The art of reflection

Cerys Mason reflects on social bricolage, the way we construct our futures piece by piece from past experience.

The world we live in feels so chaotic, and as Londoners, we know things aren’t about to slow down anytime soon. Between the incessant stream of red buses inching forward, the endless queues at Pret and battles to survive tube rush hour, the idea of finding the time to pause for some self-reflection may seem absurd. But with a brand new decade ahead, I’ve never felt more ready for a new chapter; and before turning a new page, I think it’s important to stop for a moment and look back on previous ones.

Does it ever feel like everything that has happened in your life up until now has all been built towards some future purpose? If you have, you’ve been experiencing social bricolage. Without trying to bore you or overcomplicate it, social bricolage was first introduced by social anthropologist Levi-Strauss, who noted that we essentially construct our futures from past experiences and the tools we’ve collected in the process. So although you may not realise your own tool-gathering taking place, you are in fact already building your future piece by piece. This can occur in a progressive way, or as a sudden complete re-evaluation: either way, whether consciously or unconsciously, this reflexivity is an essential part of everyone’s lives.

As a first-year, the notion of living in London is still relatively foreign to me, and I can sense myself moving to a whole new tempo with each passing day. While at times this can be stressful, I equally enjoy marvelling at the beautiful madness that embodies this city, and the sheer amount of opportunities for growth which are constantly thrown my way. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting people from all corners of the globe, enabling me to appreciate and soak up the multiculturalism that envelops UCL. The importance of taking the time to absorb and reflect on these new experiences cannot be stressed enough.

An MIT Sloan study researched how relationships formed in an environment of multiculturalism would increase individuals’ creativity and mental flexibility, strengthening, in turn, their personal growth and self bricolage process. However, the study concluded that mere exposure is not enough: we cannot just “collect” these relationships, but must actively engage in a variety of cultural experiences in order for them to build on our own personality.

When I asked Ola, a fellow Social Sciences student, what impact her multicultural friendships have had on her, she replied: “They’ve made me more sensitive and appreciative to differences in cultures, because if everyone’s the same, it’s boring! When you move from Eastern to Western Europe you start viewing your own culture like it’s inferior. I’ve only just started getting rid of this mindset and having a healthier, more constructive approach.” She admits that she rarely finds the time to self-reflect on these aspects of life: “I’m rushing forward, not really looking back, not really looking where I’m rushing, just rushing.” Nonetheless, despite the fast-paced nature of city life, Ola does credit London for offering her a fresh understanding of her own identity, and acknowledges that it certainly will have an impact on her future in exciting new ways.

Rebecca moved from her home country Brazil to the US at age 10 without knowing a word of English. She felt like she was “thrown into a whole new world”, mainly because of “the social shift from collectivism to individualism predominant in western culture.” However, as daunting as this change was at the time, in retrospect she is thankful for the adaptability skills she gained from the experience.

“You have to ascertain who you are by yourself - what do you hold onto that is essential to your identity, and what do you let go of in order to adapt?”

Adaptability is in fact a key word that has made her think differently about the future. “What I’ve realised is that I don’t need to be stuck to a single plan - I want to do something that will one day make an impact, but right now I’m more focused on the journey and what I’m learning on the way. If we keep our heads down focused on making plans, we lose sight of how far we can go.”

What has self-reflection on London’s multicultural surroundings yielded for Rebecca? The realisation that “once you interact with others from all walks of life, you come to appreciate that there’s more that unites us rather than divides us.”

So why is all this wishy-washy reflective stuff important? Well, “A Conscious Rethink”, a popular self-help blog, gives us the lowdown: self-reflection ensures you’ll be more transparent with yourself and what you want. Figuring out your own values is a vital part of embracing “adultness” and constructing the life you want to lead. Additionally, your personal relationships, anxiety, stress and sleep levels will all improve, as well as decision-making and clarity of thought. For example, a 2014 study on self-set growth goals found that university students not only become more academically stimulated through self-reflection techniques, but their self-esteem increases and their stress management capabilities improve. With these tools, they can become their own perfect “bricoleur”.

I admit it’s hard to truly stop and think in a city like London (and as a UCL student drowning in assignments), but the ability to get lost in self-reflection in the midst of all the craziness is a skill worth pursuing. Think of where you’ve been and where you are now – maybe this will help you define where you one day want to be.

This article was originally published in Issue 725 of Pi Magazine.

The art of reflection

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