Deonte I.

Ross
Adventures in Attitudes
Human Relations in the Workplace

Adventures in Attitudes People Problems

In this project, you are to examine your emotional responses to people situations. How well are
you able to project yourself into these situations and describe how you would respond? There is
a tendency for you to be logical and to describe how you would like to act, or how nobly you are
supposed to act, but the test is to determine if you can accurately and honestly describe your
first feelings, your emotional reactions to these situations.

1. It is a rainy night. You drive to the local CVS drug store to pick up some items. You look
for a parking place close to the store. The lot is full. But there are two parking places
directly in front of the store that are occupied by just one driver. The driver has left the
car at an angle with part of it in both places. The parking stalls are clearly marked. There
is no reason the car could not be parked so that another driver could use the valuable
parking space.

What are your feelings when you see something like this? What is your attitude towards the
driver? What would you do if anything?

A: I would have momentarily thought, wow look at the person’s parking skills. Also, why is the
parking lot full on a rainy night, maybe there’s a sell going on. I could care less who the driver is.
I would not have sought them out. I’m here on a mission to pick up some items, that’s it. Get in,
get out, and go home.

2. You are at a banquet to hear a speech by a well-known public figure. The speaker arrives
late. His speech is rambling, incoherent, and poorly prepared. He criticizes everything
from the audience to the world in general. The pauses he takes and some of the words
he slurs lead you to think he had indulged in a few too many cocktails before dinner.

How do you feel? What is your attitude towards him? What would you do if anything?

A: I would feel bewildered. How did I end up at this banquet watching this drunken person
give a speech? Not only does this reflect badly on the speaker, but also the host of the
event. I would pity the speaker, what life’s misfortunes have brought the speaker here? If I’m
just an attendee of the banquet, I just watched and let the host revolve it.
 3. You are driving to the hospital to see a sick friend. Just before you get there, you hear a
horn honk beside you. You glance over and see a speeding car trying to pass you. From
the opposite direction, another car is coming. You jam on your brakes, pulling your car to
the right. The car trying to pass you swerves in front of you, almost hitting you. You have
time to glance at the driver. He is a boy whom you would judge is barely old enough to
drive. He speeds down the road after nearly causing a collision with the other car and
almost forcing you into a ditch.

How do you feel? What would you say to the boy if you could talk to him right then?

A: I would be upset, but feeling lucky that nobody or vehicle was damaged. You
mo*********, slow the f*** down. Thousands of people die a day in vehicle accidents;
do you want to be next? Be easy and get out of here before I call the cops.

4. You are walking through the “skid row” section of a city. Every other place of business is
a run-down bar. Lying against the wall of a building is a man with messed up clothing and
an empty wine bottle beside him. Along with this, he is mumbling to himself.

What are your feelings? What is your attitude towards him? What would you do if anything?

A: Mind by business, look as if I belong here, and keep walking. I would feel empathic, I
understand that a few wrong turns or bad breaks and that could be me. I hope he finds peace.