Keeping an Open Mind

The trait of openness

by Claire Law

Suitable for Whole School (Sec)

Aims

To consider how we can develop our capacity for openness.

Preparation and materials

• You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (Keeping an Open Mind) and the means to display them.

Assembly

1. Show Slide 1.
   
   Welcome the students to the assembly.
   
   
2. I wonder what personality type you believe you have. How would you describe your personality to others? What personality traits are you known for?
   
   
3. Finding ways to describe personality is something that psychologists have considered for many years. They have developed a model called the Big Five - openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism, or OCEAN for short - that summarizes the personality traits that are most commonly studied.
   
   
4. Let’s consider openness. I wonder if we’d call ourselves open-minded. How open are we to new ideas and new experiences? Are we open to adventure and doing things differently? If so, we might be someone who would score highly for openness.
   
   
5. The openness personality trait is sometimes called openness to experience. This more detailed term helps us to understand how people who have high levels of openness approach life. They can remain open to their own and others’ emotions, and open to new ideas and new ways of doing things.
   
   
6. Show Slide 2.
   
   Do we have a sense of how open we are? There are some typical behaviours that people who score low on openness tend to show.
   
   - They’re more likely to behave in ways that others perceive as predictable.
   - They’re likely to stick to routine and resist change.
   - They may well keep a small, familiar group of friends.
   - They prefer to stick to one or two hobbies rather than trying lots of new activities.
   - They can easily jump to conclusions.
   - They choose predictability over spontaneity.
   
   
7. Show Slide 3.
   
   There are also some typical behaviours that people who score high on openness tend to show.
   
   - They’re more likely to behave in ways that others might perceive as reckless.
   - They have many hobbies and interests.
   - They may ask lots of questions because they are curious.
   - They can easily become bored.
   - They may feel OK about challenging authority.
   - They like to ask questions to understand someone else’s viewpoint.
   - They are happy to socialize with a range of people, including people from different cultures.
   - They show a sensitivity to beauty and emotion.
   
   
8. Show Slide 4.
   
   Remaining open to self-reflection and avoiding a closed, judgmental attitude is something that Jesus encouraged in his followers. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus urged his listeners to be open by saying, ‘Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?’
   
   
9. Let’s think about what Jesus’ metaphor means. If we are close-minded, we may be quick to judge others. We may also close ourselves off from reflecting on our own behaviour. We might find that we are quick to judge others for their faults without seeing how we are hurting others. Jesus encourages us to be open to self-reflection and to avoid making quick judgments about others.

Time for reflection

So, how open would we say that we are? Do we want to make any changes?

Regardless of how open we might feel ourselves to be, our level of openness can change; it’s not a fixed entity. We can increase our capacity for openness by making choices that help us towards that goal.

Let’s consider three ways of becoming more open. As we contemplate each approach, let’s consider what actions we want to take.

Show Slide 5.

When we talk with others, are we quick to jump to conclusions? To develop an attitude of openness, let’s aim to take our time to consider the factors that are influencing others. Let’s try to remain open and curious about what others are thinking and feeling, rather than judging them too soon.

Show Slide 6.

We can make every day a school day by staying open to learning something new every day. Toddlers are great at this because they’re happy to ask why things are as they are. Let’s aim to adopt an attitude of open curiosity and a desire to keep learning.

Show Slide 7.

Being open to creativity can be a way to grow our openness. We might have a go at doodling and allow our inner creativity free expression. We could look for beauty in nature and be inspired to create a poem, song, picture or story based on our experience. We’ll need to stay open by refusing to judge our creations as not good enough!

If we’re people who feel that we score highly in the personality trait of openness, let’s remember that other people experience the world differently, so they may prefer stability and structure to change. The trait of openness is a helpful way to remember that humans are wonderfully different!

Let’s take a moment of silence to consider what openness means to us personally.

Pause to allow time for thought.

Prayer
Dear God,
We’ve heard Jesus’ words encouraging us to keep an open mind and to be open to self-reflection.
We’ve also taken time to consider the features of an open personality.
We pray for a sense of gratitude that our personality is one of the things that makes us unique.
We pray for a willingness to accept ourselves as we are, and the courage to consider what actions we want to take to help us become the best version of ourselves.
Please help us to be open to change, growth and learning in ourselves and others.
Amen.