6-2 Activity: Reflection: Society

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5-2 Activity: Refection: Self

Cole Staats

Southern New Hampshire University

IDS-401 Global Society

Amber Logan

April 2, 2023

5-2 Activity: Refection: Self

Self-reflection is an integral element of developing critical analysis skills. It entails students reflecting on their learning progress and assessing their work. By incorporating activities that require students to critically analyze and reflect on their work and progress, they can identify gaps in their skill set and knowledge and achieve deeper learning, improve metacognitive skills, and attain greater autonomy. The following paper will examine how critical analysis skills have affected my framework of perception, how examining my bias has influenced how I perceive the world, and how critical analysis skills can influence my professional or academic life.

I applied critical analysis skills to analyze the issue of income inequality in society. This has influenced how I perceive the community around me and the world at large. Now, I view the world as unfair and unjust. Reports show that the rich represent only 10 percent of the overall population but currently generate over 50 percent of income (Myers, 2021). On the other hand, people experiencing poverty represents 50 percent of the global population but generate only 8 percent of income (Myers, 2021). On average, a rich person will earn “122,100 U.S. dollars annually”, while a poor person will earn just “3,920 U.S. dollars annually” (Myers, 2021). “The gap is also wider when it comes to wealth” (Myers, 2021). The rich own over 70 percent of all wealth, while the poor “own just 2 percent” (Myers, 2021).

We all have biases. Having biases does not make us evil; not every bias is hurtful or harmful. My personal bias is that poverty results from personal failings. I believed that one's future is in their hands and if you have nothing then you have failed in life. Also, if you want a better income you will need to put the work in and earn it. With that said, during this process, I found that my bias was flawed due to a lack of information and education. Furthermore, my bias was based on a standard that everyone had the same chances I had but I was wrong to assume this. Being aware of our own biases can change our perceptions and make us gain the knowledge to make an educated decision. For instance, we can change how we view poverty and income inequality and help low-income individuals move up the economic ladder and, in turn, reduce the income gap between the rich and the poor.

Critically analyzing diversity and globalization will positively influence my professional life. Diversity is a range of individual characteristics, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, cultural beliefs, and national origin. Diversity is vital in different settings, including work settings. Workplace diversity occurs when a company employs a workforce encompassing individuals with different characteristics (Vandenberg et al., 2022). In contrast, globalization happens when a company operates in several nations. Having a clear understanding of different cultures and nations will make me more sensitive to different cultural traditions and practices. This trait is essential in my future profession. Most companies require employees to work effectively with diverse teams. In other words, most companies today hire individuals who can work with people of other cultures and nations and be willing to travel internationally for business purposes.

References

Myers, J. (2021). These charts show the growing income inequality between the world's richest and poorest. World Economic Forum. Retrieved from: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/12/global-income-inequality-gap-report-rich-poor/#:~:text=Income%20and%20wealth%20inequalities%20significant&text=The%20richest%2010%25%20of%20the,half%20will%20earn%20just%20%243%2C920.

Vandenberg, A., Larrick, K., Gnuse, J., Ibrahim, S., & Folberg, A. (2022). Diversity in the Workplace: What Job Applicants Write and How Diversity Statements are Perceived. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/srcaf/2022/schedule/29/