactions to my analysis.

It was quite a strange experience sitting there telling someone else who you think they are. However with Ross it appears I was quite close to being spot on e.g. things such as Ross having strong family values and opinions. I asked Ross if his CD’s were ordered somehow and he informed me they were, Alphabetically by artist and then year of release. This confirmed my understanding that Ross was well organised and like to proud of his belongings. As I mentioned that I pictured Ross’ room to always be clean he told me that it goes in cycles, sometimes it is spotless and then gradually becomes untidy until it is unbearable, then tidy again. This surprised me as the generally I got the impression that the whole family were keen to keep everything really clean.

I thought the reason Ross’ room was red reflected his strong opinions and values and this was something that he had not really thought about. Ross said that he chose to paint his room red because it was different to the blue that was underneath, but he did agree that perhaps there were some underlying reasons such as those I put across. It was interesting to note that Ross was a big collector of all things Star Wars when he was younger, obviously as there is only one obvious piece of memorabilia it was quite hard to interpret. It turns out the framed clips were a gift from his girlfriend, who knew that he liked Star Wars as a child.

I told Ross that I thought his family liked to welcome people into their house and that first impressions were important to them, he confirmed this to be true and told me that first impressions generally reflect what people think of the rest of the house. The biggest difference was the plates in the entranceway, I suggested that these were military and had some connection to the past. However it turns out to be a collection of John Wayne memorabilia plates that his family have collected over the years. I asked if there was a reason for this and Ross informed me that they were important as they were a reminder of his late Grandfather, who had a passion for John Wayne films.

My reactions to Ross’ analysis.

At first I was apprehensive as to what I was going to hear. Would I be told some underlying issue that I had never thought of? Overall Ross analysis of me was also very close to the truth. Ross’ could tell that my family were close not only with the immediate family but also with the extended family. I was slightly taken aback when Ross told me that my parents tended to spend money on me and my two brothers rather than themselves or the house. This is almost identical to what my parents say “we spent all of our money on you three and we just made do for us and the house.” It was a bit spooky when Ross asked if my Dad, an Engineer, was some kind of tradesman or worked with his hand. Ross told me that he thought my Dad was quite well built and that was the indication of working in a trade. Characteristics of me that Ross managed to pick up on from my photos were that as a child I was slightly clumsy, outgoing and quite funny. He could tell that I was comfortable being with adults from a young age, something I had never really thought about, and that my family and I like spending time in the outdoors.

It was peculiar listening to somebody else tell you about yourself, however I did enjoy it as it reminded me of the fun times my family and I used to have when were all together camping or on holiday. Unfortunately this is something that never really happens that often as we have all grown up and some moved away from home I think we are all a bit more used to the creature comforts ad the heat of a holiday in Greece rather that a camping trip to Pitlochry.

This process was quite hard to get a grasp of but as I got into it I found it a more enjoyable experience. As I looked into the Johari Window, I discovered that some of what is mentioned in that is reflected into the analysis that Ross and I did of each other. There was not much that either of us did not really know about ourselves but small things such as the underlying reasons for Ross choosing red or my relationship with adults. Other than those couple of this generally we were telling each other things that we both knew and could relate with. Overall the exercise was challenging as I felt there was a need to be very careful of how you put your findings across to the other person. I was very cautious of offending Ross, or said something that he found inappropriate. It is difficult analysing someone when you do not know as you are wary of mentioning things such as family in case the family home has been separated or someone has passed away. In that way I fell we maybe hold back on saying things exactly as we see it. Perhaps this is true with lots of research, in the time that we live in everyone is particularly careful to not upset or offend others. Therfore I can only assume that not all research is completely honest.