University of the People, Department of Education.

Armine Babayan
EDUC 5810 – Living and Learning Globally.
Unit 5 Written Assignment
December, 2023.
Brene Brown (2010) addresses remarkable notions about the human condition and
human connection in her talk The Power of Vulnerability. Despite our fundamental need
to avoid vulnerability, she makes a compelling case for its high value and potential for
positive influence.
Pride, fear, and ignorance are the three basic emotions that keep us from being
vulnerable (Jeffress, 2016). Because previous successful instances provide
self-satisfaction and a sense of being exceptional among our peers, pride prevents us
from acknowledging we are vulnerable.

Individuals may believe that there are missing components that prevent them from
becoming perfect after confessing to being susceptible. Individuals are also deterred
from becoming susceptible to fear. We may have learned the painful physical and
psychosocial consequences of failure and limitations, and there is an avoidance
tendency that protects us from further harm if we do not admit we are vulnerable
because no one will be able to identify the limitations of the individuals not disclose
them in public. We are content with the areas in which we are skilled, and ignorance
would limit our understanding of the world. When we discover an uncharted area that
does not appear in our cognitive capacity, we may be tempted to dismiss its existence
since it contradicts previous learning and concept creation. We can barely progress to
better by immersing ourselves in a new context if we are experiencing these three
negative feelings.

One of the most difficult aspects of vulnerability is that it is in direct opposition to

societal norms. People sometimes identify a vulnerability with being "emotional," which
carries a slew of preconceptions, particularly when it comes to gender stereotyping.
Women, in particular, are typically labeled as weak or unfit for the profession when they
show emotion at work. This is a crucial component that makes being susceptible
difficult. Fear of bad repercussions has a strong influence on our behavior. Another
barrier to vulnerability is the level of honesty that it necessitates. We must be
introspective and honest with ourselves and others to be truly vulnerable.

Vulnerability is an important component of becoming more robust to intercultural

understanding experiences. Vulnerability increases our empathy, which makes
cross-cultural communication a platform for mutual understanding. Consider a culturally
sensitive teacher who facilitates intercultural discourse and models vulnerability for her
students. In a diverse classroom, there is the potential for intercultural understanding as
well as bullying or prejudice based on stereotypes. Students who are willing to be open
and confront their own biases or preconceived conceptions will close the gap between
themselves and their peers while also growing personally.
We must be able to be vulnerable in the company of others, but we must also be able to
be vulnerable in self-reflection (Gay and Kirkland, 2003, p. 182). Relating vulnerability to
intercultural understanding, it is unusual for us to get along with people from different
cultural origins in the age of globalization. Some cultures may be unfamiliar to us since
they are not highly known in the international urban. We believe we are mastering the
necessary understanding of the world we live in as we gain more real-life experiences.

Nonetheless, the new cultures may give us new perspectives on the world's minorities.
While we are vulnerable, we may recognize that we are not flawless and that we are
lacking in some areas.
We shall grow more open-minded in our comprehension of some cultures with which
our traditional teachings and rituals have little in common. When we try to learn more
about other people's cultures, we won't be under as much psychological stress. Instead,
some individuals would be delighted to share their cultures with us, allowing us to widen
our views and explore regions that are beyond our cognitive capabilities. In the long
term, having a positive mindset will enable us to form pleasant relationships with people
all over the world.

From a personal point of view, fear of failure and taking risks, in my experience, get in
the way of vulnerability. If I'm going to take a significant risk, like changing careers, I
need to be vulnerable and self-reflective. I will frequently delay reaching a choice on a
problem to avoid having to deal with the situation directly. However, I nearly always find
that if I allow myself to be vulnerable, things begin to turn around.
In conclusion, the vulnerability affects one’s intercultural understanding. Traveling to a
foreign nation and being with peers from all countries and cultures needs a lot of
confidence and willingness to take risks. Vulnerability has a lot of advantages in the
end, but getting there might be difficult when it comes to facing the emotions that ban
you from being vulnerable.

References:

Brown, B. [TEDxHouston]. (2010, December 23). The power of vulnerability [Video].

TED Talks. https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability
Jeffress, R. (2016). 23 JAN WHY WE DENY OUR FAILURES. Dr. Robert Jeffress
Pathway to Victory. https://ptv.org/devotional/why-we-deny-our-failures/
Gay, G., & Kirkland, K. (2003). Developing cultural critical consciousness and
self-reflection in preservice teacher education. Theory into Practice, 42(3), 181-187.
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