8-6. Respect for Others’ Feelings
- a . Accept the service member you are trying to help without censorship or ridicule. Respect his right to his own feelings. Even though your feelings, beliefs, and behavior are different, DO NOT blame or make light of him for the way he feels or acts. Your purpose is to help him in this tough situation, not to be his critic. A person DOES NOT WANT to be upset and worried. When he seeks help, he needs and expects consideration of his fears, not abrupt dismissal or ridicule.
- b . Realize that people are the products of a wide variety of factors. All people DO NOT react the same way to the same situations. Each individual has complex needs and motivations, both conscious and unconscious, that are uniquely his own. Often the one thing that finally causes the person to become overloaded by a stressful situation is not the stressor itself, but some other problem.