Desiree just met her new college roommate,Francesca,for the first time.Francesca is from Mexico and is having difficulty adjusting to American culture.She is feeling homesick as this is her first time away from home.Desiree is excited to finally be away from home,and is looking forward to a fun-filled year.Although Francesca seems nice,it is a bit of a "downer" to have such a melancholy roommate.Desiree has heard that you have taken a course in interpersonal communication,and asks for advice about how to interact with her new roommate.You decide that the best approach is for Desiree to try and socially decenter in an effort to get off on the right foot with her new roommate.Using the various skills associated with social decentering,what advice do you give Desiree?

-Desiree will want to begin a cognitive shift whereby she begins to take into account Francesca's thoughts,values,background,and perspectives.
-The first part of social decentering is for Desiree to think about how she would react if she were suddenly thrust into a new culture.What new things must Francesca be dealing with? Desiree might think about a time when she traveled abroad,or was in a new and unfamiliar situation.Has Desiree ever felt homesick? What ways has she coped with culture shock or homesickness in the past?
-The second part of social decentering for Desiree is to reflect on what she knows about Francesca.She might look at the various artifacts and personal items Francesca has arranged in their dorm room.She might deduce something about her based on the fact that the college has paired them together.If Francesca has a lot of family pictures up in the room,Desiree might think about what sort of importance she places on family,and if families are the same in Mexico as they are in the United States.If Desiree is really on her toes,she might reflect on some of the building blocks of culture such as individualism versus collectivism,view of time,and so on,to gain a better picture of the issues Francesca is facing.
-The third part of social decentering is thinking about how most people would react in a similar situation.What is it like to be a young woman in a strange place? How much social support (good friends)do most young women of about age 18 require? How do most Mexicans feel about individualistic cultures like that found in the United States,etc.? Avoid developing inaccurate,inflexible stereotypes of others by not making snap judgments that might lead to inaccurate conclusions.