Activity 1.4 The Marker Exercise(Deconstructing Labeling)

ACT Processes:

• Defusion

Objectives:

• To highlight the arbitrariness of judgments and stigma
• To promote appreciation of different perspectives in connection to stigma
• To begin addressing internalized stigma or shame

Participation Format:

• Participants sit in a large horseshoe with sufficient room in the center for participation and interaction

Number of Facilitators:

• 2

Time Required:

• 20 mins

Materials Required:

• Flip chart paper
• Water-based markers
• Masking tape

Activities & Instructions

Setup

• Co-facilitators sit across from each other at the open end of the horseshoe.
• Facilitator #2 gives instructions for the activity and Facilitator #1 takes notes on participants’ sharing on flip chart.

Instructions for participants

• Facilitator #1 places a marker in the centre inside the circle.
• Facilitator #2 invites participants to voice what they see: “Take a look at this object in the middle of the circle here. You may come up and take a closer look, or touch it. You may even pass it around. Share with us what you see.”
• Facilitator #2 then asks the follow questions one by one to bring out even more reactions from the participants:
  • What are the physical properties of this marker?
  • What is your impression?
  • What is your opinion about this marker?
  • What do you like or dislike about this marker?
• Facilitator #2 discourages participants from debating which responses are better or more accurate. The key purpose is to have everyone share their opinions and impressions.
• Facilitator #1 records participants’ responses on the flip chart.
• After 10 or 12 minutes of sharing by participants, Facilitator #1 refers to the flip chart notes:
  • Facilitator #1: “Let us take a look at all the responses I have captured here on the flip chart. I am going to use a red marker to circle all the responses that describe the physical properties of the marker Everyone can help me.”
  • Facilitator #1 circles all the responses in red, and points out to the participants that all the un-circled words reflect our arbitrary opinions, judgments, and impression on a simple object like the marker.
  • Facilitator #1 further points out that even language is arbitrary: “If we think about it, even the words or language we use to describe the physical properties of the marker or any other object are often arbitrary. For example, why do we call the ‘sky’ – sky and an ‘apple’ – apple?”
  • After participants discuss the arbitrariness of language and words, Facilitator #1 further encourages participants to reflect: “Reflecting on our judgment and impression on the marker, how are they similar or different to judgment and stigma in everyday life, between our ‘self’ and others, especially stigma of mental illness?”
  • “In fact, our minds automatically label and mark up everything – just like the function of this marker … so our mind is the ultimate marker… ironically, the marker itself is being marked even as we use it to make marks on other things …”
• Facilitator #1 wraps up this activity by highlighting the arbitrariness of language, judgment and stigma.

References & Sources

• Adapted and modified from Bad Cup Metaphor (Hayes et al., 1999, p 169)