C-CS

Null Experiences

Normally, persons communicate with one another in the context of shared codes and experiences. When people differ from each other because they CANNOT share experiences, this "gap" in their relationship often occasions serious misunderstandings. There are numerous situations in which one person in attempting to interpret another person would benefit if this gap could be bridged. Indeed, every culture has a repertoire of "empathetic" communication strategies by which members of that culture attempt to bridge gaps in experience that present themselves in interpersonal relations with each other. Nonetheless, in many situations, persons with different experiences are considered as "other" or "foreign," obviating attempts to understand them.

In instances where persons cannot share experiences, either of two conditions usually pertains: (1) one of the persons has not yet had experiences that would enable communication in certain situations, or (2) one of the persons CANNOT actually have the experiences that would enable communication in certain situations. Type 1 is a TYPICAL null experience and occurs frequently. Type 2 is a RADICAL null experience and occurs in specific racial, gendered, generational, or specialized communications.

This study focuses upon experiences that persons cannot actually have which are termed radical "null experiences." Many relationships involve null experiences. I offer ten types of null experience below as examples. This list is not exhaustive.

A. Persons of one race cannot have many experiences persons of another race typically have. [other races ]
B. Person's living in the present cannot have many experiences persons in the past typically had. [other times (the past) ]
C. Men cannot have many experiences women typically have. [other genders ]
D. Persons from one culture cannot have experiences people from another culture have had. [other cultures ]
E. Older persons cannot have many experiences younger persons typically have in their generation. Just as Young persons cannot have many experiences older persons typically have while they are young. [other generations ]
F. Persons who have not had cancer cannot have had many experiences persons ill with cancer have had. [other illnesses ]
G Persons from one socio-economic strata do not have experiences persons from other socio-economic strata typically have. [other socio-economic strata ]
H. Persons who have not fought in battle cannot have had many experiences soldiers who have fought have had. [other political conditions (peace, war,, revolution) ]
I. Persons who are not highly skilled cannot have had many experiences highly skilled persons typically have. [other disciplines]
J. Americans who have never been to Europe have not had experiences that Americans who have been to Europe have had. [other places ]

In each of the ten different types of interpersonal relationships, communication cannot depend upon shared experiences. The sense of otherness in these communications creates tension. The circumstance that we often do not share experiences in common leads to the question: how do we understand persons unlike us?

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