Prompts for eliciting blind spots/​bucket errors/​bugs

This post is to make publicly available a few prompts/​questions I came up with aiming to uncover blind spots around identity/​self-concepts.

  • Select a trait X that you believe you have, and where you like that you have it (e.g. rational, kind, patient...)

  • Try to imagine a character that is a caricature of someone with trait X. Or another way to think about this: The way Spock is a Straw Man version of a rational character, what would a Straw Man version of a character with trait X look like? (referred to in the following as X-Spock)

    • What are blind spots an X-Spock is likely to have?

    • In what sorts of situations is an X-Spock especially likely to fail?

    • What would an X-Spock have a lot of trouble admitting to? (e.g. someone who considers themselves courageous may be unable to admit they are afraid)

    • What are traits that seem like opposites of X?

      • Could the opposite traits actually be beneficial?

      • Is what seems like an opposite trait in actuality orthogonal? (e.g. rational and emotional)

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