Analysis of the Kindness Interview - Essay Example

Based on gender sorting per age group there were two males and one female under 18 years; 14 males and 22 females between 18-25 years; there were only 3 female respondents between 25 -35 with no male respondents; 5 males and 1 female respondent between 35 -55 years. Finally for respondents at 55+ years, there was 1 male and 1 female each. The settings of the interview were a total of four ranging from personal home settings, classrooms, eatery joints, and entertainment joints such as Star Bucks. Regarding my numerical ratings, I had a total of 5 ratings for each of my respondents. Consequently, a respondent with a rating of 1 represented the least thoughtful while a respondent with a rating of 5 was the most thoughtful. To this end, within my cohort of study, I assigned my first respondent, a Chinese friend aged 19 years, a rating of 1; my Chinese psychology classmate aged 20 years received a rating of 2;   a Chinese female friend aged 19 years achieved a rating of 3. Another Chinese female friend at Star Bucks received a rating of 4, and finally, my elder sister aged 34 years achieved a rating of 5. Thus, on my assessment, my sister’s response was the most thoughtful in my opinion. To this end, she stated the attributes of kindness as being warm, resilient, loyal, patient, and trusting. Furthermore, she exhibited thoughtfulness in her choice of words when she stated, “Kindness is about genuinely caring for others around you, wanting the best efforts from them, and being empathetic to others.”

How did the under-18s respond to the questions?  What similarities/differences do you see? What may account for these?

The responses from the cohort of those under 18 were rather impressive. Apart from one respondent who exhibited a lack of seriousness in the issue, and a failure to exhibit sufficient thoughtfulness, the other two respondents rated highly in thoughtfulness. These two respondents were Kenzie Daniel aged 17 and Lara aged 15 years. One similarity in their response was the genuine and deep reflection exhibited by the depth of their responses. For example, Lara philosophically stated that kindness was a virtue learned through interaction with others. Daniel equally expressed a succinct definition of kindness. He stated it involved treating others as you would expect them to treat you back.  Consequently, they both had a high rating of above 4 in thoughtfulness. The most logical explanation for both their unique and accurate responses pertains to their childhood and parental background that offered mentorship concerning relations with peers and etiquette.

How did females respond to the questions?  What similarities/differences do you see? What may account for these?

The female responses about kindness rated highly on thoughtfulness in contrast to the male responses. The majority of the females clearly articulated their understanding of kindness. One major similarity was the clear expression of engaging in acts of kindness. The logical reason for women rating highly on thoughtfulness pertains to the innate connection of the nurturing attribute attached to the socialization of women as caregivers in society and mothers.

How did the 55+ respond to the questions?  What similarities/differences do you see? What may account for these?

The responses by respondents above 55 years were direct and straight to the point. Both respondents were respectively male and female with each presenting a simple elaboration on kindness. However, the female respondent exhibited a succinct and clearer expression of understanding of kindness. On the contrary, the male’s response was rather vague in meaning. The innate reflection and understanding of kindness by both respondents may be due to their years of experience in relating with others compared to the other age groups.

How did males respond to the questions?  What similarities/differences do you see? What may account for these?

The males’ responses about their understanding of kindness were average with a few notable males exhibiting innate knowledge. Many of the male respondents between 18-25 appeared to have an inner understanding of kindness but had problems articulating it in words. In comparison to the females, their responses were not clearly articulated. However, a better rating of thoughtfulness was evident among the older groups from 35-55 and 55+. This was most likely due to their advanced age and experience in interpersonal relations.

Did the Setting seem to Affect the Age and Sex of your Informants?  If so why?  If not why?

The setting did affect the age and sex of my informants. Foremost, the classroom setting influenced my age since it was an academic setup largely composed of my peers between 19 and 20 years. Furthermore, my family set setting influenced the age and sex of my elder sister aged 34, who was the sole person present person during the interview.

Their unique and articulate expression of kindness was by far exemplary across the other cohorts and rather unexpected before undertaking the survey. However, there were at times difficulties in assigning and analyzing ratings of thoughtfulness for some respondents. This was due to the challenge of clearly ascertaining whether certain respondents were deserving of the rating on thoughtfulness.  The results did reflect some of the expectations. This included female respondents exhibiting higher ratings in thoughtfulness compared to male respondents. In a nutshell, the analysis revealed diverse perceptions of kindness but sufficiently based on one central understanding. That is, treating someone in the same respect that you expect a reciprocation of the same treatment.