Gender and the Receptivity of Individuals to Blind Self Feedback

This research looks at the intersection of three fields: receptivity to feedback, the blind self and feedback, and the impact of gender on feedback. The author’s aim was to see how gender affects the ability of individuals to receive feedback about an aspect of themselves of which they are unaware. We had individuals simulate a situation in which they received feedback from someone they trust that they are racist, and complete a survey to gauge their receptivity to this feedback. Our findings confirmed that individuals are generally unreceptive to blind self feedback. Additionally, women were more receptive on average to blind self feedback than men, but the difference in receptivity was not statistically significant – this finding may be influenced by several key limitations. This study contributes to a very important field of research, because understanding one’s own blind spots is critical to an individual’s ability to grow.