I am comfortable working with a social group consisting of older people. I do not have any problems or worries when interacting with them. At the same time, I might feel uncomfortable collaborating with people with alternative sexual orientations. Some interactions might be awkward for me and require additional effort to remain involved. The three significant things making me feel comfortable when interacting with the first group are respect, knowledge, and compassion. Most older people have numerous experiences from their past and can share knowledge, which can be interesting for a person. Moreover, they usually respect their interlocutor and are happy to engage in conversation. Finally, because of their experiences, they are compassionate and can notice strong emotions and help to share them. For this reason, I do not have issues interacting with this social group, and these things make me feel comfortable.
As for the aspects making me uncomfortable, it is possible to mention a lack of understanding of how to behave, stigma, and problematic communication. The problem is that society offers stereotypic and biased judgments about people with alternative sexual orientations. It results in the emergence of a specific attitude to them and issues in communication. As for me, I do not have a prejudiced attitude toward this cohort; however, trying to avoid complex issues and themes, I might feel awkward. In such a way, to address the discomfort, I should do three main things. First, I should communicate with this social group’s representatives to acquire a better understanding and avoid the fear of using inappropriate themes or issues. Second, it is vital to improve my communication skills as they would help to interact with people from diverse backgrounds and feel more confident in various situations. Finally, it is necessary to stop thinking about the stigma existing in society and how to avoid touching it.