Reflective writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Reflective writing - Essay Example As described by Belbin (1993, p. 152) â€Å"a team is not a bunch of people with job titles, but a congregation of individuals, each of whom has a role which is understood by other members. Members of a team seek out certain roles and they perform most effectively in the ones that are most natural to them†. In the light of this description, I assumed the role of a â€Å"team worker†. This was because I thought of myself as a shy person as I do not find myself confident enough among those I do not know. It may be because of the lack of trust in my skills and abilities; I am full of brilliant ideas but I lack the confidence to express them and have lost many good opportunities in life due to my apparently shy nature. Carl Jung, the psychoanalyst, has termed people like me as â€Å"introverts† who spend most of their time alone or in the company of one or two friends (Osher 1998). I have only one close friend and I really feel comfortable in his company. Another thi ng I do not like about myself is the inability to make decisions. When it came to working in a team in the final year of PASBD, I gladly took the role of a â€Å"team worker†. ... In the first group meeting, I was overwhelmed by the confident faces around me. My only friend was not in the group and that really made me feel isolated. My confidence sank all time low and I did not participate in the discussions. In fact, I could not answer the questions directed towards me coherently. In my group, discussions were common and it was mandatory for every member to participate. Clashes of opinions were also frequent in the group and a final decision regarding tasks was reached after many loud arguments. I did not like both; however, both these factors proved to be a useful learning tool for me. The mandatory discussions meant that I had to voice my opinion while the clashes of opinions gave me confidence to speak out loud to make a point. While discussing group dynamics, Melucci (2004) shared the concept of conformity that fits well to my situation. Melucci (2004, p. 249) stated that â€Å"conformity is the maintenance or the alteration of one’s behavior to m atch the behavior and expectations of others†. I was actually trying to conform with the group expectations where every next member is eager to share and contribute. During this process of conforming to the group expectations, I found that my team members actually liked my ideas. This gave me confidence to speak in front of people. I realized that I had a lot of potential but was also terribly under confident. I started thinking why it was so. One thing that I had learnt from this experience (working in a group) was that I was not shy. This was because I was not tongue tied or my legs did not shake when I spoke in public. My lack of participation was because of my fear of being rejected and being ridiculed. As described by Freud, the human