Circles of Influence

If you consider yourself to be the center circle, draw other circles that represent the various people in your life. If a person has a big influence on you draw their circle so that it overlaps yours to a large extent. If a person has no or little influence on you, draw their circle so that it overlaps yours very little or not at all. People that are more important should have larger circles, and people that are less important should have smaller circles.

Circles of Influence graphic

Circles of Influence

  1. If somebody else was looking at your diagram would they say that you are more influenced by others or by your own decisions? Why?
  2. What does being dependent upon another person mean to you? Try to give a few examples if you can.
  3. What do you think you can do to achieve independence?
  4. If co-dependence is being dependent on someone or something else; can you think of an example of this, and do you think it is healthy?
    5. Table of dependence
  5. If inter-dependence is recognizing that we can both help other people and get help from people - be a friend and have a friend - do you think this is a goal worth striving for? Why or why not?