Race, class, gender, ethnicity, and religion are all variables that impact a person’s identity, worldview, communication style, and behaviors. Applying the sociological imagination to the workplace environment enables a greater understanding of how these factors impact daily interactions and events, with the goals of promoting harmony and resolving conflict. Being aware of race, gender, and religion has helped me function better in teams. The times that I neglected to recognize race, religion, and gender taught me valuable lessons and helped me to become more emotionally and socially intelligent. Race, gender, and religion are all socially constructed variables rather than being absolute categories; therefore it is always important to remember the fluidity of these constructs and to relate to each person individually as opposed to making sweeping generalizations based on stereotypes and assumptions. Moreover, categories and definitions of race, gender, and religion are not monolithic. What it means to be white, black, female, and Jewish will be different for each person. Other factors such as socioeconomic class background, nationality, and age will also factor into issues like personal identity construction. Experiences with discrimination will also have a strong bearing on how a person perceives race, gender, and religion as markers of personal identity or as the screens through which they view the world. Religion, race, and gender can sometimes be visible markers that others use to project their own expectations and beliefs, thereby altering the person’s...
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