My spectrum of taking words literally ACTIVITY E. YOUR WRITING PROMPTS PAGE 149-150

Event: When I took words literally: Do you believe every word spoken/written no matter how illogical it is? Will you focus on the words people say rather than the meaning or tone of voice/body language? How does this affect your comprehension of their words and your response?   Do you understand the implications behind people’s words to do something? Have you ever followed the rules and still got into trouble because you took them literally? Were you aware of any hidden social rules that guide people’s actions?

Meaning: What does literal thinking mean for me? Are you shocked at people’s responses without realising they are being sarcastic? Do you ever get frightened because you have taken words literally? Have you ever believed a fake scam/trick and had to have it explained to you? How could this threaten your safety or sense of peace? Could this make you do something in a panic because you believed it? Have you got into trouble because you literally did what was instructed rather than what was implied? Do people presume you were trying to do something wrong on purpose? Is there much understanding or empathy for your way of thinking?

Effect: When I use words literally and mean exactly what I say: Are you very straightforward in how you speak? Do you see any point in not saying what you think? Does it even occur to you to say something you don’t actually mean? What happens when you stick absolutely rigidly to the rules without any deviations from what is stated? How do you react if someone else does not follow the rules literally? When you say what you mean does this have a negative effect on other people? How do they react to you? Has it caused disagreements or confusion? Are you surprised to find out people did not do exactly what they said they would?

Strategies: How can I deal with literal thinking? How can you figure out when language is not literal to help you interact more easily? Would it help to learn from a set of examples of social conventions to better understand the hidden social meanings behind some rules?   What would help you to identify when you need to question someone’s language or your own literal explanations? Would it be useful to simply question everything for a while until you develop your awareness of how language is used by both you and other people? Would this eventually allow you to automatically think of the different possible interpretations of language?