28
Feb 19

Imprisoning Mental Illness

According to The Sentencing Project, there are 2.2 million people incarcerated in the United States of America (Criminal Justice).  Over the last 40 years, incarceration rates have gone up 500% (Criminal Justice).  Mass incarceration is a reality in the United States of America.  Some of the explanations for our nation’s high incarceration rate include law enforcement and policies that focus on tough punishments, longer sentencing, and the criminalization of mental illness.

People with mental illness have long been part of a societal shuffle in and out of one type of institution or another.  As it began in 1955, deinstitutionalization came about as an effort to keep people with mental illness out of psychiatric hospitals to then offer community-based interventions (Deinstitutionalization).  Institutionalization in psychiatric hospitals has long been thought of as an inhumane caging up of human beings.  I’m not a fan of institutionalizing anyone, personally.  As people were removed from psychiatric hospitals, however, communities were ill-prepared to offer vital treatment, supports and interventions.  Fast forward to present day, 2019 and people with mental illness are now being institutionalized in jails and prisons.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) notes that during a mental illness crisis, people are more likely to be met with police intervention than mental health intervention (NAMI).  In the era of mass incarceration, in the United States of America, 2 million people with mental illness have been incarcerated (NAMI).

As with many systems in our society, the criminal justice system is complex.  It consists of a web of legal and social institutions whose purpose it is to enforce criminal laws.  Prior to being charged and incarcerated, individuals first interact with law enforcement officers.  During these interactions, people with mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed by law enforcement officers than people without mental illness (Fuller, Doris, et al).  Law enforcement officers are often faced with situations that they are not adequately trained or supported to navigate.  Vermette, Pinals and Applebaum (2005) explains that outside of mental health professionals, law enforcement officers interact with people facing mental health crisis the most.  Their study also revealed that law enforcement officers routinely express interest in receiving training to help them work through these crises.

A common intervention to help law enforcement officers respond to mental health crises has been the development of Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) which has been around since 1988 (Watson & Fulambarker, 2012).  CIT is a partnership between law enforcement, community and local mental health agencies.  Watson, Ottati & Morabito (2010) noted that while implementation of CIT did not directly affect arrests, it was a factor in helping officers recognize the need to refer individuals to mental health services.  Referring people to mental health services can reduce the number of individuals being incarcerated and direct people to much needed mental health supports.  The collaboration of mental health, community and law enforcement is an integral part of society.

Addressing the criminalization of mental illness can eventually help reduce one part of the mass incarceration epidemic.  So far, around 2,700 communities across America have implemented CIT programs but that number is not enough (NAMI).  We still see many communities in need of interventions. One of the limitations of CIT programs has been the time it takes to provide in-class training to officers and the costs associated with training.

In 2015, an extended version of the CIT program was developed by the Albuquerque Police Department (Crisanti, Earheart, Rosenbaum, Tinney & Duhigg, 2018).  The program, CIT ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) goes above and beyond the CIT program and includes a model of continuing education using videoconferencing technology to ensure availability and access to departments nationwide.  As a sustainable effort, it offers weekly programs and includes question and answer sessions which can greatly improve understanding and retention of information.  This program also offers guidance to help jurisdictions develop and improve their own local policies (CIT ECHO).  The CIT ECHO website offers care cards for individuals with disabilities, a blog, podcasts and a variety of information on important mental health topics.

Unfortunately, CIT ECHO was only funded for a period of three years by grants from the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program, Bureau of Justice Assistance and the U.S. Department of Justice and that funding has run out.  Boetel (2019) described the program as having had a big impact on the way law enforcement interacts with mental health crises.  In an article, he explained that upwards of 20% of law enforcement officers believed force was required to maintain officer safety prior to participating in CIT ECHO, however, after training participation only about 3% of officers maintained that belief.  Programs such as these are vital for all communities.  Not only can they help reduce conflict between individuals experiencing mental health crises and law enforcement officers, but they can provide officers with the support they need to cope with difficult real-time situations in a safe manner.

Mass incarceration remains a problem in the United States.  According to Schneider, Gruman & Coutts (2012), some of the goals of a prison are to remove criminals from the general population to protect society from individuals who are threats, to punish these individuals and to reform individuals for re-entry into society when deemed applicable.  Criminalizing mental illness only leads to more people being incarcerated instead of receiving much needed intervention, support and treatment.  Once a person has an arrest record and has been incarcerated, their ability to obtain employment, housing or any assistance to reintegrate into society and function is reduced or in some cases permanently lost.  This is not how to protect society.  It’s punishment for having a stigmatized illness and it’s not reformation of any kind when a person with an illness ends up worse after incarceration.

We have seen the benefit of interventions such as CIT and CIT ECHO, but we are still only touching the surface of possibilities with such interventions.  In a span of a few decades we went from CIT to CIT ECHO with promising results.  While funding for the CIT ECHO program has run out, it is still actively running through the amazing work of volunteers.  Interventions such as CIT and CIT ECHO are great examples of applied social psychology being implemented in law enforcement and the criminal justice system.  These interventions can help improve group dynamics between law enforcement and communities and reduce biases around mental illness.  Providing officers, as first responders, the tools they need to effectively work with people facing mental health crises can play a vital role in helping end an aspect of mass incarceration.

 

References:

Boetel, Ryan. (2019) “Police Learn to Deal with Mentally Ill Residents.” Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque Journal, www.abqjournal.com/1276467/police-learn-to-deal-with-mentally-ill-residents.html.

“CIT ECHO.” Crisis Intervention Team, www.gocit.org/cit-knowledge-network.html.

“Criminal Justice Facts.” The Sentencing Project, www.sentencingproject.org/criminal-justice-facts/.

Crisanti, Annette S., et al. “Beyond Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Classroom Training: Videoconference Continuing Education for Law Enforcement.” International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, vol. 62, 2019, pp. 104–110., doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2018.12.003.

“Deinstitutionalization: A Psychiatric ‘Titanic.’” PBS/Frontline, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/asylums/special/excerpt.html.

Fuller, Doris, et al. “Overlooked in the Undercounted THE ROLE OF MENTAL ILLNESS IN FATAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ENCOUNTERS.” Treatment Advocacy Center, doi:10.3897/bdj.4.e7720.figure2f.

“NAMI.” NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness, www.nami.org/learn-more/public-policy/jailing-people-with-mental-illness.

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2019).  PSYCH 424 Lesson 8: The Legal System/Criminal Justice  Retrieved from  https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1973019/modules/items/25635712

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Los Angeles: Sage.

Vermette HS, Pinals DA,  Appelbaum PS: Mental health training for law enforcement professionals. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law 33:42–6, 2005

Watson, A. C., & Fulambarker, A. J. (2012). The Crisis Intervention Team Model of Police Response to Mental Health Crises: A Primer for Mental Health Practitioners. Best practices in mental health8(2), 71.

Watson, A.C., Ottati, V.C., Morabito, M. et al. Adm Policy Mental Health (2010) 37: 302. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-009-0236-9

 


27
Feb 19

The conflict of Police Lineups

Police Lineups or something called eyewitness identification has been a problem not only where I live, but across the entire country. It is very easy for a witness to mistakenly identify someone as a suspect. According to the Innocence Project in New York, “False eyewitness identifications are the leading factor in wrongful convictions.” it has also contributed to almost 75% of convictions that have been overturned. Our Justice System will never be perfect. and Police Lineups are just one of the many issues we face in this system.

When we look at a criminal case, our eyewitness testimony is very important and can make a huge impact on the decision of the case. If we do not obtain DNA evidence, the next best thing would be a eyewitness testimony, or a positive identification of the suspect. However, a lot of times it is very common for our witness to make a false identification. The Innocence Project has overturned 318 cases since they started with the help of DNA evidence. If you think about it, the mistakes of the witnesses made nearly 3/4 of mistakes.

There can be only one solution to the problem of false eyewitness testimonies. That would be, to try and increase the accuracy in these police lineups. If we have credible witnesses this can all be avoided if you think about it. If we just line up a bunch of suspects in front of a window and try to have the witness determine who the suspect is based off that, we will continue having these problems. There are many people in this world who look alike and this can also be another problem. Another issue may be that the witness or victim may be too distraught and unstable to even make a positive identification as well. There are many factors that come into play on a topic like this.

In conclusion, Police Lineups are not always the most solid option. One option that is always solid is going to be DNA evidence and I personally think that is the main option that investigators should be using. Now if DNA evidence is not present than yes a lineup would be the next option, but a credible witness is very valuable in a court and this process.

Nelson. (2017). Lesson 08: The Legal System/Criminal Justice. Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1834710/modules/items/21736684

 


26
Feb 19

Doppelgänger Disaster

I am sure that each and every one of us can remember a moment in which we were introduced to someone quickly by a friend and, two seconds later, we had just a vague memory of the person’s name and appearance. This is extremely common as we don’t necessarily take time to focus on remembering names or observing the characteristics of people. This type of situation is normally relaxed and friendly. So if we struggle to remember the characteristics of people, such as their hair color, facial features, tattoos and voice, after being introduced to them in a calm and civil manner, how is one going to be able to identify a person after experiencing an extremely short and potentially traumatic experience with them?

When a crime as simple as a robber takes place, the events happy in a matter of seconds. The first reaction of an individual is normally to panic, thus blurring the ability to focus on memorizing the robbers features. Maybe we remember things such as skin color or hair color, but there is small chance of us taking note of special features unless there is one that is screaming to be remembered – for example a face tattoo. Police lineups are asking victims to do exactly this – remember things that they probably didn’t take precise notice of in the first place.

While reading through this week’s notes, I remember a case that I had seen on TV a few years back and surfed around to find it. It tells the story of a woman who got robbed and ended up accusing the wrong man for the robbery. According to an article by the Washington Post, the only things that the woman could recall about her attacker were that “he was thin, light-skinned black or Hispanic man with dark hair”. (Washington Post) This statement can describe a large amount of people. The article does not specify if the woman went in for a police lineup, but it is more than likely that she did to some extent. Nonetheless, the wrong man was taken in and ultimately spent 17 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He was only short 2 years of what he was sentenced before the law force realized that he was actually innocent.

The article explains that the real culprit was his doppelganger and that everyone who was involved in sentencing him was astounded by the uncanny resemblance between the two of them. It seems that the mistake was something that anyone could have made. But does that excuse the government for taking away 17 years of a good man’s life? Absolutely not.

The concept of a police lineup makes perfect sense, without a doubt. It’s logical to put an eye witness in a position where they can identify who the guilty part is. But this is a system that is nowhere near flawless due to the unreliability of the human mind and memory. Psychologists have been studying different ways to allow this system to be more mistake-proof and ultimately prevent innocent people from spending their lives in prison for simply looking similar to a criminal.

Psychologists have certain recommendations that have been put into practice in order to avoid situations like that of the doppelganger. The first is that the lineup should include multiple possible culprits who have the same features that are described by the witness – even if these people are innocent. This forces the eyewitness to really compare the differences between similar looking individuals and forces a more accurate response. Another concept that has been proved functional is that of informing the eyewitness that the criminal may not necessarily be in the lineup at all. Just because the police has rounded up some men who have shady backgrounds and resemble the description given, does not mean that they have the right man. In the article mentioned above, the real criminal was not even on the police’s radar until years later. Something that psychologists insist on avoiding is giving the witness information about any of the potential suspects. This creates bias in the witness’s mind and that can ultimately result in incorrect selection. An additional concept that can be put into play is that of only allowing a witness to see one individual at once, whether that be in pictures or in person. When a witness is seeing them all at the same time they start to compare and the decision becomes more and more difficult.

Putting these methods into practice does not make the system perfect, it only gives it a push in the right direction. The rate of false-identification is still higher than it should be and psychologists are continuing to work on methods that will allow for less mistakes in the world of criminal justice.

 

Below is the link to the article mentioned in my blog post.

Phillips, K. (n.d.). An innocent man served 17 years. His ‘crime’? He looked almost exactly like the real suspect. Retrieved February 26, 2019, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp/2017/06/13/an-innocent-man-served-17-years-his-crime-he-looked-almost-exactly-like-the-real-suspect/?utm_term=.3a7b2dd9e0de

 


26
Feb 19

3 Characteristics of a Strong Team Member

We all have worked on a team one way or another, whether it has been for a group project, for your occupation, or even a sports team. It is something that we can relate to others about. But what truly makes a strong team? Is it due to an effective leader or is it due to each one of the group members individual attributes? Here are a few characteristics that every team member should possess:

  • Reliability/ Commitment to the group
    1. You have to be committed 110% if you want to get the job done. No matter what the reasons are for the individual to be on the team in the first place, you have to show that you are reliable enough to follow through. This includes  meeting up with your teammates at your designated time and making adjustments to your schedule if needed. Being a hard worker will really show if you put the effort in. A selfless teammate will put the team first, before themselves. They will do everything they can to help the team to succeed.
    2. Being flexible with meeting times will help your teammates incase there are scheduling issues.
  • Great communication
    1. Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts (2005) state that effective communication helps teammates in improving their team performance especially in developing a superior functioning team.
    2. Having effective communication can also help one to reach their goals. Goal setting is an essential component when trying to make a strong team (Schneider et al., 2012). When setting one’s goals, try to keep the goals as relevant, challenging, and realistic as possible. Remember to note if the goals are short-term or long-term goals (Schneider et al., 2012). Research has shown that goals help an individual in the development of new strategies, while helping one to pay attention to certain aspects of their own performance (Schneider et al., 2012). Overall, this helps to increase one’s efforts toward striving for a specific goal.
  • Another form of communication to other teammates is nonverbal communication. This can act as a form of motivation for your teammates and can help boost their confidence. A few types of nonverbal communication between your teammates are high fives, hand piles, and team hugs (Schneider et al., 2012).
  1. Some distracting signs of nonverbal communication include body swaying, bad posture, and not maintaining enough eye contact. However, if your team effectively communicates then the main message will be that much easier to understand.
  • Confidence
    1. If there’s no confidence in yourself, how will you get the job done? Your confidence will effect your performance and how you carry yourself.
    2. Be self-motivated and passionate about your work.
      • A efficient teammate shouldn’t wait for others to give them directions, they should be the one to do their share of the work without someone telling them too. Being self-motivated may show other teammates that you have a certain drive and dedication to your team and in reaching your goal.
      • Encouraging others will help empower them. Remind others how to reach the main objectives, the end goals, the main mission, and vision because it will show others of your team it has a purpose (Saylor, 2019).

These characteristics will help you to make you in becoming a better teammate. By being self motivated, being a dependable team player, being honest, having passion in what you do, and by communicating it effectively to your teammates will truly help in the development an effective team. Settings goals will help in the long run because it shows that you are focused on reaching them. Being honest with teammates about things that might not work will help them with improving themselves for the team by understanding their weaknesses and strengths (Yost & Tucker, 2000). In order to create a strong foundation with your team, you have to be ready to have difficult conversations with members by having open effective conversations with your members (Saylor, 2019). Actively listening will also help one with the development of one’s trust and even by encouraging your teammates with empowering messages can help you to get that much closer to your goal. Being a team player requires dedication, a lot practice, self-motivation, and passion for the team/ project (Saylor, 2019). By following these three characteristics, anyone can become the best team member they can be.

References

Saylor, T. (2019). Teaming up for success. Journal of Accountancy, 227(2), 14. Retrieved from http://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/2176184493?accountid=13158

Schneider, F.W., Gruman, J.A., & Coutts, L.A. (2005). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Yost, C. A., & Tucker, M. L. (2000). Are effective teams more emotionally intelligent? Confirming the importance of effective communication in teams. Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, 42(2), 101. Retrieved from http://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1297786949?accountid=13158


26
Feb 19

Drama At The Office

I used to work as a medical assistant for a cardiology practice. The job was stressful. Working with cardiac patients would leave me drained at the end of the day. However, there wasn’t anything more stressful than working with difficult co-workers. And by saying difficult I mean bullies, melodramatics, and just plain crazies. I worked there for eight years, so I had seen many employees come and go. With every new hire, we would have to present our subculture and help them assimilate into our work family. Most new would observe the work environment and how we interacted with each other and try to imitate those behaviors. But there were some who didn’t adapt to the work environment and as a result, caused conflict in the office.

We spend most of our waking hours at work. Imagine if we have to work with co-workers who are unfriendly, or the boss is a jerk. Although it is not the only factor, if the work environment is unpleasant, our job satisfaction tends to go down (Schneider, 2012). The social influence model of job satisfaction suggests that people adapt attitudes and behaviors from their immediate work environment. In supportive and friendly work environments, employees tend to adjust to similar attitudes and behaviors (Schnedier, 2012). And yet, there will always be employees who cause conflict no matter how supportive the work environment is. This will have its negative effects to the organization, especially if it’s a small group business.

So even if there is one employee with a bad attitude in the office, chances are the work environment will be negatively affected. This can be explained by the “eye for an eye” exchange observed by Greco and colleagues (2019). In this meta-analysis, they suggest that work behavior is reciprocated. Negative behavior in one party is associated with negative behavior of the other, which eventually reciprocates and escalates to greater levels (Greco, et al., 2019). So yes, it takes one nutcase to knock out the equilibrium at the office.

 

References

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., Counts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology. New Dehli: SAGE Publications

Greco, L.M., Whitson, J.A., O’Boyle, E.H., Wang, C.S., Kim, J. (2019). An eye for an eye? A meta-analysis of negative reciprocity in organizations. Journal of Applied Psychology


25
Feb 19

Negative Coworkers’ Effect on Businesses

Everyone works, or has worked with employees at some point in their lives. Even with jobs we don’t like, our coworkers can make a less than desirable job somewhat enjoyable. When we have coworkers who we don’t like or who are negative, they can seriously affect the entire business. Some of the worst behaviors that coworkers can exhibit are bullying, complaining, and negatively influencing coworkers (Chron.com). When coworkers bully each other, or complain, it brings the morale of the entire office down. If a coworkers sees another being bullied in the office, he/she might be hesitant to say or do anything for fear of losing the job they have. With complaining, it tends to bring everyone down onto the same negative level, and people lose motivation to do their jobs. When coworkers negatively influence each other, this can include drinking on the job, leaving work early, and distracting each other from doing their work. Something people say about teachers is that the teacher can make all the difference for the student. The same applies to coworkers and jobs. If you have good coworkers, you tend to like your job more and maybe even do better work for the company you work for. When you don’t like your coworkers or have coworkers who display any of the bad behaviors listed above, your work can suffer and you might be unhappy with your job and ultimately the business will suffer because of it.

Forbes offers advice to managers, but it can also be applied to coworkers in some cases, when dealing with a negative employee. Forbes says to listen, give behavioral feedback, document the problems, be consistent, set consequences for actions, work through the company’s processes, and don’t be afraid to stand up to them. Dealing with bad or difficult employees can be a very tricky situation but every company and business has at least and it is so important to know what to do when you encounter them.

Williams, Ellie. “How Do Co-Workers Affect Employee Behavior?” Chron.com, 21 Nov. 2017, work.chron.com/coworkers-affect-employee-behavior-4245.html.

Andersen, Erika. “9 Ways To Deal With Difficult Employees.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 22 Nov. 2013, www.forbes.com/sites/erikaandersen/2013/11/21/9-ways-to-deal-with-difficult-employees/#79ee6b3040c4.


25
Feb 19

Good Communication is Key!

Have you ever received a text message from your good friend and you found yourself not understanding what your friend was trying to say? Communication is a big part of our life, we communicate with friends, colleagues, strangers, and etc, but for some reason, even though we communicate on a regular basis, we tend to miscommunicate sometimes, but more commonly via text.

When communicating, cues are the key to sending a message. In other words, when the sender is encoding a message, it is easier for the receiver to decode the messages with help of cues. However, in the case of texting, visual and voice cues cannot be seen nor heard, which can lead to miscommunication. A study by Kruger, Epley, Parker, & Ng (2005) found that when people are writing an email, they tend to write from their own point of view, also known as egocentrism. When the senders are writing emails, they are writing from their own perspective and, in a sense, expecting the receivers to understand what they mean, which was done in the study (2005). When the senders write emails, they must take into consideration that the receiver might not perceive certain words/sentences the same way, which leads to miscommunication. In the study (2005), one of the biggest issue was egocentrism; egocentrism is the inherent difficulty of not being able to to differentiate between self and others. This can lead to further understanding how miscommunication occurs when trying to communicate through email. The person who was writing the email (sender) had overconfidence that the receiver would be able to decode the email, but this was not the case.

This can further help us understand why we sometimes don’t understand our friends’ texts, because they were assuming that we would, but from their point of view and not ours. To minimize the problems from miscommunication when texting, we must revisit the thought of what effective communication is. Effective communication is to not be biased and self centered, but rather listen and be considerate to others. This can be utilized when communicating via text (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). This way, we might be able to minimize miscommunication. When preparing to text, the sender must think of several factors such as, ‘will the receiver understand what I am trying to say?’, ‘will they understand certain slangs or sayings?’ (this would preferably not be used), and etc. The sender has to make sure that the message they are trying to send to the receiver will be easy to decode (Schneider et al., 2012).

However, we must keep in mind that texting is not an ineffective method of communication; it can be very effective when done correctly. Texting allows us to communicate much effortlessly and quickly compared to the past. Using texting as a communication method is a very helpful tool with the right guidelines in mind. Next time you write a text to your friends, you might want to keep in mind that just because you understand what you are trying to say does not mean that they will, and thus ensure the information is delivered accurately.

References

Kruger, J., Epley, N., Parker, J., & Ng, Z. (2005). Egocentrism over e-mail: Can we
communicate as well as we think? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
89(6), 925-936. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.89.6.925

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Los Angeles: Sage.


25
Feb 19

Groupthink & Normative Influence: Gucci Edition

Gucci Sweater, 2019

This week in Applied Social Psychology, I became particularly interested in interpersonal processes in organizations. Within interpersonal processes in organizations, Chapter 10 in Applied Social Psychology, Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems, by Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, discusses group decision making. While learning about the consequences regarding group decision making, I immediately made a connection between a current event and the theories of groupthink and normative influence. Unfortunately, many poor decisions that can genuinely offend and hurt people can be a result of groupthink and normative influence.

Almost everyone with access to social media has heard about the latest controversy revolving around the popular luxury brand, Gucci. For those who do not know, in the beginning of February, Gucci released a sweater that many claim resembles blackface. The origin of blackface goes all the way back to the 1830s, when white theater performers would paint their faces black and portray black people through negative stereotypes (“Blackface”, n.d.). Earlier this month, when a twitter user posted a screenshot of the sweater from Gucci’s website, thousands of people retweeted the post, causing an outrage all over the internet. Understandably so, people all over the world are offended by Gucci’s black face sweater, and even boycotting the company. Since the sweater went viral over the internet, Gucci has issued an apology and removed the sweater from their stores (Held, 2019).

Many people are wondering how a company like Gucci, the best-selling Italian brand in the world (“World’s Top Dollar Fashion Brands”, 2016), with hundreds of designers and marketing employees, could actually create and execute a sweater that resembles blackface. How is it possible that various people working for a $12.4 billion company could make such a big mistake? Did all those people really look at the sweater and think it was a good idea? I want it to be clear that I believe a blatant disrespect for black people and black history was a huge factor that contributed to the design being made and sold. But is every single person that was involved with the creation of the sweater racist? I am under the impression that groupthink and normative influence helped contribute to the design being approved, physically made, and put on sale as opposed to being thrown in the trash like it should have been.

Groupthink is defined as a poor decision-making process that can occur when members of a group feel strong pressures to reach high-group adhesiveness (Schneider et al., 2012). According to Schneider et al. (2012), there are various conditions that can yield groupthink, including:

  1. High stress
  2. Directive leadership
  3. Over-confidence brought on by amplified sense of collective efficacy
  4. Lack of outside opinions
  5. Over-valuing group cohesion and solidarity

Normative influence is defined as pressure to act or think a certain way to achieve social approval and prevent negative social consequences (Schneider et al., 2012). Keeping the definitions of groupthink and normative influence in mind, we can imagine how these theories could have caused the blackface sweater design to be approved. For example, it is highly possibly that there is a group of people who work for Gucci who look at designs and give them the “okay” to be physically made and then sold either in stores or online. We can imagine a room of 30 people hastily looking through sketches of designs because a deadline for a new collection is the following day (high stress). When the sketch for the sweater comes up, 25 out of the 30 people in the room immediately make the connection between the design and blackface and know that the design should not be approved. However, out of the 5 people with various situational variables that cause them to not feel negatively about the design (racism, ignorance, apathy, distraction), 4 of them have considerably higher control in the company than everyone else in the room, including the person who is the leader of the group: the creative director. In line with groupthink, the creative director expresses his approval for the sweater right away (directive leadership). Following the creative director’s lead, 14 more people approve the sweater. However, the 15 people left are trying to decide if they are going to speak up or not. When one person expresses their concerns, the creative director makes a negative, embarrassing comment towards the person (negative social consequence) and moves on with the discussion. The remaining 14 people saw how the creative director treated the person with an opposing opinion and did not want the same consequence (normative influence) and wanted to maintain cohesion within the group (groupthink), so they decided to approve the design even though they truly felt like it was not the right decision.

When companies as popular as Gucci make extremely poor choices like they did with the blackface sweater, people question how it is even possible. While the obvious disrespect for black people is an explanation, this situation also displays the problems of group decision making. Specifically, it shows how groupthink and normative influence can result in poor decisions that insult and hurt others.

 

References:

Blackface: The Birth of an American Stereotype. (n.d). Retrieved from https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/blackface-birth-american-stereotype

Gucci Sweater. (2019). [image]. Image retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2019/02/07/692314950/gucci-apologizes-and-removes-sweater-following-blackface-backlash

Held, A. (2019). Gucci Apologizes And Removes Sweater Following ‘Blackface’ Backlash. npr. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2019/02/07/692314950/gucci-apologizes-and-removes-sweater-following-blackface-backlash

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2012). Applied Social Psychology. Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

World’s Top Billion Dollar Fashion Brands. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.fashion-schools.org/articles/world%E2%80%99s-top-billion-dollar-fashion-brands


24
Feb 19

Quitting When the Going Gets Tough

My friend recently quit her job. It wasn’t exactly a “big deal” in the grand scheme of things — she worked there part-time, using the money to help pay for school — but she probably would have continued working at the restaurant until she graduated if it hadn’t been for the new owner. Now, I won’t say that she ever really enjoyed working there, but the old owners were nice and gave her a consistent schedule, so she seemed to think that it was alright. Unfortunately, about a year ago, they ended up selling, and the restaurant got a new owner. He was young and used curse words at work, which apparently meant that he was supposed to be “cool.” Too bad it didn’t mean that he could run a business. 

The changes came slowly, and looking back, it’s almost like he was trying to sneak it past them. He began with occasionally understaffing them and not ordering enough supplies, and soon that became the new norm. The plants on the patio died around a month after he took over, and their dead carcasses stuck around for the next six months. At first, she thought that everything would get better with time. There is a learning curve to any new endeavor. However, around the time they started to consistently run out of things like napkins and bleach, she’d lost all hope. I mean, a customer would ask for some napkins, and she’d have to apologize and offer them some paper towels that were meant for the restroom. The restroom. That’s an indignity no customer service employee should have to suffer. 

It was all downhill from there. More and more people began to quit, call off work, show up late, and display other withdrawal behaviors (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). Eventually, she ended up quitting as well. Not only was this a pain for her, since she had to find a new job and become acclimated to a new environment, but it’s also bad for the business itself. As Schneider et al. (2012) point out, increased turnover leads to an increase in expenses. Not only has the organization lost the time they invested in the employee who quit, but they must now reinvest in a new individual who may or may not work out (Schneider et al., 2012). 

Withdrawal behaviors can stem from a number of interconnected influences. For example, Darr and Johns’ (2008) meta-analysis postulates that work strain is, indirectly, one of the major contributors to absenteeism. While job satisfaction does not strongly correlate with an individual’s likelihood to miss work, illness does, and work strain is a big contributor to illness (Darr & Johns, 2008). This understanding of absenteeism — that it is more likely to be an involuntary reaction to stress rather than laziness or rebellion — is important to note. If a business notices that they have suddenly an increase in absenteeism, they should consider whether or not their employees have been under an unusually high level of stress and act accordingly. A company who takes care of their employees will be more likely to retain them. 

On the other hand, voluntary turnover has been moderately linked to job satisfaction. Mobley’s (1977) intermediate linkages turnover model supports this correlation and details the seven potential stages an employee might go through when considering whether or not they are going to quit. This includes considering the pros and cons of quitting and looking for and comparing job alternatives (Mobley, 1977). Wittmer, Shepard, and Martin (2014) tested Mobley’s model and found that their research largely supported it. However, they did find that other factors, like organizational commitment, age group, relationship status, and mobility, also contributed to whether or not an employee who intends to quit actually goes through with it. This could help explain why job satisfaction is only moderately correlated with voluntary turnover. Many people want to quit but have other commitments or factors that prevent them from doing so. Therefore, preventing job dissatisfaction should be an important goal for organizations. While Big Business may not care about an individual employee’s feelings, they do care about their bottom line. Engaging in strategies aimed at increasing job satisfaction is mutually beneficial and helps alleviate stress both on the employees and the organization’s wallet.

References

Darr, W., & Johns, G. (2008).  Work strain, health, and absenteeism:  A meta-analysis.  Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 13, 293-318.

Mobley, R. (1977). Intermediate linkages in the relation between job satisfaction and employee turnover. Journal of Applied Psychology, 62(2), 237-240.

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J.A., & Coutts, L.M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Wittmer, J. L., Shepard, A., & Martin, J. E. (2014). An application of Mobleys intermediate linkages turnover model to a full-time employee group typology. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology,87(4), 806-812. doi:10.1111/joop.12080


21
Feb 19

What constitutes a “jerk”?

“It’s happening at 8:30 tomorrow morning” my husband told me without preamble when we called me on his way home from work last night. He did not even have to explain the “it” he was referring to; I knew immediately that the “jerk” he works with was finally being fired. I felt a sense of relief that my husband would no longer have to deal with this person who had made his work so much more frustrating, but I also felt sad. Sad for the individual being let go as well as the person tasked with doing the firing. It was a difficult situation.

As I lay in bed last night wishing I could just fall asleep instead of dreading what was going to happen in the morning I found dozens of question swirling around my head. There was one in particular that I kept coming back to. Does behaving like a jerk translate into someone actually being a jerk? No, I concluded. Just because someone acts like a jerk it does not automatically make them a jerk. But then how do you decide when you need to separate yourself from someone versus try to help them deal with a difficult situation in a better way?

When I listened to the interview of Dr. Bob Sutton at Stanford University, I was absolutely in agreement with his ideas of dealing with and reducing our contact with “jerks” in the workplace. This morning though, I find myself still wondering how we get to the point of slapping the label of “jerk” on someone.

It seems like a prime example of the fundamental attribution error to label someone as a “jerk” instead of attempting to understand what caused them to react in a negative way. But perhaps it’s not that simple either; I do believe that some people are predisposed to be mean no matter the situation they find themselves in.

To gain better clarity I took a deeper look at the attribution process and in particular at Kelley’s (1973) covariation model. According to Kelley, we can estimate whether the root cause for someone’s behavior is internal or external by determining levels of the following (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012):

  • Distinctiveness – Is this behavior unique to this situation?
  • Consensus – Are others behaving in this same way in this situation?
  • Consistency – Is this typical behavior for this situation and person?

This method can help us determine if the behavior stems from an out-of-character reaction to an external situation or if the behavior should be attributed to internal personality/character factors.

So then, should we default to labeling someone a jerk if it turns out that the behavior stems from internal factors? I think not, and I think it can even be detrimental to the individual being labeled. I believe that the average person who is labeled a jerk is aware of the stigma they carry. They usually know that they rub people the wrong way and that others don’t like them. While some may seem to be jerks down to their souls, could this be a self-fulfilling prophecy in others? The jerk knows they are disliked but perhaps they don’t think they have the power to change who they are. As a result, they don’t attempt to better themselves and instead write off their membership in the jerk club to innate and unchangeable personality deficits; the “jerk” lives up to the label.

Instead of labeling people we should focus on describing their behavior. Rather than calling someone a jerk, we could say that they responded inappropriately. Thus, it would be easier to detach the behavior from the character of the person. It would allow the person to still see themselves as “good” and choose to view their bad behavior as an exception rather than defining them.

In the workplace, perhaps we could identify the behaviors that we are wishing to encourage instead of focusing on the behaviors that we want to abolish. Instead of saying “no jerks allowed” we could institute a mandate that requires that employees always respond with kindness. The emphasis would be on promoting positive behaviors instead of labeling people by their behaviors, good or bad. I propose that by discouraging bad behaviors, instead of condemning individuals, we could have success changing the way people handle difficult situations.

 

References:

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Bob Sutton (Stanford University) – The No Jerk Rule | Stanford eCorner. (2007). Retrieved from https://ecorner.stanford.edu/podcast/the-no-jerk-rule/


20
Feb 19

Good Goals, Poor Communication

Communication is important in all aspects of life.  Communication is defined as a social behavior that involves two or more people interacting to exchange information (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012).  Both verbal and non-verbal communication allows us to understand each other, learn from one another and work well together.  Poor communication can splinter the best of teams, groups and organizations, despite their exceptional potential.

I belong to a local community group that focuses on a variety of social justice issues.  For several years, we’ve worked on addressing issues that are directly affecting our community.  At times, our goals might align with the goals of other organizations around us but at times our goals are very specific to our local community.  Our membership is diverse, representing individuals from a variety of races, cultures, sexes, genders, age groups, abilities/disabilities, religions etc.   During our last community event, we failed to reach a goal that involved a certain level of community participation which could negatively impact future outreach efforts.  At a recent meeting, it was clear that our group was feeling overwhelmed and defeated.  It was not a big surprise to walk into the last meeting and hear members raising their voices at each other.  Emotions were running high and it showed.

I feel honored to be a part of such a large and diverse group that cares so much about our community, but I can’t help noticing that not everyone sees eye to eye.  Everyone that is a part of our group has a cause near and dear to their heart, but we can only work on one thing at a time.  The psychological perspective of communication posits that our own beliefs, perceptions and attitudes create conceptual filters that affect communication (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012).  We can only process so much and in our organization, everyone is passionate about things that matter most to them.  It seems that some people in our group be might be filtering out information that they deem to be unnecessary, using selective perception, which can cause misunderstandings.

Everyone in this group is genuinely concerned for our community.  We have a set of clearly defined goals but a lack of cohesion in the way we plan to achieve those goals is contributing to internal group conflict.  The good intentions are all there but some of us are just so focused on what we deem to be important that we don’t even realize we’re ignoring each other.  There’s an irony to witnessing this happen in a social justice group.  We are all supposed to be aware of each other’s needs and the needs of those in the community but right now, we can’t even communicate effectively.

As I sit and listen to what’s happening, I start thinking that maybe role ambiguity might be another issue creating a lack of cohesion in our group.  Maybe no one is listening to or respecting each other’s views because of unclear expectations or roles.  Intersender role conflict can also play a part in this as people continue to send contrasting messages to the group.  Prior to the last unsuccessful community event, there was a miscommunication between several members that caused our event to remain unannounced to the community.  There was also conflicting information in terms of scheduling which was only corrected 8 days before the event.  While our group has a founder and co-founder, some people still take it upon themselves to relay information which plays a role in miscommunication.

Our group needs interventions and it’s never been so clear as it is now.  Widmeyer and colleagues used the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ) to study the effect of group size on team cohesion (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012).  This study showed that larger groups are prone to having trouble in coordination, which sounds a lot like our group.  This study also showed that smaller groups experienced higher task cohesion.  Perhaps, we can break up our large group of 42 people into smaller task force teams of about 6 people per task force.  Each task force can focus on a specific cause which will allow members to focus on specific community concerns that they feel most aligned with.  This can reduce conflict that is associated with people’s conceptual filters as each task force will be able to focus on their own methods to reach their own specified goals.  We also need to get back to basics and clarify the role of each member.  We need to make sure that each member of the group feels comfortable in their role and receives the support and training needed to fulfill their role.  To reduce intersender role conflict we will utilize technology and have one program as the main point of communication so that the communication can be screened for accuracy.

It’s amazing how a lack of communication can escalate and impact a group in so many ways.  It’s always important to sit back and listen to the interactions happening and try to understand what is happening.  I was starting to feel overwhelmed myself after listening to everyone for a few minutes, but I had to shift my focus from what was being said by individuals to what was happening in the group dynamics to assess this situation.  It’s not always easy to do because emotions can run high during times of conflict, but I do think that some of these interventions will prove to be helpful.  I look forward to our next meeting and hope to apply these interventions to help our group succeed in helping the community.

 

References:

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2019).  PSYCH 424 Lesson7: Organizational Life and Teams.  Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1973019/modules/items/25635703

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Los Angeles: Sage.

 


18
Feb 19

Who? Me, racist? Nah. . .

I chatted excitedly with my friend as we placed our books on the lunch room table. The usual tenth grade gossip and insecurities were exchanged while we promptly filed into the line for hot lunch. We were the new girls at school, both beginning in the middle of the school year. Having the commonality between us, we clicked and quickly became close friends. Sharing the same bronzed skin and dark colored hair strengthened the bond between us, giggling every time we were mistaken to be sisters.

With our lunch trays in hand, we returned to the table where we had placed our books. Our books were no where to be seen and the once empty table was filled with boys a year younger than ourselves.

“Hee-eeyy!” came the response of my friend.

“Where are the books that were here?” I questioned.

“They’re over there where they belong,” one towheaded boy pointed.

“Yeah, you need to sit with the other brown people,” came the explanation from a dark haired, and now noticeably, light skinned boy.

Racism is not always so clear. The bias against others based on their ethnic group to which they belong can take several forms.

This would be my first notable experience with blatant racism. I was lucky to be well into my teens before the event. Children as young as 7 are able to understand and report experiences of racism and discrimination (Warren, 2018). A 2018 study shows that those experiences potentially lead to detrimental effects such as increased risk of smoking (Matthews-King, 2018). Blatant racism is easily identifiable by most. It is obvious, differential and negative treatment based solely on the individuals perceived race/ethnic group to which they belong (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).

Little did I know, but another example of racism would be soon to follow.

I heard the phone ring and rushed to check the caller ID. I saw that it was a friend of mine from school. More specifically, a male friend- whom a call from was much anticipated. My uncle, who was also my legal guardian, came out of the back room; and he was livid. He called me to sit down at the kitchen table and my aunt followed suit, always supportive. He told me that I was to never to have someone like him call the house ever again. I was confused. After more discussion, I eventually understood. I was to never let “a black” call the house like that again.

“But… he’s Puerto Rican…” as if my explanation justified the behavior I was witnessing.

“That’s just as bad,” my church going uncle retorted. I promptly was a raging fire. Through tears I explained my own personal experience of being treated differently due to my skin color and was disgusted that my aunt and uncle, allegedly followers of love, could behave in such a way. My uncle told me that it didn’t make them bad people, there’s simply reasons I wouldn’t understand as to why I was not permitted to affiliate with people who were not white. Confused, of course, because my Filipino heritage places me in the “not white” category.

Aversive racism is often trickier to pin point, because the individual is in denial of their racial biases (Schneider et al., 2012). My uncle’s chortle when I pointed out their racist behavior proved that he was oblivious of his own racist actions. He continued smoothly to demonstrate symbolic racism, using the tried and true racist expression, “There’s nothing against them, but …”. Symbolic racism is similar to the aversive type because the racist beliefs are not acknowledged. They indirectly demonstrate their racist bias by claiming to not see other races as lesser, but the topic at hand is where their feathers ruffle. In actuality, it is not the topic, but the race that they have a bias against.

Racism is something that has plagued our society for many years. It continues to do so, in both obvious and subtle forms. Aversive and symbolic racism, although assumed to be indirect, remain to be defined examples of racism. The denial needs to be called out and addressed in order for the behaviors to be eradicated.

 

 

References:

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.

Matthews-King, A. (2018, January 24). Young people who experience racism more likely to take up smoking, study suggests. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/young-people-racism-smoking-cigarettes-tobacco-racist-abuse-victims-a8176461.html

Warren, J. (2018, October 22). Study: Children as young as 7 suffer effects of discrimination. Retrieved from https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2018/10/22/study-children-young-7-suffer-effects-discrimination


17
Feb 19

Can people from different race become friends?

This week’s blog, I will be discussing how two difference race group can become friends. According to Psychology Department Lab, race is defined as a concept which signifies and symbolizes social conflicts and interests by referring to different types of human bodies. But also, it says a socially constructed system of classifying individuals according to phenotypical characteristics that are genetically determined but not always consistent. Meanwhile, Psychology Today describes friends as people tend to befriend those who are similar in background, in personality, and sometimes even appearance, an assortative process that resembles the way in which people select prospective mates. However, these definitions are too vague to acknowledge how two different people from different race can become a good friend and even a best friend. Is it possible?

Personally, I believe it is possible. I have two friends who are best friends, but both are not orientated as I am. I am from South Korea, approximately 7000 miles ways from United States. My family came to United States when I was twelve. I had hard time making friends when I was in 6th grade because I couldn’t speak English at all. I was frustrated and bored, but many classmates helped me to learn English and adapt to American culture. I think I am very friendly person because when I make friends I do not judge based on color, socioeconomic status, gender, religion, and sexuality.

One of the best friends is a girl and she is from Russia. I met her in State College, and we did many things lots of guy friends do except sports. But she is more athletic than me not because I stink at sports, but we never liked sports. Our friendship is quite interesting because we are best friends who never had a opposite attraction to one another and personality is opposite as well. I am passive but love practical jokes whereas she is loud but active. Because we are different race and gender, sometimes we get into fights unlike guys friends we just don’t talk for few days until one give up call one and start hanging out again. Although our culture is different, we can still understand and help each other out especially when I am in trouble.

Now I want to know how two different races can become a friend psychologically. According to Dr. Mendoza-Denton, cross-race friendships are not very common in the United States. He adds that, many among us won’t be thinking about people belonging to groups different from our own. This sounds like the intergroup contact we learned this week. It says prejudice and racism makes harder for intergroup to become friends. According Gordon Allport, he believes in order to reduce prejudice through intergroup contact and he lists four conditions. First, the group must have equal status. Her family and my family had equal financial status. Second, the groups must have common goals. We wanted to graduate and get a job as soon as possible. Third, there must be intergroup cooperation. She was very easy-going and friendly person. Lastly, the contact must be supported and recognized by law or custom. I am not sure how law and customs had to do with it since we came from different countries, but we have physical contacts. There is an interesting side having a cross-race friendship, Elizabeth Page-Gould found out that cross-race friendship reduce stress. According to this study, cross-race relationship is great for me and I will continue my friendship with her since it will reduce my stress. I hope everyone find a cross-race friend just like me or do you have any cross-race friends?

Citation:

Friends. (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2019, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/friends

Mendoza-Denton, R. (2010, November 23). This Holiday, a Toast to Cross-Race Friendship. Retrieved February 17, 2019, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/are-we-born-racist/201011/holiday-toast-cross-race-friendship

Psychology Department Lab. (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2019, from http://labs.psychology.illinois.edu/~lyubansk/Conflict/Identity.htm


17
Feb 19

Truth and Reconciliation

In 2008 Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered an official apology to the Aboriginal residential school survivors for the injustices that they experienced at the hands of the Anglican Church, funded by the Canadian Federal Government.  Residential schools were established in the early 1800s to assist the new settlers to Canada with their mission of establishing a civilized nation.  The First Nations people were seen as savage and in need of education to conform to the world that was being created.  The last residential school closed in 1996 in Manitoba.  By the time the final door was closed, generations of damage had been done, racism and discrimination of the First Nations were established and are perpetuated today.

Some History on Residential Schools

When explorers settled in Canada they took the land away from the indigenous people.  To assist with their settlement and to eliminate the threat that was perceived by the “Indian people” the political governance systematically established boarding schools and absorbed the aboriginal children out of their communities and into schools.  The design was to educate the youth to produce an industrious nation.  The result was anything but.  What did happen instead, was forced acculturation and systematic destruction First Nations families and their culture.

More than 150,000 children as young as 5 and 6 years old would be removed from their family homes and sent away to an established boarding school that were run by the Anglican and Catholic churches.  In these residences, they were stripped of their native clothing, traditional cultural belongings and their cultural and spiritual ways.  They were forced to wear uniforms, were punished if they spoke or wrote their native tongue and were segregated from their brothers and sisters as the schools were assigned by gender.  The First Nations cultures and traditions were lost as generations of children were forced to behave and learn as if they were of European descent.

The devasting impact on the First Nations communities was cultural genocide.  The parents who remained in the communities, lost their children, in some cases forever, because they had no way to get to their children.  The fabric of their community was torn.  The children lost the privilege of being parented and taught the traditional and spiritual ways of their people.  The support system for the elders was removed as the children disappeared and the family unit was destroyed.  At around this same time, grain alcohol was introduced into the communities.  Parents who were completely succumbed to the grief of the loss of their children found that alcohol was a way that they could forget what they lost and numb the pain.

In addition to the impact on the communities, the children in the schools were treated in a substandard, dehumanized way.  The education was poor with marginal curriculum and the teaching staff were poorly qualified and poorly paid.  This meant that upon completion of this assimilation, the students were not adequately trained to return to any community and be effective contributors.  Because the teaching staff were unqualified, this offered the opportunity for predators to position themselves in the schools where they could take advantage of the students.  There is more than a century of stories about physical, mental, emotional and sexual abuse and trauma which was never addressed by the church or the government.  The school buildings themselves were inadequate and sometimes dangerous.  Many children died as a result of the expansive, unsafe conditions they faced.

The Outcomes

Fast forward to 2008 Prime Minister Steve Harper apologized to a portion of the aboriginal communities for the atrocities faced by these students.  In 2017, Justin Trudeau finished the apology by addressing the communities that were left out of the original apology.   The First People of Newfoundland and Labrador were not considered as part of amends because this province was the last to join the Confederation of Canada.  The apology arrived on the tails of a class action suit where the aboriginal people sued the Canadian government for the destructive psychological impact as a result of the residential schools.

The story, as sad as it is, did not end with the closing of the last school.  The survivors became a generation of people who were never parented and therefore, did not know how to parent.  This impact is a legacy to their children’s, children’s, children.  The survivors, to address the pain that came as a result of the isolation, disconnection and trauma often become addicted to alcohol and drugs and this still remains the case.  Because of this, the regeneration of the First Nations culture has been slow.  Many customs, ceremonies and languages were lost forever.

Why was this story told?  The racism and discrimination faced between the 1830s and 1996 continue to plague the First Nations people today.  It seems that they have traded in one school for another, in this case, it is the school of hard knocks with the prison system being their keeper.  The Aboriginal adult population is overrepresented in the prison system both provincially and federally at 28% and 27% respectively.  Youth incarceration is 46%, in comparison to only 8% of Canadian youth.  And, statistically speaking the aboriginal population has the highest suicide rate in Canada.  These numbers speak for themselves.  The cultural assassination of First Nations has cost these people opportunity to live a culturally rich, sustainable, community-oriented life.

By extension of this, the White community expresses its racial tendencies by profiling the Aboriginal people as alcoholics and drug addicts.  There is ambivalent racism when people turn a blind eye to the statistics of Aboriginal incarceration and suicide without trying to find a solution to the problem.  Some might even acknowledge that based on their experiences this culture is considered the undeserving poor because we, the European settlers created their circumstance, but that does not provide any solutions to the current day problem.  Even teachers in our education system hold a racist belief in what they term “racism by low expectations”.  Because they are aboriginal, and the parents lacked parenting skills, their children have no understanding of how to be a good student.  The educators then have low expectations and according to social identity theory, these children who are then held to a lower standard will live into this expectation.  There is an ongoing social comparison process that perpetuates a negative and hostile relationship between the Whites and the Aboriginals.

Conclusion and Opportunities

The truth and reconciliation commission is the first step to acknowledge and restore the truth of the Aboriginal people in Canada.  Today, school curriculums as early as kindergarten presents historical facts about residential schools.  Aboriginal educators are being sought after to create accurate and relevant curriculum. Traditional Aboriginal ceremonies are used to open events in public spaces.  These new strategies are increasing the opportunity for functional diversity in Canada, being able to embrace the practices and ways of the original people of this land and to learn and restore our own integrity as an inclusive society.

References

 Barnes, R., & Josefowitz, N. (2018). Indian residential schools in Canada: Persistent impacts on aboriginal students’ psychological development and functioning.Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1037/cap0000154

 

Malakieh, J. (2018, June 19). This Juristat article provides a statistical overview of adults and youth admitted to and released from custody and community supervision in Canada in 2016/2017. Analysis is presented at the national as well as the provincial and territorial levels. Average counts and the incarceration rates are presented. Admissions and the characteristics of adults and youth in the correctional system (such as age, sex and Aboriginal identity) are also discussed. Retrieved February 17, 2019, from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2018001/article/54972-eng.htm

McIntyre, C. (2017, November 24). Read Justin Trudeau’s apology to residential school survivors in Newfoundland. Retrieved February 17, 2019, from https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/read-justin-trudeaus-apology-to-residential-school-survivors-in-newfoundland/

Residential Schools in Canada. (2019). Retrieved February 17, 2019, from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools

Schiedel, B. (2018, August 14). Why our kids need to learn about residential schools. Retrieved February 17, 2019, from https://www.macleans.ca/society/why-our-kids-need-to-learn-about-residential-schools/

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: Sage.

Why the Muscowequan Residential School Remains Today. (2019). Still Standing. Retrieved February 17, 2019, from https://indigenouspeoplesatlasofcanada.ca/article/still-standing/

 


17
Feb 19

Ageism in the Workplace

I am going to start this out with a personal story: the setting is a corporate office. I am sitting across the table from my manager and longtime friend. It is time for my yearly review. I have worked for the company for nearly four years.

I am a 28 year old woman and sitting across from me is a man approaching his 67th birthday.

He begins by paying me many compliments, and gushes about what a great employee I have been. I thank him and say what a pleasure it has been working here. He continues by telling me how critical I am to the team and reminds me of all of the policy and operational changes I have implemented over the years and how those changes have really helped the company. I thank him again and begin to state that I love working here and see myself moving up within the company, hopefully one day soon. He looks a bit troubled by my comment and then gets up to close the door. After the door is closed, he looks me in the eye and says that he would like to “level with” me. He then tells me that while he thinks that I have done an incredible job, there are others within the agency, such as his boss (whom I also do quite a bit of work for) that have actually advocated against me to a certain degree. I asked what he meant, and he stated that they “see me as a child, and that is all they will ever see me as”.

This was a devastating blow, as I had just let him know that I was looking for advancing my career within the company. His boss, is a 78 year old woman. Her and my boss have both stated in multiple meetings that “millennials are all idiots who don’t know anything about real world experience or how to actually put in a hard day’s work”. I have butted in on occasion, as one of two under 40 year old employees in our department to state that that is simply not true, however they respond with “we weren’t talking about you, no need to be defensive”; but now it seems that this is exactly what they were talking about. Those in power in my department happen to be two generations ahead of me, and now I am told that it does not matter how hard I work or how much qualifying experience I have—I will never be able to move up at this company because of my age.

“Age discrimination involves treating an applicant or employee less favorably because of his or her age” (U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2019). There are some laws that have been put into effect that are meant to keep discrimination out of the workplace. “The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) forbids age discrimination against people who are age 40 or older. It does not protect workers under the age of 40, although some states have laws that protect younger workers from age discrimination. It is not illegal for an employer or other covered entity to favor an older worker over a younger one, even if both workers are age 40 or older” (U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2019). However, this does not protect those who are discriminated against for being too young. “The Supreme Court has established that an employer does not violate the ADEA by providing preferential treatment to older worker over younger ones, even where the younger workers are over the age of 40” (Midwest New Media, 2019).

Social dominance theory indicates that all individuals belong to groups and each group provides resources, both physical and cognitive, for the people that belong to the group; therefore people are motivated to protect the group, so that it in turn can protect them. In this theory, people are believed to be always motivated to protect the group(Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012). This theory also indicates that society is arranged by systems of group-based hierarchies and the persons within those groups are typically motivated to behave in ways that perpetuate and continue those established hierarchies. Age demographic is an easily discernable factor in identifying an individual belonging to one group or another.

Discrimination is not always black and white and thus our laws regarding it should perhaps not be so black and white.“In the recent discrimination case, General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc v. Cline, No. 02-1080, 540 U.S. (2004) the company and its union negotiated a collective bargaining agreement that offered retirees health benefits only to those employees who were at least 50 years of age at the time of the agreement. A group of employees who were in their forties sued, claiming that the age requirement constituted illegal age discrimination in violation of the ADEA. The Supreme Court held that the ADEA only prohibits discrimination in favor of younger employees and does not address discrimination that favors older workers” (Midwest New Media, 2019). Meaning that the ADEA does not protect anyone of being discriminated against for being too young, even the person is over 40.

“As of 2017 –56 million Millennials (those ages 21 to 36 in 2017) were working or looking for work. That was more than the 53 million Generation Xers, who accounted for a third of the labor force. And it was well ahead of the 41 million Baby Boomers, who represented a quarter of the total. Millennials surpassed Gen Xers in 2016” (Fry, 2018). This is the largest demographic who is entering or has entered the workforce and there are no protections for anyone in this age group in reference to policies concerning age discrimination. “More than one-in-three American labor force participants (35%) are Millennials, making them the largest generation in the U.S. labor force, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data” (Fry, 2018). I personally have been effected by the lack of protections for those who the older generation might consider as “under-aged”. It is sad to me that there is nothing I can do at this point besides look for other employment if I would like to move up in my career, but it seems under the current protections that is all I can do.

 

References:

U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2019). Age Discrimination. Retrieved February 14, 2019, from https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/age.cfm

 

Fry, R. (2018, April 11). Millennials are largest generation in the U.S. labor force. Retrieved February 14, 2019, from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/04/11/millennials-largest-generation-us-labor-force/

 

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: Sage.

 

Midwest New Media. (2019). Workplace Fairness. Retrieved February 14, 2019, from https://www.workplacefairness.org/age-discrimination#7


17
Feb 19

Genders Matter

Genders are perceived as important in human lives and are building blocks in forming self-identities and in developing perspectives on how the world works and how one fits in it. Our gender at birth influences the way the society treats us. We have learned that gender is not the same as sex. Sex is the biological form in which our bodies are born into (male or female), while gender references to social and learned characteristics that males and females learn from the society and environment surrounding them (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).

In the Western society, males are typically taught to have masculine mannerisms such as not crying and being strong. Females are taught to be feminine and can show more emotions than males. Male and female gender behaviors are then rewarded and or punished if they do not follow the given roles or expectations. Studies have shown that males are usually associated with aggressiveness and higher status than females are. Females are typically viewed as affectionate and emotional. Brain comparisons were performed, and it was shown that males have larger brains than females overall and this created a believe that men were superior to women intellectually (Schneider et al, 2012).

Since there are expected gender roles within our society, our gender can sometimes become a stressor within itself, especially if our genders do not follow the socially accepted roles. O’Neil (1981) discusses gender role socialization and explains that it can be psychologically stressful for both males and females and can cause “gender role conflicts”. I have also been affected by societal expectations based on my gender. As a child I was more aggressive and tougher than most of the other girls were. My parents did not like my behavioral preferences and tried to force me to adhere to my gender’s societal expectations. They wanted me to stop playing football and wrestling with the boys in the neighborhood and instead stay indoors and cook and clean the house with my mother.

It wasn’t until I hit puberty that I decided to take on a more feminine gender role and I stopped with the rough housing and playing sports with boys, but I continued to prefer building friendships with males than with females. I believe my parents were concerned about my behaviors and they tried to enforce rules that would follow the cultural and societal gender expectations. Eventually my gender role or attitude started to follow the socially accepted standards, but I continued to prefer male friends over female friends, and I have always been a little more aggressive than emotional.

References

Oneil, J. M. (1981). Patterns of Gender Role Conflict and Strain: Sexism and Fear of Femininity in Mens Lives. The Personnel and Guidance Journal, 60(4), 203-210. doi:10.1002/j.2164-4918.1981.tb00282.x

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.


17
Feb 19

A Tale of Two Cultural Orientations

In the United States, we have the proverb “the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” a saying which means that the loudest and most noticeable problems are the ones that will be addressed first. This is often used to encourage people to speak up, be assertive, and put themselves first because being quiet will lead to your problems being ignored. However, Japan has a proverb which is practically the polar opposite of ours. There, the phrase “the nail that stands out gets pounded down” promotes conformity to social norms and is used to describe the negative consequences of being an outlier. These two proverbs are often cited as describing the differences between Western and Eastern cultures, and while generalizations are never completely accurate, this comparison does have a basis in reality.

During the 1960s, Geert Hofstede identified four major dimensions of culture, one of which was the division between individualistic and collectivistic societies (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). Culture plays a huge part in how we behave and, in turn, interpret the behavior of others. On one hand, individualistic cultures place a large emphasis on the individual, personal success, and originality (Schneider et al., 2012). People define themselves by their own internal thoughts, feelings, and actions (Schneider et al., 2012). This is pretty much standard in Western society. For example, the United States has the American dream, an ideal which forms the basis to our culture and principally promotes the importance of the individual. On the other hand, non-Western cultures tend to be collectivistic (Schneider et al., 2012). In these societies, the primary concern is the group (Schneider et al., 2012). Connectedness and interdependence are valued, whereas independence and atypical behavior can sometimes be seen as disruptive (Schneider et al., 2012). Collectivistic cultures are allocentric, as opposed to the idiocentrism of individualism, meaning that they tend to define themselves by their relationships with others (Schneider et al., 2012).

There are many different theories on the origin of these two distinct styles of culture. One theory is that religion, a common didactic tool, helped create the division. For example, Western culture stresses individual autonomy. It’s been suggested that this stems from the Judeo-Christian belief in the individual soul whereas non-Western culture was influenced by Buddhism and Confucianism — religious and philosophical systems which stress that individuals are merely one part of a greater whole (Konsky, Kapoor, Blue, & Kapoor, 2000). However, it could be that these religions stemmed from the pre-existing cultural mores, instead of the other way around. It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation. Another, more surprising, theory is that the pathogenic prevalence of the location helped to determine whether a culture turned out to be individualistic or collectivistic (Fincher, Thornhill, Murray, & Schaller, 2008). Fincher et al. (2008) found that collectivistic societies tended to have a higher prevalence of pathogens and that certain collectivistic behaviors, like ethnocentrism and conformity, actually inhibited the transmission of these harmful pathogens. For example, conformity to “specific traditions and norms (such as those pertaining to food preparation[…]) can serve as buffers against pathogen transmission, [meaning that] deviance from the status quo may pose a contagion risk” (Fincher et al., 2008).

While we still may not be entirely sure of why these differences occurred, we do know that they continue to affect us today. The differences between individualism and collectivism can impact an individual’s values, their perception of themselves, and even more specific things like work behavior and conflict decision making (Schneider et al., 2012). In applied social psychology, it is important to take these cultural differences into account when developing interventions. For example, a teacher in a collectivistic culture who is trying to improve a student’s reading level might see the most success by appealing to their parents’ interdependent values and suggesting that the student read to a younger sibling at home (Harkness & Keefer, 2000). This does not mean that the child’s individual success is not important to their parents, it’s just that interventions that are in keeping with the individual’s cultural values tend to suit them better. The best interventions are ones that easily fit into the recipients’ lives.

References

Fincher, C., Thornhill, R., Murray, D., & Schaller, M. (2008). Pathogen Prevalence Predicts Human Cross-Cultural Variability in Individualism/Collectivism. Proceedings: Biological Sciences,275(1640), 1279-1285. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/stable/25249653

Harkness, S., & Keefer, C. H. (2000). Contributions of Cross-Cultural Psychology to Research and Interventions in Education and Health. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 31(1), 92–109. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022100031001008

Konsky, C., Kapoor, U., Blue, J., & Kapoor, S. (2000). Religion and communication: A study of Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity. Intercultural Communication Studies,10(2), 235-254.

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: SAGE.

 


16
Feb 19

Where Is Our Power?

Close your eyes for a moment and think about going to a doctor for health concerns.  As you are sitting in the examining room the doctor opens the door and you begin to explain your symptoms.  The doctor checks your vital signs, looks in your throat, nasal cavities and ears.  As you sit there you realize that the doctor is avoiding eye contact with you, doesn’t seem very concerned and is focused on your chart.  There is awkward silence after anything you say as if you aren’t even speaking.  The doctor doesn’t seem to acknowledge what you are verbalizing.  Before you know it, you’re being rushed out of the room without any medication, no resolution, no suggestions and a feeling that you don’t even matter.

What did you do?  Was it something you said?  Does your health even matter to this doctor?  What does this doctor think of you?  Who are you going to turn to for help now?  You experience a feeling of being dismissed and discarded.  How can you make this doctor listen to you?  Is it because you are not a doctor that you’ve been treated as if your health concerns are not valid?  You feel frustrated, disappointed, hurt, scared, unsafe and powerless.

You might try to attribute the doctor’s behavior to poor bedside manner.  Ok, well if that’s the case, then why did he walk into the room next door with a big smile and warmly greet the next patient?  If you were to tell that patient how you were treated by the same doctor the other patient might think you are exaggerating.  Maybe you are the problem and maybe you are just very sensitive.  After all, the doctor was great to them.

Well, then why were you treated this way?  The doctor wouldn’t even look at you and seemed to barely acknowledge you.  It was as if he walked in the room to do what he was mandated to do then left.  Were you just discriminated against?  A study done on older patients with chronic illnesses between 2008 and 2014 reported that 1 in 5 of these patients experienced healthcare discrimination (Kurtzman, 2017).

Discrimination is defined as the way a person behaves towards another person based on their identified group (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012).  Discrimination is often based on prejudices or attitudes toward others based on their group (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012).  It’s a horrible thing to experience, yet many experience this daily.  For some people, the experiences like the example above has been a lifelong norm.  This is a generalized example of what it might be like to feel discriminated against.

What effect does this have on a person?  Mays (2007) describes the importance of recognizing discrimination as a chronic health risk because it creates an unhealthy level of stress on the body.  African Americans tend to experience the most disproportionate rate of illness as a result of discrimination (Mays, 2007).  Among first generation Latino youth, an elevated risk of depression was associated with experiences of discrimination in the U.S. (Potochnick & Perreira, 2010).

Discrimination is toxic yet, it is still prevalent in our society.  Systemic discrimination is defined as, “a pattern or practice, policy, or class case where the alleged discrimination has a broad impact on an industry, profession, company or geographic area” (Systemic Discrimination).  This definition comes from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  It is an effort to ensure that people working in all places are not discriminating against people, but it is still happening.

Despite laws, despite being exposed and shamed on social media, despite the many seminars and statements made by people day in and day out, these situations exist.  How is it that in our society, with laws and guidelines in place, does this still exist?  One of the biggest problems around discrimination is that it is not always easy to prove.  In the example of the doctor’s visit, how would you prove that the doctor treated you different than the patient in the next room?  How can you prove that the level of care you received was less than the level of care the next patient received?  The burden of proof falls on the victims of discrimination who often have to rely on social systems that may not act in their favor.  Even when discrimination can be proven, the psychological trauma left behind by discrimination is something that cannot be erased.

Hofstede’s cultural taxonomy mentions power distance as a way that people might accept inequality based on differences including social status, power or physical characteristics (Shneider, Gruman and Coutts, 2012).  Schwartz’s (2012) values framework describes power as a value that people must accept and this includes social status or dominance over a resource.  In the scenario above, the doctor is in a position of power while the patient is not.  There is a separation of sorts that causes one person to have authority over another and even have the ability to impact another person’s life for better or worse.

The social dominance theory suggests that we live in a world of hierarchies where a dominant group of people who are deemed to have more social value are placed at the top and less dominant people with less social value are placed on the bottom.  The idea of who is more valuable or who is more powerful in society or in the world could have a powerful impact on the persistence of discriminatory behaviors.

At our doctor’s visit, we were placed on the bottom of the social hierarchy and the doctor was at the top.  The doctor was in the position of power, with a higher social status.  We were just his patient.  In this scenario, we might choose never to go to that doctor again.  There might be options to find another doctor.  Unfortunately, not everyone has an option to find a place of acceptance.  For people who are discriminated against every day by individuals, institutions and society in general, where is the safe zone?

Where is our power?  What can we do?  How can we make a difference in this vicious cycle of conflict?  Using applied social psychology and what we learned in this course we can better understand social and practical problems to create intervention strategies that can help individuals, groups and society (Schneider, Gruman and Coutts, 2012).

We can also look within ourselves and look outside of ourselves with vigilance, as individuals, for discriminatory situations.  It’s not always easy to recognize discrimination when it’s not something we are experiencing.  It’s important to listen to the experience of others, validate their experience and what they feel about their experience, so we can better understand each other.  Each one of us as individuals make up this society that still practices discrimination.  Our own participation in society can be a powerful source of resolution to break cycles of discrimination.

 

References:

Kurtzman, L. (2017, December 14). 1 in 5 Older Patients with Chronic Disease Report Health Care Discrimination. Retrieved from https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/12/409386/one-five-patients-report-discrimination-health-care

Mays, V. M., Cochran, S. D., & Barnes, N. W. (2007). Race, race-based discrimination, and health outcomes among African Americans. Annual review of psychology58, 201-25.

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2019).  PSYCH 424 Lesson 6: Intergroup Relations/Diversity  Retrieved from  https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1973019/modules/items/25635693

Potochnick, S. R., & Perreira, K. M. (2010). Depression and anxiety among first-generation immigrant Latino youth: key correlates and implications for future research. The Journal of nervous and mental disease198(7), 470-7.

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Los Angeles: Sage.

Schwartz, S. H. (2012). An Overview of the Schwartz Theory of Basic Values. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1116

Sommers, Samuel R. and Babbitt, Laura G.(2010) ‘On the Perils of Misplaced Assumptions: Appreciating the Need for Diversity Science’, Psychological Inquiry, 21: 2, 164 — 167

Systemic Discrimination. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/systemic/


16
Feb 19

Needed: Women in Cybersecurity

My husband, Brian, has managed several fairly large teams in the IT world and recently shifted into cybersecurity.  While the teams he managed before were roughly half men and half women, the most recent team he inherited, though ethnically and culturally diverse, is all men. In addition to this team in the United States, he also has one in Bangalore, India. Curiously, the India group does not suffer from the same type of lacking diversity; they are very evenly distributed between men and women. I was curious to uncover more details about this discrepancy and see if I could learn anything to help him increase his gender diversity here in the United States.

While he wants to ensure he is objective in selecting candidates from applicants to the roles that are opening on his team as it grows, he also understands the importance that diversity brings to a team environment.  From his past experience with a more diverse team, he recognizes firsthand the value that varied perspectives add when attempting to solve problems and collaborate.

I knew that few women work in cyber security but I did not know the extent of the problem until I started to do some research. The US Department of Homeland Security reports that only 13% of cyber security professionals are women (Bagchi-Sen, Rao, Upadhyaya & Chai, 2010). They go on to state that the percentage is even lower in Europe and Asia. I found this information a little confusing since Brian did not observe this same problem when he was in India just a few weeks ago. His company employs about 2000 IT professionals in Bangalore and about half of them are women. It is possible that in the last several years this situation has improved in India since this study was conducted in 2010. Brian reported that the vast number of billboards, not targeted at a specific gender, in Bangalore were adds to learn English and computers. This may have something to do with increasing the gender diversity in IT and cybersecurity in this area.

According to Bagchi-Sen, Rao, Upadhyaya, and Chai in their study entitled “Women in Cybersecurity: A Study of Career Advancement” (2010) one of the barriers to women entering the field of cyber security is the institutional barrier of the “hacker culture” in the IT world. They also cite reasons other reasons as lack of female role models and mentors in the field as well as the societal expectation that girls are not as good as boys in math and science which results in a confidence gap in these areas starting in middle school and growing even wider in high school. This form of sexism, treating someone in a different way due to their sex (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012), is just one of the many road blocks that hinder girls from pursuing a career that is intensive in math and science.

According to the study “Holistically Building the Cybersecurity Workforce” by Hoffman, Burley, and Toregas (2012) in order to correct the problem of so few women in the field it will take the combined efforts of educators, human resource professionals, and current cybersecurity professionals. As a cybersecurity professional Brian is attempting to do his part to encourage an increase in the number of women interested in the field.

In this new cybersecurity role, Brian said he is realizing that it is rare that his recruiters even find female candidates for his roles. One of the traps recruitment can fall into is searching purely on number of years of past experience.  If you are recruiting in a field that has an existing industry-wide gender gap, this method will only propagate the problem.  Other comparable fields to cybersecurity that his company recruits from are law enforcement, military, and IT, all of which have similar gender gaps.

One of the methods that he has proposed and is beginning to implement with his recruiting partners to hire in professionals with the aptitude and appetite to learn the field, not only those with direct experience.  Given the current industry shortage of cybersecurity professionals of all genders, this idea has gained traction at his company. He plans to utilize these methods and hopefully come up with more in the future to increase the number of women employed on his teams.

 

References:

Bagchi-Sen, S., Rao, H., Upadhyaya, S., & Chai, S. (2010). Women in cybersecurity: A study of career advancement. IT Professional12(1), 24-31. doi: 10.1109/mitp.2010.39

Hoffman, L., Burley, D., & Toregas, C. (2012). Holistically building the cybersecurity workforce. IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine10(2), 33-39. doi: 10.1109/msp.2011.181

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.


15
Feb 19

But she’s not MY mother!

He gently picks up the elderly woman who has fallen on the ice, careful not to squeeze her arm too tightly.  He notices that she is limping and he helps her to a bench where he wraps her coat tighter around her frail body.  Tears fall from her eyes at the pain she feels from her hip that she hopes is not broken.  He gently wipes the tears from her wrinkled cheeks.  He would do this for his mother, his daughter, his wife, even his neighbor.  Maybe someone else in his town, maybe.  Maybe a stranger… if he had time.  Someone from another ethnic group?  Less likely.

We as humans are capable of such tenderness, such care and empathy for others.  We feel their pain, we ease burdens, we love.  We give of ourselves, we provide for our children even if it means we have less, some of us would even die for those we love.  But where does empathy end… and apathy begin… and lead to callousness…and even violence?

How can this same man hold a rifle in battle, kill women and children in foreign countries?  How can he disregard their pain?  The cries of another human being, whom he has hurt rather than helped?  How can he yell at coworkers, rage at bad drivers, be short with the checkout lady?  Where is his empathy then?  Where does empathy stop and violence begin?  How can we as humans be so callous to some people’s suffering while tenderly nurturing other people?

Our own group of people get our care while other groups of people usually do not.  In-group outgroup bias says that in-group members will relate to each other in favorable ways but they will relate to members of outgroups in less favorable ways (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).  In-group members tend to give more support, assistance and compassion to members of their own group.  When conflict arises, in-group members are given more slack, judged less than outgroup members, and forgiven more easily.  In-group extremity effect says that we see those in our own group in ways that are exaggeratedly positive (In-group extremity, 2018).  We tend to be more understanding of them and believe that negative events that happened to them occur more often for external causes then for internal causes.  We are quick to believe in their goodness and that anything negative was the result of circumstances.  Contrarily for outgroup members, whom we are less likely to understand and be connected to, we attribute negative events in their life to internal factors like their own ignorance, incompetence or even wickedness.  This leads to negative stereotypical views.  You often hear people talking about other groups as simply bad or evil.   If we can step back and look at the humanity of the other group and realize that what they are doing comes out of their own needs, then we can see their interconnectedness to ourselves.  We can see them as people just like we are.

Positive intergroup contact has been shown to reduce levels of violent tendencies in both advantaged and disadvantaged outgroups (Saab, Harb, & Moughalian, 2017).  The key here is positive.  Intergroup contact in general may not lead to better relations, since the more powerful group is frequently seen as disenfranchising the lesser group in some way, maybe through thoughtless condescending comments or attitudes (Schneider et al., 2012).  But when contact truly is positive, relations get better.  How does this relate to in-group outgroup theories?  When we have positive contact with those in other groups it helps us feel connected to them.  Our groups are no longer so separate.  We may start to assimilate them mentally closer into our own group, which leads to better cognitions about them.

But people take the path of least resistance. It’s easier to rise up in defense of our views than to listen openly to someone we don’t agree with.  While empathy can break down barriers, defensiveness can provoke attacks from the other side (Böhm, Rusch, & Gürerk, 2016).  When we are defensive instead of empathetic, we are not connecting.  We are not on the same team, not part of the same tribe, not recognizing the other’s humanness and needs.  However, if we continue to listen, we will eventually get to a real human need that we can identify with.

In “Nonviolent communication,” international peacemaker Marshall Rosenberg tells a story in which he was meeting with leaders from Palestine and Israel to try to talk about compromise and make efforts toward peace.  He was accosted by a Palestinian man who used abusive tone and language, yelling “Murderer!  Child-killer!” regarding Rosenberg’s citizenship in the US which was supplying Israel with weapons.  The man demanded to know whether Rosenberg had any idea how hard it was to live in a place where your children are at risk even going to school?  Rather than get defensive or react angrily, Rosenberg listened with compassion and apologized for the fear and stress that the man and his family have had to live through.  He kept this up through 20 minutes of the man’s onslaughts.  This empathy eventually broke down the man’s wall of armor and he started to feel understood and cared about.  Rosenberg had reached across groups and connected in a positive humanitarian way that led to such genuine care that he ended up being invited into the man’s home, now part of his tribe.

How can we lessen violence toward people outside of our group?  Build empathy toward all humans, regardless of which group they are in?

We need a viewpoint that see humans as all part of one big group, rather than focusing on differences.  One such viewpoint is the Christian faith.  It is made up of those who have faith in Jesus no matter what cultural or ethnic group they belong to.  It is one body, spread throughout the world, crossing country and party lines.  Some of Jesus’ teachings from the Sermon on the Mount include directives of how to treat others.  “Do unto others as you would like them to do to you.”  “If a man asks you to walk with him a mile, walk with him two.”  One of the boldest statements is “Love your enemies.” (Matthew 5, paraphrased). This is really getting outside of our in-group.  Stopping to help a hurt person who is a stranger is one thing, but having empathy for an actual enemy?

Perhaps this is why Jesus said that whoever follows him and does the will of his Father is his mother, sister and brother.  This puts all Christians in the same in-group of a big family.  Yet Jesus’ directive is to have empathy for all outside this family as well.  When a lawyer asked him how to fulfill the law of love, Jesus answered with a parable of a man who was hurt on the side of the road.  A Levite and a priest both passed by and didn’t help, but finally a Samaritan, a man from a hated out-group of the Jews, stopped.  He had empathy for this Jew, his ethnic enemy, a stranger.  He cleaned his wounds, brought him to an inn, cared for him and left money for his further care.  This was Jesus’ example of how to love.  He shows us that there should be no out-groups in humanity.  Love should pass over ethnic and cultural lines, even gender and religious ones.  For “Christians” throughout the ages have in fact been the cause of much bloodshed, whether in battle, or through “just war,” or even through interpersonal violence.  Just having the label “Christian” does not make someone so.  It’s through actions that our true nature is known.  By stopping to help, by loving, by caring, we show that the stranger is really part of our humanity.  She is part of our in-group, part of our tribe.  She… IS my neighbor, my sister, my mother.

 

References

Böhm, R., Rusch, H., & Gürerk, Ö. (2016). What makes people go to war? Defensive intentions motivate retaliatory and preemptive intergroup aggression. Evolution and Human Behavior, 37(1), 29-34.

Ingroup extremity effect.  (2018).  APA Dictionary of Psychology.  Retrieved on Feb. 15, 2019 from: https://dictionary.apa.org/ingroup-extremity-effect.

Rosenberg, M.  (2015).  Nonviolent communication: A language of life.  Encinitas, CA: Puddledancer Press.

Saab, R., Harb, C. & Moughalian, C.  (2017).  Intergroup contact as a predictor of violent and nonviolent collective action: Evidence from Syrian refugees and Lebanese nationals.  Journal of Peace Psychology, 23(3), 297-306.

Schneider, F., Gruman, J., & Coutts, L.  (2012).  Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.


15
Feb 19

Racial Discrimination In The Workplace

Discrimination in the workplace is defined as treating, or proposing to treat, someone not fair because of a personal characteristic. There are many types of discrimination that can occur in the workplace but I will only be discussing racial discrimination in the workplace. A lot of times this type of discrimination takes place and is unnoticeable. For example, how do we really know that we did not get hired for the position because we were Hispanic, or because we did not speak Spanish? We honestly would never know unless the employer admits to it.

We as employees may never know why we were not hired for that promotion or position. An option would be to ask the employer but, it is very likely that the employer can make up any reason that is not based on race and make us believe them. Another this is that employers may be discriminating and not even realize it. An employer may only hire a certain race lets say because their interviews are all amazing and not even realize their staff is not diverse. On the bright side there are two types of laws against discrimination that protect us as employees.

First we have the federal anti discrimination laws. These are the laws that address racial discrimination in the workplace. This section is referred to as “Title VII” it prohibits employers from: failing or refusing to hire an employee based on their race, firing or disciplining an employee because of their race, paying an employee less or giving them fewer benefits because of their race, not giving an employee benefits at all because of their race, and much more.

Finally, we have the state anti-discrimination laws. States are involved fully when it comes to workplace discrimination. A lot of times people think the only ones involved is the federal law and that is not the case. The laws for state usually just mirror the federal laws. However every state is different. The main difference are the different procedures used compared to the federal level.

References:

Racial Discrimination in the Workplace. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://employment.findlaw.com/employment-discrimination/racial-discrimination-in-the-workplace.html


15
Feb 19

Social Dominance Theory: Americans and Brits

Nationality unites people in a way that other factors cannot. Being an American comes along with a lot of stereotypes but also a large amount of pride in America itself and its culture. While America and Americans obviously have issues with other nationalities, there is a certain type of clash that shows up when observing the differences between Americans and other native English speaking nationalities.

As I currently reside in Spain, I have run into more Brits than I can count on my two hands. This is perfectly logical as it makes more sense for the British to be in Spain than for Americans to be here simply due to obvious geographical facts. While I personally love getting to know people and cultures, it is always quite special when I end up in a room with both Americans and Brits. There are blaring signs of the social dominance theory whenever I find myself in this situation.

“Social dominance theory indicates that all individuals belong to groups and each group provides resources for the people that belong to that group.” (Penn State Notes). The two groups that can clearly be identified here are the Americans and the British. Even though the United States is an extremely large country, the main thing that bonds Americans abroad is simply the accent. Within seconds the difference between British and American citizens can be identified simply by having them open their mouths and say two words. The categories can be broken down a bit when we play into certain types of accents depending on geographical location within a country, but the overall group difference is already there. Accents bring up a bigger and somewhat testy theme: English.

I find that a large, controversial theme between British and Americans has to do with the language spoken in the countries and who speaks it better or more “correctly”. Both nationalities believe that they are in the right although history gives obvious evidence leaning towards a certain answer. However, this is a perfect example of the social dominance theory in which different groups are trying to be the “high-status group” and maintain the hierarchy that is created within their group.

Another factor that fuels this social dominance among the two groups is sports. The UK is home to the premier football league which is quite successfully and watched all over the world. On the other hand, the U.S. is home to the National Football League, which, while having its worldwide fame, gets teased a lot for being a league of, what we might call, “fake football.” In America, European football is known as “soccer” while in Europe it goes by the name of “football”. This theme is extremely common as sports are discussed amongst the two nationality groups.

A third topic that creates a barrier between the two groups is that of politics. This topic has grown even greater in the past few years because of the presidential election in the states a few years back. This leads to all sorts of discussion between the two political systems, which is better and why. As we all know, politics can be quite a tricky topic and can even ruin friendships.

In all of these situations, the different nationality groups stick to their kin because an individual’s background around these topics has been molded by their upbringing and cultural background. This strengthens the differences between the two groups and shows us the social dominance theory.

While in some situations this can be a negative version of the theory with one group trying to govern the monarchy and always be in the right, there are many situations where it is simply a playful version of the theory and the most harm done is the occasional hurt feeling.

  1. Social Dominance Theory. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2019, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1973019/modules/items/25635697
  2. Pratto, F., Sidanius, J., & Levin, S. (n.d.). Social Dominance Theory and the dynamics of intergroup relations: Taking stock and looking forward. European Review of Psychology. Retrieved February 15, 2019, from http://blogs.sciences-po.fr/recherche-inegalites/files/2010/04/article-théorie-de-la-dominance.pdf

 


13
Feb 19

I wouldn’t let my wife work!

        I won’t make any assumptions on others’ experiences, but it’s probably safe to say some of us have either experienced sexism or witnessed it. Put me down for both. I once overheard a manager say, to a very pregnant employee, that if he were her husband, he wouldn’t let her work. Let her. That has really stuck with me all these years later. How and why would he say that? Some forms of sexism, like benevolent, are pervasive in our society. Unfortunately, I didn’t know what to say; I was a new assistant and didn’t want to necessarily rock the boat. While I advocate for others to speak up (do as I say, not as I do), my take on this should not be misconstrued as shifting the responsibility away from those who choose to make sexist comments. So, why didn’t either of us confront him?

    To say the other employee and I were taken by surprise is an understatement. Neither of us said anything, we stood there in shock. When there is more than one person present when such a remark is made, they tend to look at one another to respond, this is known as diffusion of responsibility (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). She may have said something if I wasn’t there, but I will never know for certain. I immediately thought that it was such an awful thing to say and considered quitting because I didn’t want to work with someone who would take their position of power to denigrate another person.

     But do most women keep quiet and not address the sexist comment? In a study by Swim and Hyers (1999) they looked at the responses’ women made to sexist comments. It also examined how they responded both publicly and privately.  They found that 45 % of women responded publicly in some way and 16 % responded in a more direct manner(Schneider et al., 2012). What was so interesting about their study, was that when a participant was the only woman, they were more likely to respond, then if there was another woman present (Schneider et al., 2012).

       When faced with outright sexism, some women don’t speak up. There are factors that affect our behavior; is there someone else that can speak up or as it once occurred to me, will I be perceived as thin-skinned? Whether you speak up or not, sexism has no place in our society, whether it is hostile, benevolent, or ambivalent, none of it is acceptable. I hope that now that I am aware of diffusion of responsibility (as hopefully you are too!) that when confronted with such egregious comments, that I will say something and not keep quiet. When I say nothing, it may inform the offender that I am somehow okay with their comment, when in reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

References

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2012). Applied Social PsychologyUnderstanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Swim, J. K., & Hyers, L. L. (1999). Excuse me—what did you just say? Women’s public and private responses to sexist remarks. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 35, 68–88.


12
Feb 19

Art for the mind

A children’s charity named The Teapot Trust is striving to change people’s lives by the use of professional art therapy as a coping mechanism in children’s hospitals. The goal of the charity is to reduce anxiety before children receive their medical procedures, providing a safe environment for children to express themselves, and to reduce the distressing experience for the children as well (Farrugia & Edwards, 2018). By using art therapy in waiting rooms and by telling the children that they may still even come back to the art therapy table at any time of their appointment, it helps to engage the young kids into a therapeutic yet fun activity. Results from a study done with 4,154 children using The Teapot Trust’s art therapists in hospital waiting rooms reported to have an extremely positive effect on children’s anxiety by reducing it greatly. Thus allowing the child to have a positive experience at their hospital appointment (Farrugia & Edwards, 2018). The art therapist’s table had materials such as clay, paint, brushes, and drawing paper for the kids to express themselves with (Farrugia & Edwards, 2018). By providing the children with this sort of environment it helps to give them the social support that they need in order to feel comfortable in the unknown environment. The therapist’s table gives the young kids an area where they can talk to other kids who are going through the same exact thing, while also giving the child the ability to have fun while distressing from their problems.

Art therapy has been used for to treat people with stress, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Alzheimer’s patients, schizophrenia, dementia, psychological distress, patients with autism, posttraumatic stress, and so much more. Art is a universal non-verbal form of expression that is appreciated by cultures all around the world. It is something that anybody can do; no matter how minimal is the experience you have with it. The integration of both art and therapeutic techniques is the result of art therapy. The great thing about art is that, there are no rules or limitations. The possibilities are endless.

I have always had a love for art. When I draw, I feel unstoppable and determined to get whatever idea I have out onto the paper. It is something that relaxes me, no matter what I am feeling at that moment. The most relieving feeling is finishing the piece that you have worked so hard for. Writing has the same effect on me as well. This same feeling of relief is what people alike feel after their art therapy sessions. A sense of relaxation and calming feeling from just a simple task of just picking up a pencil and drawing whatever is on their mind. When you look at an art piece you really can tell how and what an artist is feeling and what they are going through. The same could be seen with art therapy except this outlet is more expressive in the sense that it is more meditative.

What other benefits of art therapy are there? It can help patients with the development of personal growth, with trying new things and experimenting by coming out of their comfort zone, and more (Rowley & Comisari, 2016). Art therapy is also even supplementing talk therapies because it is seen as a healing strategy (Rowley & Comisari, 2016). Music therapy is also just as therapeutic in relaxing and distressing an individual as well. Healthy relationships may also be enhanced, as well as a deeper reflection on one’s own mental health issues (Rowley & Comisari, 2016). Art therapy gives individuals an alternative focus by helping them to focus on something as simple as their own art in replacement for all the stress that is going on in their head and in their life (Rowley & Comisari, 2016).

What parts of the brain are lateralized while one is creating art? It depends if you are drawing or painting. Painting actually is lateralized in 4 different lobes of one’s brain, such as the temporal lobe, occipital lobe, frontal lobe, and parietal lobe (Ahmed & Miller, 2003). However, object drawing is found in various cortical regions such as the frontal, temporal, and parietal areas (Makuuchi, 2010). Cortisol levels are actually reduced when one is making art (Kaimal et al., 2017). Even when someone is doodling, the individual is activating their prefrontal cortex (Making Art, 2017). What’s even more interesting is that researchers believe doodling can help to engage the reward perception for all artists and non-artists alike (Kaimal et al., 2017). This is because the making of art in art therapy helps to activate feelings of reward and accomplishment. The bottom line is, no matter if you are an artist or even if you aren’t, anyone will be able to benefit from art therapy. It can help one with depression, anxiety, and anything in between.

For more information about the The Teapot Trust , it can be found here at this link: http://www.teapot-trust.org/

References

Ahmed, T., & Miller, B. L. (2003). Art and brain evolution. In A. Toomela (Ed.), Cultural guidance in the development of the human mind; cultural guidance in the development of the human mind (pp. 87-93, Chapter vi, 245 Pages) Ablex Publishing, Westport, CT. Retrieved from http://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/619998824?accountid=13158

Farrugia, E., & Edwards, K. (2018). P15 Art therapy in hospital waiting rooms. Rheumatology, 57(suppl_8) doi:10.1093/rheumatology/key273.017

Kaimal, G., Ayaz, H., Herres, J., Dieterich-Hartwell, R., Makwana, B., Kaiser, D. H., & Nasser, J. A. (2017). Functional near-infrared spectroscopy assessment of reward perception based on visual self-expression: Coloring, doodling, and free drawing. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 55, 85-92. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1016/j.aip.2017.05.004

Making art activates brain’s reward pathway. (2017). Bioscience Technology, Retrieved from http://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1911967311?accountid=13158

Makuuchi, M. (2010). fMRI studies on drawing revealed two new neural correlates that coincide with the language network. Cortex: A Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior, 46(2), 268-269. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1016/j.cortex.2009.02.009

Rowley, J., & Comisari, R. (2016). Healing through creating: Art Therapy. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal, 23(11), 48. Retrieved from http://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1791668664?accountid


11
Feb 19

When Therapy Doesn’t Work, What To Do Next

According to Psychology Today, Psychotherapy or therapy is defined as the practice of spending time with a trained professional usually a psychologist, a social worker, or a licensed counselor to help diagnose and treat mental and emotional problems. Psychotherapy can be conducted via a variety of ways such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy also known as CBT is a form of psychotherapy that treats problems and boosts happiness by modifying dysfunctional emotions, behaviors, and thoughts. Mental health is one of the most important health issues many American experience every year. According to American Psychology Association’s survey report, 48 percent of those polled reported a visit to a mental health professional by someone in their household in 2004. 87 percent of those polled pointed to lack of insurance coverage as a barrier to seeking treatment, and 81 percent pointed to cost concerns. But also, ninety-seven percent of respondents considered access to mental health services “important,” but only 70 percent feel they have adequate access to mental health care. Although the data is little older it is still important to notice how people are depending on therapy to cure their mental health but does therapy really work for people who are experiencing rock-bottom of their life?

In my personal experience, it failed because I was causing more troubles than fixing my own problems. I have a trouble past where I once wanted to end it all with ultimatum, but I wasn’t sure if this was the right choice to end my life. First, I was experiencing stress from school work, financial troubles, parent confrontation, and underachievement. I was hurting myself by smoking heavy, heavy dose of drugs usages, depression, anti-social, and anger management. Before Fall semester of 2015, I was expelled from Penn State University than my depression symptom got worse where I couldn’t control my anger due to underachievement. My parents did not know about this information because I was too scared to tell them. I started doing massive amount of marijuana to ease my stress level down over telling my parent about school issue. October 2015, my only friend at the time came to my apartment and suggested me to seek for help since he was worried that I will hurt myself even more if I don’t. I seek for help.

I resided in State College PA, so I searched and found a local therapist who can help my symptoms. Although, my family was very successful and gave me a lot of money for each semester living cost, but I spent every penny before visiting therapist. I met a Dr. Mitchell who helped me to ease my stress and behaviors, but we could not keep moving forward because I could not pay him. I told everything that I wanted to share with him so he can help me get better but I needed find a job to support myself and pay him. I met him twice a week where I needed at least 300 dollars per week so I seek for a job where I can make fast money. I became a delivery driver. For several months, the therapy worked well until I got into a major car accident when I stopped visiting therapist because I thought he did not help me at all. After I stopped seeing therapist, I started to cause more trouble with another car accident and smoking heavily while losing weights. Although I quit marijuana, I was feeling very underachieved since my sister was a pharmacist while I was expelled student who have mental health problem. My depression got worse until I talked to my family for truth year and half later. Until this day, I haven’t talked to my father for 2 years even when I transferred and readmitted to Penn State in Spring of 2018 semester. Although I miss talking to my father, I am planning to graduate from Penn State and talk to him when he is ready.

Meanwhile, there is another path to successful therapy if your therapist is not helping you enough. According to Dr. Young, he suggests four tips seeking help within therapy. First, ask your therapist about next step. You should ask your therapist when you feel your therapist is not helping by asking various questions how he or she can help you to lead to right direction. Next, pursue lifestyle changes. You need to other changes other than a therapy session to cure mental health by creating your own routine, involve in new health environment, eat healthy, sleep 7-8 hours at night, and exercise 150 minutes per week. Third, do your homework. Follow and do homework that therapist assigns you. You enable yourself to adopt new coping mechanisms and move beyond the struggles of the past. Last, try new therapist and talk to your doctor. If your therapist does not help you, find a new therapist who can help you. Talk to your doctor for recommendation. These are some tips for people who feel your therapist is not helping you, don’t hesitate and use these steps to heal your mentality.

 

Citation

Chamberlin, J. (2004, July/August). Survey says: More Americans are seeking mental health treatment. Retrieved February 11, 2019, from https://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug04/survey

 

National Center for Health Statistics. (2017, May 03). Retrieved February 11, 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/drug-use-therapeutic.htm

Young, Joel L. 2015. “When Therapy Doesn’t Work.” Psychology Today. Retrieved February 11, 2019 (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/when-your-adult-child-breaks-your-heart/201501/when-therapy-doesnt-work).


11
Feb 19

Are You Feeling Tired?

Do you get enough sleep? Most americans will answer no to that question. It was found that one out of every three Americans do not get enough sleep (CDC, 2016), but why is that, why are Americans not getting enough sleep and why is it so important for us to get the recommended eight hours of sleep per night? In our lesson book Applied Social Psychology, Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems, by Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, in chapter 8,  mentions that lack of sleep can lead to many negative health consequences (Schneider, et al., 2012).

There are several serious factors to why we need to get enough sleep, and the leading factor is our health. There have been several studies done on sleep deprivation and its effects on the human body. A study by Medic and et al found that there are serious consequences both short- and long-term health consequences. They found that a short-term consequences are that people had increase in stress, somatic problems, reduced quality of life, memory problems, behavioral problems, emotional distress (Medic, G., Wille, M., & Hemels, M. E., 2017). The long-term consequences that they found included hypertension, weight-related issues, metabolic syndrome, irritability, fatigue, and long-term depression and anxiety (Medic, G., Wille, M., & Hemels, M. E., 2017).

Sleep is important not only for our mood but also our brain function and systemic physiology across many body systems. But why are Americans sleeping less than ever? There are numerous factors to why we sleep less; it  has been found that for many Americans electronic devices may be one of the big contributors to lack of sleep (2018). The reason being is that the blue light from these electronic devices delays your body’s internal clock, known as your circadian rhythm. The blue light suppresses the release of your sleep-inducing hormone known as melatonin, and this leads to you having a harder time falling asleep. But getting enough sleep is not only a lifestyle matter–it can also be caused by environmental factors, such as jobs, schools, and etc. As a college student, we often find ourselves drowning in homework, plus trying to socialize, and on top of that trying to live a healthy lifestyle, which includes getting enough sleep, but that is not always possible. A study by Shelley D Hershner and Ronald D Chervin found that daytime sleepiness, sleep deprivation, and irregular sleep schedules are very common among college students, up to 50% of students have daytime sleepiness and 70% of students do not attain enough sleep (Hershner, S. D., & Chervin, R. D., 2014). College students experiencing a lack of sleep this can experience lower grade point average, impaired mood, increased risk of academic failure, compromised learning, and increased risk of motor vehicle accidents (Hershner, S. D., & Chervin, R. D. ,2014). Why are so many college students not getting enough sleep? Some of the reasons can be because of increased stress, pulling all nighters, night owl habits. So what can college students and other people do to get more sleep?

There are several ways to improve your sleeping schedule and sleep quality. Here are some examples below.

  • Turn off electronics about 20 to 30 minutes before sleep .You can keep your phone, laptop and other electronic devices on your desk to prevent yourself from being tempted to look at it if it was on your night stand.
  • Reduce blue light exposure; as mentioned before, blue light suppresses the release of melatonin.
  • On the other hand, increase bright light exposure during the day, which lets your body know when its day and night and your natural clock (circadian rhythm) can help keep a healthy schedule.
  • Reduce nap time, because when you nap during the day you might find it harder to sleep at night.
  • Try not to consume caffeine late in the day, since this can lead to difficulty when trying to sleep during the night.
  • Try to make a “sleep and wake” schedule, which can help with making a healthy sleeping pattern.
  • Make your bedroom only your bedroom; in other words, only use your bedroom to sleep. This will subconsciously train yourself to think that the bedroom is the sleep area.
  • Have a wind-down period at the end of the night, put all electronics away and relax and clear your mind in the evening.
  • Make time for homework, pulling an all nighter is very tiring and bad for you health, so make time during the day to do your homework.

Hopefully some of these examples can help with sleep deprivation, but it is important to note that there might be an underlying issue to why someone might have a hard time sleeping at night. Usually, if someone has been experiencing long-term sleep deprivation, there might an underlying medical issue (Medic, G., Wille, M., & Hemels, M. E., 2017).

References:

CDC, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2016) 1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep: A good night’s sleep is critical for good health. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0215-enough-sleep.html

Hershner, S. D., & Chervin, R. D. (2014). Causes and consequences of sleepiness among college students. Nature and science of sleep, 6, 73-84. doi:10.2147/NSS.S62907. Retrieved from  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4075951/

Medic, G., Wille, M., & Hemels, M. E. (2017). Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption. Nature and science of sleep, 9, 151-161. doi:10.2147/NSS.S134864.Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5449130/

National Sleep Foundation (2018) Why Electronics May Stimulate You Before Bed. Retrieved from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/why-electronics-may-stimulate-you-bed

Schneider, F., Gruman, J., & Coutts, L.  (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.


10
Feb 19

We All Need Some Support

According to Schneider, Gruman and Coutts (2012), social support is defined as resources we obtain from others. Social support can come from family members, the community, work associates and other groups. Social support helps form identity for people and it helps improve stress responses which in turn benefit our overall health. This doesn’t mean that knowing a lot of people is beneficial. It means having good quality relationships with people who you can count on and depend on for support and guidance can affect your overall health in a positive way.

As stated in Berkman’s article (1984), there is a difference between social networks and social support. Social support can be given in the forms of emotional, instrumental (goods and services) and financial assistance or appraisal from a social network. It is an exchange that takes place between the individuals. We should not assume that because a family member lives in the same home or a few blocks away that they are providing social support to the other family member.

I guess you can say I have a strong social support system within my family. As a child, my main social support came from my parents and my siblings and now as an adult, my main social support consists of my husband, my daughter and my friends. I must mention that I have one sibling in my family who is a part of my social network but is in no way shape or form social support to me or anyone else. As for my family, my husband and daughter are my biggest supporters and my go to people when I need some problem-solving assistance or emotional support. My husband is my stress supporter because he helps me overcome stressful situations on a regular basis.

On another note, my daughter was my motivation to quit smoking when she was a child. Simply due to her presence and her opinion about the habit that she willingly expressed to me, I was able to quit cold turkey without any assistance. The last time I smoked was over fifteen years ago and I am happy to report that I have never relapsed. Based on my own personal experience, I am a firm believer that social support is beneficial to our health. Just simply knowing you have people who care about you and want the best for you can improve your coping abilities for stress and help motivate you to make positive changes in your life.

In our textbook, it is mentioned that social support not only contributes to health, but if can influence people to practice healthy behaviors. Social support can encourage people to continue exercising and or stay on their path to living a healthier lifestyle. It can also cause a person to stop or change a negative behavior or go see a doctor when ill (Schneider et al, 2012). In summary, I think it is safe to say that social support can be empowering and can have a positive influence on one’s overall health.

References

Berkman, L. F. (1984). Assessing the Physical Health Effects of Social Networks and Social Support. Annual Review of Public Health, 5(1), 413-432. doi:10.1146/annurev.pu.05.050184.002213

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.


10
Feb 19

I Chose Fight Over Flight

I’ve heard many Californians complain about the living cost and traffic in our state, but I’ve met very few who actually made up their minds and moved. It’s hard to move from a place where it has the ocean on one side of the road and powerful mountains on the other. If you are someone who loves hiking and being in the nature, then California got you. These days, I hike once a week and explore new places every time, but it took me a long time to get where I am today. And that’s because I used to have acrophobia, fear of heights.

Since hiking was one of the few activities that I enjoyed doing to ease the symptoms of my anxiety and depression, I decided to take small steps into getting rid of this irrational fear. Ironically, hiking helped me with depression, but it made my anxiety worse because of the fear of heights. My health insurance did not cover therapy (don’t you love healthcare in America), so I had to do some research as to how I could help myself.

But, first and foremost, why do we have phobias? Apparently, it all started with fight-or-flight and stress response. It is believed that stress response is an evolutionary trait that was developed for survival reasons. When our ancestors were out hunting and came across a hyena, they had two choices: stay and fight with a chance of losing or run really fast. This is when the sympathetic nervous system gets activated by releasing adrenaline and noradrenaline, which in return pulls the alarm plug in your body to get every organ ready for fight-or-flight (Sapolsky, 2004). Thankfully I don’t have to fight hyenas on a daily basis, but when I used to stand on top of a mountain, it felt like I was fighting one. Even though there was no real danger, I perceived heights as a danger to my life and triggered the fight-or flight alarm to go off.

Even though phobias and their mechanism can be complicated to understand, treating them is fairly simple. I learned that exposing myself to the object that causes my heart race was one of the most effective ways of getting over my fear. I would take baby steps and start with mild-moderate mountains, then once I got comfortable, I would graduate into higher mountains. Exposure therapies have helped many individuals suffering from various phobias. It is reported that 90% of aviophobes (fear of flying) were able to either significantly decrease anxiety associated with flying or completely get over their fears (Rentschler, 2008)

Phobias can vary in intensity. For some people, phobias are so debilitating, that they can affect simple daily activities. Luckily, there are options for those who are not just ready to face their fears. Virtual reality therapy is one of the options that has been effective in treating phobias. In this therapy, patients are using technology to be immersed in environments that represent certain stimuli. Author Rabea Rentschler reports on a study by psychologist Barbara Rothbaum suggesting that virtual therapy had a success rate of 70% in aviophobes (fear of flying) (Rentschler, 2008).

Now that I have conquered many mountains in California, my next goal is to work towards skydiving. It will be a long road before I get there, but anything is possible.

 

References

Rentschler, R. (2008). Nerves in flight. Scientific American Mind, 19, 74-79

Sapolsky, R. (2004). Why zebras don’t get ulcers. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Griffin


10
Feb 19

Is Hopelessness Depression Hopeless?

This week’s assigned readings included chapter 5 in Applied Social Psychology, Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems, by Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts. After reading the assigned chapter called “Applying Social Psychology to Clinical and Counseling Psychology”, I became interested in Abramson, Metalky, and Alloy’s hopelessness theory of depression. Specifically, I wanted to understand the hopelessness theory of depression, what could cause hopelessness depression, and what kind of treatment could be affective for a person with hopelessness depression.

The hopelessness theory of depression states that depressive symptoms are most likely to occur when a vulnerable person experiences negative environmental circumstances (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). This being said, it is important to note that the hopelessness theory of depression specifies that these two factors (vulnerability and negative environmental circumstance) occur simultaneously (Schneider et al., 2012). Schneider et al. (2012) state that a person is deemed vulnerable if they interpret the cause of negative events as something that cannot be changed (stable attribution) and affecting their whole life (global attribution), otherwise known as the pessimistic explanatory style. According to Schneider et al. (2012), a person with these specific traits could be described as having a specific type of depression, called hopelessness depression.

Just while reading the definition of the hopelessness theory of depression it became clear to me that a cause of hopelessness depression could be cognitive distortions, which are defined as thinking errors that are negatively bias that can increase one’s vulnerability to depression (Rnic, Dozois, & Martin, 2016). I am under the impression that someone with hopelessness depression suffers from the following cognitive distortions:

  • All-or-nothing thinking: “If a situation falls short of perfect, you see it as a total failure” (Burns, 1989)
  • Over generalization: “You see a single negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat” (Burns, 1989)
  • Mental filter: “You pick out a single negative detail and dwell on it exclusively, so that your vision of all reality becomes darkened” (Burns, 1989)
  • Discounting the positive: “If you do a good job, you may tell yourself that it wasn’t good enough or that anyone could have done as well” (Burns, 1989)
  • Jumping to conclusions: “You interpret things negatively when there are no facts to support your conclusion” (Burns, 1989)
  • Magnification: “You exaggerate the importance of your problems and shortcomings, or you minimize the importance of your desirable qualities” (Burns, 1989)

Hopelessness depression seems, well…hopeless, doesn’t it? Is it hopeless to think a person with hopelessness depression could find relief? My answer is no, it is not hopeless. Fixing cognitive distortions like the ones I listed above is a key to treating hopelessness depression. But how does one change distorted thinking? My answer: Cognitive behavioral therapy, which the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists defines as a therapy that stresses the importance of thinking about what we do and how we feel (“What is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy”, 2016).

With the application of the hopelessness theory of depression, a counseling psychologist could practice cognitive behavioral therapy with a patient who has hopelessness depression stemming from cognitive distortions. A counseling psychologist could help their patient recognize their patterns of distorted thinking (vulnerabilities, per the hopelessness theory of depression), show them how they are not valid, and how to work through them when they come up. A counseling psychologist could also help their patient look at a specific negative event (a factor of the hopelessness theory of depression) in a healthy, realistic way.

Through my interest of the hopelessness theory of depression, I not only learned what the hopelessness theory of depression entails, but what could cause hopelessness depression, and what kind of treatment could be affective for a person with hopelessness depression. The hopelessness theory of depression relies on the idea that together, vulnerability and negative environmental circumstances can lead to hopelessness depression. From my research, I am under the impression that cognitive distortions are a cause of hopelessness depression but can be treated through cognitive behavioral therapy. Simply stated, hopelessness depression is not hopeless.

 

References:

Burns, David. (1989). Patterns of Cognitive Distortions. Retrieved from:  http://www.pacwrc.pitt.edu/curriculum/313_MngngImpctTrmtcStrssChldWlfrPrfssnl/hnd

Rnic, K., Dozois, D. J., & Martin, R. A. (2016). Cognitive Distortions, Humor Styles, and Depression. Europe’s journal of psychology12(3), 348-62. doi:10.5964/ejop.v12i3.1118

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2012). Applied Social Psychology. Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. (2016). Retrieved from:  http://www.nacbt.org/whatiscbt-htm/

 


10
Feb 19

Fears Should Not Dictate Our Lives

Ever been terrified of something that others are not bothered by? Most likely you could be suffering from a phobia or an irrational fear that poses nor real or immediate danger to you. Phobias range in severity from being an annoyance to severely affecting someone’s life but can be successfully treated. Living a life with a phobia can really affect someone’s quality of life.

Some of the more common phobias include fear of public speaking, fear of snakes, fear of severe weather, and a fear of heights among others. Phobias can cause physical and psychological symptoms as well. Some of the physiological symptoms of a phobia include trembling, sweating, abnormal breathing, and hot flushes or chills. The psychological symptoms may include increased anxiety, irrational thoughts, and even a panic attack. What distinguishes a phobia from a simple fear is when a person starts to avoid triggers in his or her daily life at great costs. According to the National Institute of Mental Health “Of adults with specific phobia in the past year, an estimated 21.9% had serious impairment, 30.0% had moderate impairment, and 48.1% had mild impairment.” This statement is alarming because it demonstrates that many people suffer phobias. For example, someone living with a driving phobia may be limited in the types of employment they can obtain. Obviously, someone with a driving phobia may not want to become an uber or lyft driver, bus driver, or kinds of jobs that involve driving thus severely limiting employment and career opportunities.

Living with a phobia may be self-manageable for some people; however, for others professional help will be needed. Fortunately, there are several successful treatments available to treat phobias including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness techniques, medication, and other talking therapies. CBT involves changing one’s behavior and thinking to better allow them to react to their problems. Mindfulness techniques include meditation and visualization among others. This type of activity can help those suffering from phobias by helping them cope with their fears. Medication is mostly used to treat some side effects of phobias like anxiety.

Phobias can wreak havoc on a person’s life; however, there are treatments available for them. So for those that dream of becoming a police officer or a tax driver, the time may come where you will be able to overcome your fears and accept the job.

 

Reference

Specific Phobia. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/specific-phobia.shtml


10
Feb 19

Is Technology Robbing Our Happiness?

When I graduated high school in 1980, my classmates and I did our high school senior trip to Disneyworld, “the Happiest Place on Earth”.  In addition to the rides and the Disney characters, which by the way, always kind of scared me, I was captivated by an attraction that, to my best recollection was called “Tomorrowland”.   In this zone there was a historical walk through a time museum of past to futuristic inventions that were speculated to be commonplace in our homes.  This was well before the invention of Personal Computer.  Heck I was still using pen and paper to write my essays and research was all done at the library.  In this magical gallery as we walked through the invention time machine it displayed old technology transitioning to new futuristic technology.  There was a display of a typical American family, mom, dad and two kids in their living room watching TV and a rotary dial telephone mounted on the wall.  Flash forward into the next futuristic display and the parents, now obviously older, were talking to the kids through the television screen.  My thought was Wow!  Amazing!  You could talk to someone in a different state and actually see them at the same time?  Much to my surprise and twenty-three years later, enter Skype onto the technology scene.  This actually allowed people to do exactly what had been predicted by Tomorrowland.  While it has been a truly revolutionary creation, it is costing us in our mental and emotional health because humans are hard wired for real connection.

 

If we look at the impact that technology has had, it has in many ways made our lives easier. But in other ways, the opportunity for isolation due to technology is far greater than it has ever been.  Today we are facing extremely high rates of suicide, addiction, anxiety and depression.  Suicide rates across the US in 2016 were almost 45,000 and 28% of those deaths was due to substance misuse.  Substance misuse contributes to mental health issues.  This suicide rate has increased more than 30% since 1999 and, more than half of those people had no previously known mental health diagnosis.  Why is this happening?  Some people, including author Sherry Turkle, in her book, Alone Together, Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, asserts that technology is creating social isolation and that the connection that is experienced by those who use social networking is replacing human interactions.  This is having a devasting effect on the Millennial and Gen Z.  Turkle suggests that the use of smartphones and social media platforms is not a replacement for human connection but we are mistakenly making that so.  Statistically speaking according to Kasasa, a financial and technology services company, 95% of American Gen Z have a smartphone.  According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America Social Anxiety Disorder affects almost 7% of the population and it starts impacting young teens around age 13.

 

Young adults of today spend a great deal of time on their smartphone, or social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat watching other people’s worlds go by and feeling like theirs is insignificant.  Not only does this contribute to social isolation but it also has an impact on a persons’ social self-efficacy.  The internet world is an artificial representation of who people are in their day to day lives.  The instant that is captured and shared with smiling happy faces can be pretty demoralizing for the observer, especially when compared to our own mundane experience.  Not only does it contribute to our social loneliness because we are watching others have fun but it stomps on our emotional well-being because we are alone and lacking in intimacy from others.  I have fallen victim to it myself, watching others worlds going by on my phone while sitting at home doing homework.  Everyone is out there having fun and I am home, alone, and at that moment, friendless.

 

The social media platforms are a culprit that allows people to present as a socialite and having fun but in truth, it is only for a brief moment in time.  The actual reality is that often people post to feel better about themselves, but it only feeds the need of putting up a good front to preserve their self-presentational motivation or looking good to others.  Social media is also a good place to hide.  Behind the black mirror, nobody can see our ugly, heartbroken selves that we dare not present to the world.  Self-Presentational Theory suggests that if we are concerned about being able to manage the images that others have of us, then social media is the ultimate tool of control.  But it contributes to low self-efficacy because we are not engaged and connected and, it continues to perpetuate our social anxiety which further prevents us from reaching out and making real human connections.

 

In Canada, we have a telecommunications company, Telus, whose tag line is “The Future is Friendly”.  I would suggest that the suicide, mental health and addictions statistics sing a different song. Online communication is keeping us socially isolated as a society behind our computers and providing us with an opportunity to not bring our whole and true selves to the equation. This perpetuates anxiety and fear about how people really see us and, further disconnects us from ourselves and others because we believe they won’t like who we really are.  The truth is, technology has a valuable contribution to the world but, it is keeping us physically disconnected from one another.  Disneyland’s Tomorrowland was novel and exciting back in 1980 but the unanticipated impact on actual connection has transformed the excitement to anxiety.  There is a dark side to the lure of the internet and social media.  It is called social isolation and it makes our current world not the happiest place on earth.

 

References

 

Alphabet soup: Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z explained. (2018, May 17). Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://communityrising.kasasa.com/gen-x-gen-y-gen-z/

Skype. (2019, January 31). Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype

Suicide rising across the US | VitalSigns | CDC. (2018, June 7). Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/suicide/index.html

Turkle, S. (2012). Alone together: Why we expect more form technology and less from each other. New York: Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group.

Facts & Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics


10
Feb 19

What’s Behind That Frown?

Depression is a significant mental illness with devastating relational and economic effects in terms of lost productivity and lost relationships.  16.2 million adults have at least one major depressive episode in a given year (Depression: Facts, n.d.).  Depression is of great concern to clinicians who want to help alleviate their clients’ symptoms and increase their life satisfaction.  But what is really behind that frown?  If counselors are focused on increasing self-esteem, building resilience and coping strategies, they may miss the very real possibility that the root cause of a woman’s depression lies in her intimate partner relationship.  Depression is strongly correlated with intimate partner violence (Spencer, Mallory, Cafferky, Kimmes, Beck, & Stith, 2019).  IPV, or domestic violence, can lead to depression and might not be diagnosed without proper screening tools (Gibbs, Dunkle, & Jewkes, 2018).  Abuse is extremely common with 20 people experiencing IPV every minute (Statistics, n.d.).  7/10 of psychologically abused women have PTSD or depression symptoms but nearly 1/3 are never treated (Statistics, n.d.).  It’s my strong belief that women who present with depression should be screened for IPV.  Otherwise clinicians may continue to treat the symptoms while the real problem continues to rage unfettered and unaddressed.  One meta-analysis suggests that clinicians working with couples in an intimate partner violence situation should screen both partners for mental health (Spencer, et al., 2019).  I suggest the opposite as well, that clinicians working with depressed women in particular should screen them for domestic or intimate partner violence.

Intimate partner violence includes a variety of behaviors used to create a sense of power over a victim and to control her in every way, including controlling her emotional self.  It happens in all income levels.  In fact, women who earn more than 65% of their household income are more likely to experience psychological abuse (Statistics, n.d.).  Physical violence such as hitting, punching and strangling is easy to diagnose.  Even overt verbal abuse can be readily recognized, such as when an abuser calls his partner names or criticizes her in public.  More covert and difficult to identify without specific training are the covert forms of abuse.  Treating a spouse well in public but poorly behind closed doors can make the public not believe her when she does speak up.  Using subtle forms of intimidation such as raised eyebrows can send her a signal that she is out of line and will be dealt with at home.  Even more covert are things like ignoring a partner, redirecting a conversation without addressing her concerns, subtly inferring that she has once again done something wrong.  It’s at this level of abuse that victims don’t even know that they are being abused.  They sense that something is not right, they start to feel bad about themselves and eventually they feel like nothing they can do is good enough.  If there is no overt physical or verbal abuse, they may not identify as a victim and may not talk about these subtle things to their therapist, if they even have one.  So IPV often remains undetected and untreated (Feltner, Wallace, Berkman, Kistler, Middleton, Barclay, Jonas, 2018). Women may describe their loss of zest for life and their feelings of hopelessness that can be easily identified as depression, but neither they nor a therapist might think to screen them for IPV.

Learned helplessness occurs when someone has tried and tried different approaches to changing their situation but nothing helps (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).  Many previously positive minded women become depressed in abusive situations. Even those whose outlook on life generally is hopeful can in fact learn helplessness and hopelessness when every effort they try to change things is met with further abuse.  While some depressed women do have a depressogenic attribution style, many do not.  This type of bias describes a person who characteristically across situations believes that bad things in their life are based on underlying factors that will never change (Schneider, et al., 2012).  Instead many victims’ situations have led them to correctly believe that more negative incidents will happen to them.  Coping methods and survival skills leave them to adjust their behavior in ways that inhibit openness and zestful living, such as speaking up less about their own opinions in order to prevent abuse or avoiding certain places and people.  And depression sets in.

Symptoms of depression include anxiety and restlessness, thoughts of death or suicide, anger management issues, loss of interest in activities, irritability over minor things, focus on negatives or on the past (Depression: Facts, n.d.), decreased energy, hopelessness, difficulty sleeping or concentrating, and anhedonia, (Depression in women, n.d.).  Abuse can change a woman’s self perception, causing her to feel unworthy of better treatment or unable to change her situation.  Psychological abuse causes long term mental health damage to a victim (Statistics, n.d.).  Women in IPV may develop depression and many other health consequences including PTSD, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, substance abuse problems, chronic pain (Feltner, et al., 2018).  Higher levels of abuse correlate to more severe levels of PTSD and depression (Wood, Voth Schrag, & Busch-Armendariz, 2018).  One of the antidotes to depression is understanding and adjusting the person’s mindset (positive self talk, increase self worth and autonomy) but if she’s still in the abuse it can be like running on a treadmill where you never get off and get a break, you stay beaten down just as quickly as you try to build your internal self up.

Treatment for depression and for intimate partner violence is not the same.  While a victim may need positive self talk and coping strategies to increase her mental health, she first needs safety.  When she receives enough support and people believe her, and she gets to a safe place, some of the effects of the abuse will naturally start to diminish. Her joy will return simply from no longer having to live with abuse.  Other mental cognitions may have to be adjusted through therapy.  Even something like learned helplessness can be reversed.  She will learn over time that she does have control over her life and that her efforts to heal will bring positive results.  Because an abusive person continually undermines the victim’s sense of self, it leads to internal causal attributions in the victim. She starts to believe that she really is at fault for the crazy things that he does because he tells her this so often.  This leads her to continually try to adjust her behavior to avoid his angry reactions.  Eventually she learns helplessness when nothing that she tries solves the problem.  Part of healing includes the recognition that he is 100% responsible for his behaviors and they aren’t because of anything she has done.  Then she is able to move towards external causal attribution, realizing that he is causing his behavior, rather than internalizing and thinking it is about her.

Clinicians should regularly screen depressed women for IPV especially if they are in a relationship or have recently left one.  Research shows that screening for IPV can successfully identify it (Feltner, et al., 2018). However some assessment tools only assess the level of physical violence or what is called the lethality assessment.  In order to accurately assess whether a woman with depression has been in an emotionally abusive relationship, you need an assessment tool that also includes questions about self-esteem and emotional well being related to the partner.  For example, “Do you feel that nothing you do is ever good enough for your partner?” (Grohol, 2018).  This question refers to the tendency of abusers to put down their mates regularly, using everything from demeaning language to the silent treatment.  “Do you feel anxious or nervous when you are around your partner?” is a question that signifies the walking on eggshells feelings many victims get with a partner who explodes for any little thing.  Depression is devastating and so is violence in the home.  Both need appropriate treatment.  But without screening for domestic violence, we may be actually treating a symptom but not the cause.

References

Depression: Facts, statistics, and you.  (n.d.).  Healthline.  Retrieved on Feb. 9, 2019 from: https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/facts-statistics-infographic#1.

Depression in women: Five things you should know.  (n.d.)  National Institute of Mental Health.  Retrieved Feb. 9, 2019 from: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression-in-women/index.shtml.

Feltner, C., Wallace, I., Berkman, N., Kistler, C., Middleton, J., Barclay, C., Jonas, D.  (2018). Screening for intimate partner violence, elder abuse, and abuse of vulnerable adults: Evidence report and systematic review for the US preventive services task force. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 320(16), 1688-1701.

Gibbs, A., Dunkle, K., & Jewkes, R. (2018). Emotional and economic intimate partner violence as key drivers of depression and suicidal ideation: A cross-sectional study among young women in informal settlements in South Africa.  PLoS ONE, 13(4), 18.

Grohol, J.  (2018).  Domestic Violence Screening Quiz.   Psych Central.  Retrieved Feb. 9, 2019 from: https://psychcentral.com/quizzes/domestic-violence-quiz/.

Schneider, F., Gruman, J., & Coutts, L.  (2012).  Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Spencer, C., Mallory, A., Cafferky, B., Kimmes, J., Beck, A., & Stith, S.  (2019). Mental health factors and intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization: A meta-analysis. Psychology of Violence, 9(1), 1-17.

Statistics.  (n.d.).  NCADV.  Retrieved on Feb. 9, 2019 from: https://ncadv.org/statistics.

Wood, L., Voth Schrag, R., & Busch-Armendariz, N. (2018). Mental health and academic impacts of intimate partner violence among IHE-attending women.  Journal of American College Health.


10
Feb 19

How Effective is Alcoholics Anonymous?

Alcoholism and other substance abuse disorders are unfortunately very common in today’s society. It is likely that you know or love someone who is suffering with them, or who has suffered from them in the past. As the child of an alcoholic parent, I am sadly no exception. When you think about alcoholism and other substance abuse disorders, something that may come to mind is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or other similar 12-step social intervention programs designed to help individuals overcome their addiction and maintain a life of abstinence and improved health.

Bot how effective, really, is AA? And how can this be objectively measured? After all, most studies on this very subject are in danger of suffering from self-section bias: the only people whose success is being measured are those who chose to attend AA or who consented to be part of these studies. These individuals might skew the effectiveness results because how can you really control for other factors that might contribute to a person’s success with treatment? Such factors could include a person’s self-efficacy (their innate belief in whether they can achieve their goals), whether they even think that they have a substance abuse problem, or whether they are attending meetings voluntarily or as part of a court order which could obviously impact an individual’s willingness and desire to put effort into the program.

So what does the research say? There is a wide range of results. A fair number of published studies about the efficacy of AA do not take into account this self-selection bias so their reported success rates may be skewed. And then there are studies that show being forced into an intervention program like AA actually has worse outcomes than no intervention at all. But then it seems to be common sense that if you willingly seek help (for any condition), you’re likely to do better and have more favorable results because of this internal motivation rather than if you are forced into it.

A study done by Humphreys, Blodgett & Wagner (2014) suggests that for people seeking help for their alcohol problems, attending AA meetings more frequently can lead to both short and long term decreases in the consumption of alcohol. This study is unique in that it is a sort of meta-analysis of other randomized clinical trials with the goal of controlling for self-selection bias when determining the overall efficacy of AA. It used a fairly complex statistical model to control for this self-selection bias with the hope of getting to the bottom of how effective AA is overall as an intervention. It did show that AA has the potential to be a very effective intervention, but it also went on to note that “for populations with high pre-existing AA involvement, further increases in AA attendance may have little impact” (Humphreys, Blodgett, & Wagner, 2014). I take this to mean that if an individual who has maybe not had as much success with AA in the past, increasing the frequency with which they attend meetings isn’t likely to make very much of a difference. This could also potentially mean that If you attend meetings frequently, attending even more frequently may not show much more improvement.

Another study by Kownacki and Shadish (1999) has a similar goal but focuses more on the outcomes of those who voluntarily attend AA and those who are coerced into it as in the case of court-ordered punishment. The authors conclude that coercion “yields significantly worse results than treatment alternatives, and nonsignificantly worse than doing nothing at all” (Kownacki & Shadish, 1999). They also say that instead of forcing these individuals into intervention programs like AA, they would be better served by being referred to inpatient or other psychotherapy treatments (Knownacki & Shadish, 1999). It comes as no surprise then that they also conclude that those who voluntarily attend AA and make an active effort to work the program have better outcomes, but that these individuals might also have done equally well in other types of intervention programs thanks to their self-efficacy (Kownacki & Shadish, 1999).

So what does this all mean? Is AA an effective intervention program for those dealing with alcohol abuse and dependence issues? It seems the answer is complicated. Yes… but also, maybe not. The biggest predictor of success seems to stem not from the actual program itself, but the patient’s self-efficacy and whether they were coerced or forced into that particular intervention. Like most things in life, it appears to be that you will tend to get out of it what you put in.

References

Humphreys, K., Blodgett, J. C., & Wagner, T. H. (2014). Estimating the Efficacy of Alcoholics Anonymous without Self-Selection Bias: An Instrumental Variables Re-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research,38(11), 2688-2694. DOI: 10.1111/acer.12557

Richard J. Kownacki & William R. Shadish (1999) Does Alcoholics Anonymous Work? The Results from a Meta-Analysis of Controlled Experiments, Substance Use & Misuse, 34:13, 1897-1916, DOI: 10.3109/10826089909039431


10
Feb 19

Stress and How We Cope With It

Stress is a natural physiological response that occurs when we are faced with challenges, whether mental or physical. For example, there is work stress, social stress, physical stress on our bodies, etc. While everyone faces stress in their lives, the psychology behind it and understanding stress can help give us ways to cope with it.

One of the groups most affected by stress is college freshmen, according to an article in the College Student Journal, called “Sources of Stress Among College Students.” Some of the sources of stress outlined in the article include change in sleeping habits, change in eating habits, taking on new responsibilities, increase in workload, and even breaks/vacations (Sources of Stress Among College Students). As previously mentioned, college freshmen are the most prone to feeling this overwhelming stress because they are in a major life transition when they move from home onto a college campus. The same stressors for a junior might be intensified in a freshman due to a total change in environment. All college students also undergo stress and pressure to find gainful employment and even a significant other. This pressure doesn’t just come from within, this pressure can come from family and even society.

According to the American Psychological Association, there are 5 top tips to coping with stress. First, take a break from whatever the stressor might be. For example, if what is stressing you out is a big project at work, take a breather and do something else. When you come back to it, you might have a fresh perspective and you’ll feel less stressed. Second, exercise. Exercise is a great way to manage stress, weight, sleep better at night and so many other good things! Something as quick and easy as a 20 minute walk can have a great effect not only on your physical health but your mind by easing your stress. The third tip is smiling and laughing. Doing this can help ease tension in your face and help you relax. Fourth is reaching out to your support system. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and call a friend or family member and vent about what you’re feeling. This can help tremendously by taking some of the burden off of yourself. Last is meditation. Mediation is good for the mind, body and soul! Meditation helps the mind and body relax, as well as helps you see new perspectives while relieving some stress and tension. (American Psychological Association).

Bibliography

Ross, S. E., Niebling, B. C., & Heckert, T. M. (1999). Sources of stress among college students. Social psychology, 61(5), 841-846.

 


10
Feb 19

Talk Therapy for Ten

In February of 2009 I packed up my bags and headed off to Bogota, Colombia with my parents. My three other siblings stayed behind because of school, but I, being homeschooled at the time and the youngest, was taken along. The purpose of the trip was to finalize a process that had been in swing for the past four years: Adoption. We were in the final stretch of the adoption process and were headed to Colombia to pick up my four new sisters. The age range between me and these girls was quite close, which had me feeling a bit rejected even before I met them. The eldest of the four was barely one year younger than me, and the rest of them were about two years apart from the one before.

After picking them up from the children’s home a few days after arriving to Colombia, we lived in a community house where other adoptive families were waiting to finalize paperwork. This period of time was key for me in the sense that the feeling of neglect I developed in those few weeks is a feeling that stayed with me for years afterwards, and is a feeling that sometimes still emerges. Being quite young and having your parents attention taken by four new siblings is no cup of tea.

After arriving back to the states we were required to attend a certain amount of therapy sessions as a family in order for the adoption agency we had worked with to check-up on us and see that everyone was sound on an emotional and psychological level. Having quite a large family, these sessions were somewhat boring as there was only one therapist for the ten of us. In addition to that, there was a language barrier as my new sisters only spoke Spanish and could only speak to my mother who is from Chile.

Looking back now, having studied different types of clinical psychology over my time as a University Student, I still am not quite sure what type of strategy was behind these therapy sessions. I believe that the general concept that was being put into action was simply talk therapy. “Talking therapies involve talking to someone who is trained to help you deal with your negative feelings.” (Talking therapies) The issue here was that the only person who had negative feelings that early on in the adoption, was me. I would also consider that my family situation was quite unique and finding a therapist who has ample experience in dealing with such a hefty adoption may be quite difficult. No matter her strategy, it was clear to me that her focus was on my parents and not on any of us siblings.

The majority of the talking was done by my parents while my older siblings didn’t have much to say because they’re involvement with our new sisters was minimal due to the fact that they were out and about with their friends or for school. My eldest biological sister was about to graduate high school and start her college career and, therefore, did not feel much connection to her new sisters. As she put it several times she would be like “the cool older sister who they know is around but don’t really have a sisterly relationship with because of the age difference.” My brother was in the same situation as she was and already had jobs lined up – we wouldn’t be seeing him much around the house. My third biological siblings was very much a “keep to herself” type of person and was not the type of child who needed large amounts of attention from our parents. She was a few years older than me and was also thinking about her future. None of my siblings were in the position of needing psychotherapy as a result of the adoption. What the therapist clearly didn’t realize was that, even though my parents truly needed to stay sane on a psychological level while adapting to having four new kids, I was already filled with negativity due to my time in Colombia.

The general idea of talk therapy is for a patient to be able to talk through their problems so that they, with the therapist, can dig deeper into the root of these problems and build a path to the solution. Different types of talking therapy are centered towards different categories or people, but they all involve the use of conversation as a way to remove negativity and work towards healing.

Unfortunately, my time going to family therapy was not helpful in any way for me as an individual. I feel as though, for children at younger ages it is better to practice other types of therapy that involve hands-on activities because, in many situations, kids are unlikely to simply sit there and talk about their feelings. I know I would not have and even struggle to do so today. I know of many instances in which talk therapy has been successful amongst my family members over the years, but my personal experience has not been the same.

 

  1. Understanding Talk Therapy. (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://secure2.convio.net/dabsa/site/SPageServer/PageServer?pagename=wellness_brochures_psychotherapy
  2. Talking therapies. (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/t/talking-therapies
  3. Health AND Clinical/Counseling. (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1973019/modules

09
Feb 19

A Comprehensive Approach to Care

The biopsychosocial model is an interconnected way of viewing health that incorporates biology, psychology and social factors as a complete system and not as separate factors.  As a method that incorporates the evaluation of several aspects of a person’s life, it can help to reduce biases that exist in patient care.    Using an inter-connected health model can improve care for more complex situations in which an ailment affects various aspects of a person’s life.  Such a model can only serve to enhance the support and treatment of individuals.  This model allows practitioners to provide a whole new level of care that can be very beneficial.

There are many situations in which the biopsychosocial model can improve the well-being of people.  There are several people who say that their health concerns are not taken seriously because of a prior mental health diagnosis or their health concerns being attributed to a psychiatric disorder without a thorough medical assessment.  Harvey-Jenner (2017) wrote an article about a young woman who was misdiagnosed with anxiety when she was suffering from Lupus, which is a chronic health condition that can cause damage to organs and tissues.  I’ve had conversations with parents about doctors attributing their child’s health concerns to anxiety.  My own son, who is Autistic, went through an unnecessary amount of pain because several doctors attributed a rare medical disorder to anxiety related to his Autism diagnosis.  Only after losing over ten pounds and being limited to eating mashed Idaho potatoes did a doctor schedule an endoscopy to discover that my son has Eosinophilic Esophagitis, a rare allergy disorder that causes white blood cells to gather in the esophagus and attack random foods.  The condition can be painful and debilitating without the proper diagnosis and treatment.

Situations like these, unfortunately, are not uncommon.  Schneider, Gruman and Coutts (2012) describe the labeling effect as, “a tendency to perceive clients in ways that are erroneous owing to the reactive effects of an existing psychiatric label.”  Using the biopsychosocial model of health, practitioners can not only focus on one diagnosis but can instead incorporate a complete health analysis without undermining an important aspect of a person’s health.  The biopsychosocial model of health is one that can reduce bias in professionals and ultimately improve the quality of care that people receive.

Another benefit of using the biopsychosocial model of health is the ability to utilize this model for complex situations.  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health disorder that can be caused by experiencing or witnessing traumatic events (Post Traumatic, 2018).  It is typically associated with military personnel in war zones but anyone who experiences or witnesses a traumatic event can develop PTSD.  This disorder can be debilitating and affect a person’s ability to focus, maintain relationships, sleep and can lead to suicide.  PTSD can also lead to addictions as people try to self-medicate to treat the symptoms they are experiencing.

Such a debilitating disorder is complex and can present itself in many ways.  Using the biopsychosocial model of health can be used to recognize PTSD in individuals and help assess any medical, psychological or social factors that may be impacting the PTSD.  An important aspect of using the biopsychosocial model of health with PTSD is its incorporation of social factors.  There are often many cultural taboos around seeking help for feelings of hopelessness or depression.  Men may think it’s a sign of weakness and some cultures may frown upon talking about such personal emotions.  The biopsychosocial model takes this into account with the assessment of social factors that include any cultural considerations in a patient’s life.

The reality of life is that we may not always be able to recognize why we are experiencing things and how they are impacting our ability to heal.  A person might get into an accident and lose function of a limb which might trigger depression and both situations could impact a person’s ability to function socially.  If a doctor assesses this person without taking the psychological or social aspect of their well-being into account, the level of care this person receives might be incomplete.  A situation like this could impact a person’s ability to heal because the depression experienced might cause a lack of motivation.  The lack of motivation might cause a person to feel like they can no longer function in society and they might become disconnected from a social network they once had.  The biopsychosocial model would use a variety of assessments to ensure that this person is being treated biologically, psychologically and socially.  This model is not only a treatment model but a model that can serve to restructure people’s lives to produce more long lasting and positive outcomes.  It’s promising to see such a model being utilized.

 

References:

Harvey-Jenner, C. (2017, October 11). ‘Doctors diagnosed me with anxiety, but I was actually suffering from a chronic illness’. Retrieved from https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/a9227995/lupus-chronic-illness-mistaken-for-anxiety-hypochondria/

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2019).  PSYCH 424 Lesson 5: Health and Clinical/Counseling  Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1973019/modules/items/25635687

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). (2018, July 06). Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Los Angeles: Sage.


09
Feb 19

Animals: A Cure to End All Ills?

There has been plenty of research to support the idea that pets do have health benefits for their owners such as: lowering blood pressure, regulating heart rate, decreasing stress and anxiety, lower rates of depression, and increasing social support (Casciotti & Zuckerman, 2017). Because animals are known to help with stress, anxiety, and depression, there has been a recent interest in pet therapy in our country, especially in regards to students at college. According to a recent study, “over the previous six years, the number of students seeking counseling services increased by 29.6% and the total number of counseling appointments increased by 38.4%” (Green, et al., 2017, p. 50). There is a mental health crisis on college campuses, but maybe pet therapy could help.

Counseling services on campus aren’t enough to combat the rise of mental health issues in students, especially since many students do not feel comfortable using these services due to the stigmas surrounding mental health (Green, et al., 2017, p. 52). Colleges have found that Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) has helped in the regard as animals are known to help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression and most students are in favor of having pet therapy programs on campus (Green, et al., 2017, p. 52). Several studies have shown that having interactions with dogs significantly decreased stress in college students and in one study, results were seen after only ten minutes of interacting with the dog (Green, et al., 2017, p. 54).

There are some potential drawbacks of relying on animals for psychological health though. Stressful situations can occur at any time, but an animal may not be available for support at that time (Green, et al., 2017, p. 54). Many students have taken to having emotional support animals (ESAs) with them in their dorms, but ESAs do not have public access in the way that service dogs do, so the problem of accessibility remains. There are also the problems of phobias and allergies in regards to animals in public places and so schools must learn to balance the psychological needs of some students while respecting the fears and allergies of other students.

There may not be any perfect solution in regards to the mental health crisis on college campuses, but emotional support animals and pet assisted therapy could be good ways to start. In fact, some colleges are already implementing innovative therapy dog programs for their students. The Yale Law Library has started a pilot program where students can “check out”  Monty, the library’s new therapy dog, for 30 minute play sessions (Allen, 2011). The program started in 2011 and was a great success, so much so that other libraries are following suit and looking into getting their own library therapy dogs (Xu, 2015). Many of these universities, such as the University of San Francisco and Cornell, are bringing in dogs only on occasion, such as before final exams, instead of having the dog there for students all the time (Xu, 2015). No matter what the set up of the program though, the therapy dog programs have been well received by students who wait in lines to get a chance to interact with the dogs (Xu, 2015).

 

References:

Allen, J. (2011, March 24). Checking Out Monty: Yale Law Students Can Reduce Stress With Therapy Dog. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/Health/StressCoping/checking-monty-yale-law-students-reduce-stress-therapy/story?id=13206568

Casciotti, D., & Zuckerman, D. (2017, March 31). Animals play an important role in many people’s lives and often help with therapy, rehab, etc. Learn more about the possible benefits of pet companionship. Retrieved from http://www.center4research.org/benefits-pets-human-health/

Green, McEwen, S., Wrape, A., & Hammonds, F. (2017). The Mental Health Benefits of Having Dogs on College Campuses. Modern Psychological Studies, 22(2), 50–59. Retrieved from http://0-search.ebscohost.com.library.wvm.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=130798576&site=ehost-live

Xu, Q. (2015, December 9). Yale’s therapy-dog program spreads. Retrieved from https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2015/12/09/yales-therapy-dog-program-spreads/


09
Feb 19

Stress your life!

Last week, I was interviewing a candidate for a job. The room wasn’t hot. However, the candidate’s forehead was beaded with sweat. He had trouble managing the tremor in his voice. I am not a partisan of job interviews that look like torture; the kind of interviews that make you wonder if you do not accidentally land in a KGB interrogation room during the Cold War! I do my utmost to put the candidates at ease. First, I introduce myself to give them time to catch their breath, and to settle down comfortably. Then, I tell them the purpose of our meeting : get to know each other, and see if the position fits their profile. In other words, I try to eliminate the stress of my interviews. Apparently this time, I failed miserably!

This episode of my professional life made me dig a little deeper to what is “stress”. Lazarus and Folkman (1984) defined stress as “ a particular relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised by the person as taxing or exceeding his or her resources and endangering his or her well-being”. Lazarus and Folkman’s definition reflects their approach, which is referred to as the transactional model of stress. The basic idea of their model is that the experience of stress results from ongoing transactions between people and the environment. In their daily life, people encounter particular situations that may or may not induce the feeling of stress. These are referred as stressors. Based on their encounter with these potentially stressful events, people make an appraisal. They either perceive the stressors as threats or as challenge.

Once people have appraised a situation as being stressful, they evaluate their coping option to deal with the problem. Coping refers to thoughts, feeling, and behaviors that people engage in when trying to reduce stress. Coping strategies can be classified into two general types; problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984; Lazarus & Launier, 1978). With problem-focuses coping, people deal directly with the problem that has caused them to be stressed. Emotion-focused coping involves people trying to regulate their emotions so that they can minimize the distress caused by the situation.

People who experience a great deal of stress, and particularly those who show poor coping responses, tend to show higher rates of illness. For example, research has shown that people who report higher levels of stress show a higher incidence of respiratory illnesses and other infectious diseases, suggesting that stress has a suppressive effect on the immune system (Sarafino,2002).

One can wonder if stress appraisal, at first place,  plays a role in health outcomes. According to a study done by Crum, Salovey, and Achor (2013), individual beliefs about the effects of stress (enhancing or debilitating) can have a great influence on how they react to it. Indeed, if you think that stress is a positive reaction because it prepares you for an important event, you will react in a positive way. Concretely, it will affect your physiology. You will secrete less cortisol. And, it will also  influence your behavior, you will work better under pressure, and will not hesitate to ask for feedback on your performance.

An intervention was developed according to the results of this study by Crum, Salovey, and Achor (2013): Rethink Stress Intervention. It  shows us that it is quite possible to understand stress differently in three very simple but counter-intuitive steps. First, be aware of your stress. Indeed, when you stress unconsciously you use the oldest part of your brain, the reptilian brain, which works in a fairly basic way “Stimuli, reaction”. Once you become aware of your stress, you are using the most recent part of your brain, your frontal lobe, in charge of reasoning, empathy and self-control. Instead of reacting, you can choose your stress response.

The second step is to welcome your stress with kindness. Welcome it as a messenger who wishes to share an important information For example, for my last week candidate, the message conveyed by his stress was: “This job is a real opportunity for me, I really want to get it”. The third step is to use your stress to reach your goal. Reorient your energy that you usually use to get rid of your stress, to act in accordance with your goal. Stress will allow you to focus all your efforts on this goal that is so overriding.

Stress is not bad a thing by itself. It depends on the way we appraise it and cope with it. Intervention exits that may change our mindset about stress. We can also choose to cope more efficiently with stress by choosing the coping strategy depending on the situation. We can try to either change the stressor or regulate our emotions to minimize the distress. Counting on our significant others is also a wonderful way to eliviate the negative effects of stressful circumstances

If you want to learn more about how to make stress your friend, watch this wonderful Tedtalk by the Health Psychologist: Dr Kelly McGonigal.

Crum, A. J., Salovey, P. & Achor, S. (2013). Rethinking Stress: The Role of Mindsets in Determining the Stress Response. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: SAGE.

Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer.

Lazarus, R. S., & Launier, R. (1978). Stress-related transactions between person and environment. In L. A. Pervin & M. Lewis (Eds.), Perspectives in interactional psychology (pp. 287–327). New York: Plenum Press.

Rethink Stress Intervention. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://mbl.stanford.edu/interventions-toolkits/rethink-stress-intervention

Sarafino, E. P. (2002). Health psychology: Biopsychosocial interactions (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.


09
Feb 19

Is Plastic Bottled Water Hurting Our Environment?

Water is one of the most important natural resources necessary to facilitate life. With the human population growing, clean water is becoming ever more important. For many people, bottled water is a “healthier” alternative to tap water. As far as convenience is concerned, many people still prefer bottler water to tap water because of its accessibility. Bottled water is sold many places that are easily accessible to people. Unfortunately, bottled water is not only costly but also has a negative impact on our environment.

Many people seldom refill up their used water bottles and instead get new ones. According to the Pacific Institute, “Similarly, bottled water that requires long-distance transport is far more energy-intensive than bottled water produced and distributed locally.”  This statement is critical because it helps reveal the actual cost of having bottled water readily available. Instead of continuing to purchase cheap bottled water, it may be more environmentally and economically responsible to invest in better infrastructure to promote clean water available through tap.  According to the Earth Policy Institute, “more than 30 billon disposable water bottles are discarded each year in the United States, with the average American being responsible for 166 bottles per year.” This staggering amount of plastic bottle use is concerning especially since most of this plastic will end up in a landfill and slowly degrade for centuries.

The need to invest in better water infrastructure is great. By promoting tap water consumption and improving its accessibility many people may stop relying on plastic bottled water. By changing people’s perceptions of plastic bottle use, the environment will be that much cleaner and less polluted.

 

References:

Gleick, P.H. and H. Cooley. 2009. Energy implications of bottled water. Environmental Research Letters.

4: 1-6

Budzaj, D. 2012. U Installs Water Refill Stations, Supports Use of Reusable Water Bottles.

http://sustainability.umich.edu/news/u-installs-water-refill-stations-supports-use-reusable water-bottles.

 

 


06
Feb 19

Understanding Stress

Stress affects the momentum of our life. It affects the way we think about ourselves, the way we think about others, as well as the way we think about the world around us. It also affects the way we feel about ourselves, our relationships, our choices, and our environment. “Stressors have a major influence upon mood, our sense of well-being, behavior, and health” (Schneiderman, Ironson, & Siegel, 2008). There are many factors that can affect an individual’s perceived stress level and how that stress level interacts with illness. Some of the more common aspects include categories in nature (biological vulnerability, inherited factors) and nurture (taught behavior); but equally as important as the occurrence of these factors is the volume and frequency of stressors being placed on the individual.

Age (a biological factor) can have a big impact on the health outcome of someone with many taxing stressors. “Because evolution has provided mammals with reasonably effective homeostatic mechanisms (e.g., baroreceptor reflex) for dealing with short-term stressors, acute stress responses in young, healthy individuals typically do not impose a health burden. However, if the threat is persistent, particularly in older or unhealthy individuals, the long-term effects of the response to stress may damage health” (Schneiderman, 1983).

Presence of illness and level of stress impacting the diseased individual’s life often times feed off of one another. For example, “the impact of life stressors has been studied within the context of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) spectrum disease. Leserman et al. (2000) followed men with HIV for up to 7.5 years and found that faster progression to AIDS was associated with higher cumulative stressful life events, use of denial as a coping mechanism, lower satisfaction with social support, and elevated serum cortisol” (Leserman, Pettito, Golden, Gaynes, Gu, & Perkins, 2000).

The manifestation of stressors many times will increase the symptoms of the disease, thus altering something as drastic as a person’s life expectancy. “Adverse effects of chronic stressors are particularly common in humans, possibly because their high capacity for symbolic thought may elicit persistent stress responses to a broad range of adverse living and working conditions. The relationship between psychosocial stressors and chronic disease is complex. It is affected, for example, by the nature, number, and persistence of the stressors as well as by the individual’s biological vulnerability (i.e., genetics, constitutional factors) and learned patterns of coping” (Schneiderman et al., 2008).

Identifying the stressor(s) is the first step toward a healthy mind, something that can have a real impact on an afflicted body. “Potentially stressful life events are thought to increase risk for disease when one perceives that the demands these events impose tax or exceed a person’s adaptive capacity” (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). “The perception of stress may influence the pathogenesis of physical disease by causing negative affective states, e.g. feelings of anxiety and depression, which then exert direct effects on physiological processes or behavioral patterns that influence disease risk” (Cohen, & Janicki-Deverts, 2012).

To assess the degree to which people perceive their lives as stressful, The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was created. “The scale measures psychological stress associated with sex, age, education, income, employment status, and a number of other demographics. High levels of stress are associated with poor self-reported health, elevated blood pressure, depression, and susceptibility to infection. Subjects indicate how often they have found their lives unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded in the last month.” (Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein, 1983). It is a ten item scale that ranks questions on a continuum from 0 to 4, 0 being never and 4 being very often.

“The PSS was designed for use with community samples with at least a junior high school education, the items are easy to understand and the response alternatives are simple to grasp. Moreover, as noted above, the questions are quite general in nature and hence relatively free of content specific to any sub population group” (Cohen et al., 1983).

Psychosocial interventions have proven useful at times in influencing the outcome of chronic diseases, but these interventions require the identification of stressors in order to construct a specialized strategy for stress reduction. It is important to connect the affects that a healthy mind can have on a body, as well as recognizing the influence that a tormented one may have.

 

Resources:

Schneiderman, N., Ironson, G., & Siegel, S. (2008, October 16). STRESS AND HEALTH: Psychological, Behavioral, and Biological Determinants. Retrieved February 6, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2568977/#R134

 

Schneiderman N. Pathophysiology in animals. In: Dembroski TM, Schmidt TH, Blümhen G, editors. Biobehavioral Bases of Coronary Heart Disease. Basel: Karger; 1983. pp. 304–364.

 

Leserman J, Pettito JM, Golden RN, Gaynes BN, Gu H, Perkins DO. The impact of stressful life events, depression, social support, coping and cortisol on progression to AIDS. Am. J. Psychiatry. 2000; 57:1221–1228.

 

Lazarus RS, Folkman S. Stress, Appraisal and Coping. New York: Springer; 1984.

 

Cohen, S., & Janicki-Deverts, D. (2012). Who’s stressed? Distributions of psychological stress in the United States in probability samples from 1983, 2006 and 2009. Journal of Applied Social Psychology.

 

Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 385-396.

 

Trull, T. J., & Prinstein, M. J. (2013). Clinical Psychology (Eighth ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.

 


06
Feb 19

Stress

Stress is something that many of us deal with. Some of us more than others but what does stress really refer to? Stress refers to usually two things the psychological perception or pressure and also the body’s response to stress. We all react to stress differently. Some of us may take it harder than others. In order for us to live, some stress is necessary. When we feel danger, our bodies sets off an automatic response system that is known as the fight or flight response. This is activated through hormone signals in our body. An example of a stressful event could be your dog going missing, and you are not able to locate him.

There are many consequences that can come with stress. Health disorders for example. Some include depression, anxiety, problems sleeping at night. Digestive problems and weight problems are also two consequences that occur with stress. If you are always stressed out, your body will move into a high state of stress majority of the time. If you suffer from chronic stress is can mess with almost every system in your body. I personally think that it is crazy how something can affect our entire body.

Causes of stress is very broad. Many situations can cause us stress. For example for me one thing that causes me a lot of stress would be school and managing my time well to do well in my classes. Also, I get stressed out if I do not do well on an assignment or exam being that decides whether or not I will pass the course. Everyone’s cause of stress differs. Some causes are more worse than others. I am grateful that I never experienced such chronic stress that has caused me to stop eating, or put on weight or has made me develop any other disorders.

In conclusion, stress is a big thing for us humans. However, we need to control it the right way. Letting too much stress affect us is never good. We sometimes need to have better attitudes when stress comes upon us and not let it take over us. Calming and soothing ourselves is the best thing we can do. It will increase our tolerance to stress and help us cope way better so we do not make ourselves sick.

References:

Stress. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/stress

Stress Symptoms, Signs, and Causes. (2018, December 27). Retrieved from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-signs-and-causes.htm/

 


04
Feb 19

Overpopulation and water consumption

Water is one of the most important things in everyone’s life. If we think about it food, and everything us humans come in contact with has to do with water someway somehow. By 2050 our population is expected to reach 9.7 billion people and by 2100 it is expected to be at 11.2 billion people. If we do not regulate water resources properly, by the time our population reaches these numbers it will become a problem. Overpopulation will absolutely strain water resources and stretch them out thin. For example, this can cause an increase in water pollution.

About 56 percent of water is strictly for household purposes. On top of a future water shortage with the population growing, this will also bring both industrialization as well as urbanization which causes environmental problems and will affect the quality of our water supply directly. Right now, there about about 1.1 billion people globally who do not have access to safe drinking water. About 218 million Americans lives at least 10 miles from a polluted water source.

Our population is growing very quickly. It is very important that all Americans take a look at their water consumption and think about it wisely. The average household of 4 people uses about 400 gallons of water each day. Majority of that water is used inside the house. Scary to think about that. I live in a household of 3 and I can only imagine how much water we use everyday between washing dishes, taking showers, washing clothes, washing our hands, and that is just to name a few examples in the way we use water in my home.

I think however that water consumption is not addressed all the time so that we are made aware about how important water is and how we can fix this growing problem. In households water is easily wasted and very quickly at that. But, I do think that by every household changing a few items in their routine, the amount of water we consume will change drastically.

How does the Increase in human population growth affect the consumption of water resources? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://environmental-issues.yoexpert.com/environmental-issues-general/how-does-the-increase-in-the-human-population-grow-1633.html

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: SAGE.


03
Feb 19

To Recycle or Not to Recycle?

Recycling, the solution to our landfill problems, or so we thought. “American recycling has stalled. And industry leaders warn that the situation is worse than it appears” (Davis, 2015). The problems started with having mixed recycling, an idea born in the 1990s in California, where anything recyclable goes in the bin and then somehow it is separated and reused (Davis, 2015). Unfortunately, with mixed recycling, and bigger bins, contamination has become a problem as people have started putting in as much garbage as they do recycling (Davis, 2015). This contamination has resulted in higher processing prices for recyclables, making it more cost effective to just dump the recycling in with the trash (Davis, 2015). Unfortunately, the contamination of recycling has affected more than just local recycling plants, it has affected the U.S.’s ability to export their waste to other countries as well.

China, one of the world’s largest importers of waste paper, used plastics, and scrap metal, made a decision last year to “tighten its standards for impurities in scrap bales” (Beitsch, 2019). Before the implementation of it’s new policy, China would accept bales with contamination levels between one and five percent, but now the standard is point five percent, a radical reduction (Beitsch, 2019). This change affects the cost of recycling, and this means that small towns must “scale back the types of recyclables they accept or start charging fees to cover the ballooning costs of their programs” (Beitsch, 2019). One town has had to start charging residents $50 to drop their recyclables off at the recycling center (Beitsch, 2019). This means that more plastics are put in the landfills, either because the recycling plant can not process it, or because people do not want to recycle due to the high costs.

Recycling may be less impactful on the environment, but “it is easier to adopt, and therefore is environmentally valuable” (Gifford, 2012, p. 297). This has made it an invaluable tool to help reduce our impact on the environment, but how do we fix the problems present in the recycling industry? In 1998, Schultz implemented an experimental intervention program in California to see if certain interventions would increase the amount people recycled (Gifford, 2012, p.307). Schultz discovered that people recycled more when they received individual feedback, information on one’s level of recycling compared with one’s past performance, or group feedback, information on one’s level of recycling compared to their neighborhood (Gifford, 2012, p. 307). Schultz even did a cost-benefit analysis at the end of his experimental intervention and determined that if the intervention was implemented citywide, the benefits of the program would outweigh the cost (Gifford, 2012, p. 307).

However, as Davis explains, increasing recycling is not necessarily beneficial as people are putting as much garbage as they are recyclables into the recycling bins (Davis, 2015). Maybe residents have good intensions, but a lack of education as to what is recyclable results in items such as shoes, Christmas lights, and garden hoses being put into recycling (Davis, 2015). Schultz’s experimental interventions have other applications than just increasing recycling though. Schultz based his experimental interventions on the idea of norms and highlighting the discrepancies between the norm and the actual behavior (Gifford, 2012, p. 307). A similar norm-based experimental intervention could be implemented to examine if feedback on individual performance might affect recycling behavior. If people stop putting garbage into their recycling, contamination would decrease allowing us to export our recycling to China which, in turn, would relieve the financial burden on small town recycling programs allowing them to start accepting more recyclables again.

 

References:

Beitsch, R. (2019, January 21). A move by China puts U.S. small-town recycling programs in the dumps. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-move-by-china-puts-us-small-town-recycling-programs-in-the-dumps/2019/01/18/6a043642-1825-11e9-8813-cb9dec761e73_story.html?utm_term=.4eeb7797465d

Davis, A. C. (2015, June 20). American recycling is stalling, and the big blue bin is one reason why. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/american-recycling-is-stalling-and-the-big-blue-bin-is-one-reason-why/2015/06/20/914735e4-1610-11e5-9ddc-e3353542100c_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.22a3b926740f

Gifford R. (2012). Applying Social Psychology to the Environment. In F. W. Schneider, Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (pp. 297-322). Los Angeles: Sage.


03
Feb 19

Plastic Bags, to Death Do Us Part?

The Plastic Problem

The overuse of plastic bags in North America and around the world is causing an environmental disaster with our ecosystem.  Plastic is non-biodegradable which means that it does not break down in our environment and instead, it is filling up our natural resources, and most is becoming most evident in our oceans.  According to a news story from globalnews.ca, 8-million tons of plastic finds its way into our oceans annually.  Now initially this raises concerns for all marine mammals, birds and fish but the problem actually goes much deeper than just these creatures.  What happens to the plastic once it enters the ocean, because of the ocean’s currents, is it gets swept into a gyre where the plastic swirls and begins to break down into tiny particulate.  The North Pacific Garbage Patch has 80,000 tons of swirling plastic and is three times the size of France.  These minute particles of plastic are mistaken for food and are clogging the digestive system of our marine wildlife.  When humans consume these fish and birds, we are ingesting the same toxins, making plastic part of our food chain.  Studies are only now being done to determine the health impacts that nano-plastics have on the human body.  But, if it is toxic to fish and birds and known to pass on carcinogens to humans through fish, we can be fairly safe in assuming that it will not be a favourable outcome for the human race in the long run.

Where Are We Now?

Plastic is pervasive in today’s society around the world.  Look around at your surroundings, most of what we have in our homes are made of some form of plastic including things like; the material covering our couch, to the plastic parts that make up our fridge, stove, and other appliances, to our toothpaste and dental floss containers.  Even the paint on our walls, if it is latex, has plastic in it.  In spite of all of this, two of the biggest contributors to this plastic epidemic are plastic bags and plastic water bottles.  According to applied social psychology if we designed an intervention intending to address people’s behaviour that is incongruent with their values then we might be able to make some headway with this plethora of plastic.  Humans by their nature will follow the path of convenience unless they are given a reason not to.  Because plastic bags are easy, convenient, and readily available because they are one of the biggest culprits contaminating our oceans and because they are typically the fastest to break down, let’s start there.  So, the question is, how do we curtail, or better yet eliminate the use of disposable plastic bags.  Everything from the small plastic produces bags to the larger grocery size bags.

What Can Be Done?

It would be interesting to conduct a study that helps us understand plastic use.  After selecting a community of people in which to launch an intervention, the first objective will be to determine people’s habits around single-use disposable plastic bag by conducting a survey.  Do they consider themselves to be environmentally friendly?  Once you have determined their values and household usage of plastic bags, it will be an opportunity to provide some educational materials about the impact of plastic bags and the bigger impacts beyond what we see in our day to day lives.

This project would allow the research team to establish some antecedent measures by educating the participants and priming the participants’ desire to participate.  The information would paint the picture of marine life dying, to the cancer-causing toxins fish ingest, and by default we ingest, and the plastic particulate matter being present in our drinking water sources today.  The next step would be to provide consumers with the tools to have a positive impact on the environment by participating in a study whereby they are provided 12 reusable mesh produce bags and 6 reusable grocery shopping bags.  Their participation would require the completion of a weekly telephone survey to determine the impact of their having the tools to reduce the soft plastic use in their household.  Each week for four weeks during the study we would contact the household to ascertain how many plastic bags and of what size they acquired over the course of the week.  Once the results are tallied across the community for plastic bag acquisition, this information would be shared with all participants letting them know how they faired in relation to others in the community.

This engagement with individual feedback and group feedback conditioning will provide an opportunity for self -awareness and thus a reduction in plastic bag use.  The study would appeal to the consumers sense of cognitive dissonance, of recognizing that if they use plastic bags, they are behaving incongruently with their overall desire to help protect the environment.  Additionally, by recognizing the contribution others have made in not using plastic grocery and produce bags according to Schultz’s strategy of activating norms, people would be more motivated to comply with what others are doing.  The tally of results gleaned from the weekly interviews would provide the study participants with the measurable results that would motivate engagement and encourage the participants to continue to choose to have a positive impact on the environment.

 Conclusions and Outcomes

This type of four-week study could provide and opportunity to acquire enough concrete feedback to determine if this type of intervention could have an impact.  If the results are positive, and likely they would be based on the activating norms theory,  then it would be an opportunity to put together a community project that could affect communities across the globe.  After all, if we don’t start paying attention, it is likely that we, the human race will face compromised health, depleted fish supplies and an environmental impact that will affect our children’s, children’s, children.

 

References

Campanella, E. (2018, June 17). Plastic pollution crisis: How waste ends up in our oceans. Retrieved February 03, 2019, from https://globalnews.ca/news/4269163/plastic-pollution-waste-ocean/

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems(Second ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.

Tyree, C., & Morrison, D. (2017, September 05). Invisibles. Retrieved February 03, 2019, from https://orbmedia.org/stories/Invisibles_plastics/multimedia

 


03
Feb 19

Social design is needed in today’s society

I find it interesting to know that physical environments can influence human behaviors. The social design process that has been developed over that last forty years is extremely important when buildings are being engineered and built for people to use. Rather than focusing on the aspects of the materials and the engineering side of architecture itself, we must focus on people. If people are involved in the building process, the project can be successful and create a building that individuals can live in and or use effectively (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012).

A collaboration or competitive design process can motivate building designers to incorporate functionality, not just create something for the beauty of it. Instead, the focus should be on the people who will be affected by the building and using it on a regular basis. In order to do this effectively architects and social psychologists need to collaborate with one another; this process is called placemaking. Placemaking is when real people are imagined in real spaces. This allows both parties to look at the functionality of the building and imagine how it will be used in real world context. Of course, this process will be more time consuming (Schneider et al, 2012).

Not all buildings need to be built with a social design focus. In the past, when the communities were smaller, groups within the community would gather together and build as needed. This was called preindustrial vernacular, where the people who built within the community were also the occupants of the building (Schneider et al, 2012). This process has changed overtime as the populations have risen. As a child I heard stories of grandparents and great grandparents that were involved in the building process of their own homes and even created the blueprints and floor plans for it. This is not a standard process we use today, many of us purchase our homes after seeing it years after its been built and or after choosing the style or floor plan provided to us by the builders.

According to Nan’s journal (2003) the idea of social design has become a “quiet” revolution within the field of architecture. The basic idea behind the concept is having a sensitivity to the people and their environment. Using this concept is reshaping our physical environment in landscape and in buildings. For an example, I would have liked to be involved in the discussion of my city deciding to build a new gas station within a quarter of a mile from my home and I would have loved to be pulled into that design discussion because over the hill there are two other gas stations less than half a mile away. If social design was integrated into the city’s plans and architectural structures the community would be more open to changes that make sense, rather than changes that appear to be senseless.

References
Ellin, Nan (01/01/2003). “Culture, environmental action and sustainability”. Culture, environmental action and sustainability, p. 61.

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.


03
Feb 19

Red Tide: Are we making something natural, worse?

Perhaps some may recall hearing about the algae bloom known as red tide that devastated sea life off the coast of Florida in 2018. Last year’s algae bloom was one of the worst blooms the state had seen in over a decade (Wei-Hass, 2018). Some have argued about its cause, the governor dismissing it as  “naturally occurring” (Fleshler, 2018). These algal blooms are nothing new. Spanish explorers reported this phenomenon back in the 1500s (Wei-Haas, 2018). But the reason this one garnered so much attention, was due to its duration. But what was causing the algae blooms to be this severe? Are they natural or man-made environmental disaster? This issue presents itself as a social dilemma since human behavior seems to be one of the culprits. Compound that with interventions aimed at educating the public have not been successful, it would seem that government intervention is the only solution.

This is a good example of a social dilemma. The citizens of Florida don’t perceive a reward for cooperating with efforts to decrease the flow of nutrient-rich runoffs into the state’s waterways. They prefer the short-term reward of a green lawn, versus having clean beaches. Instead, there was little reward to individual citizens because neither them,or the sugar industry, nor new developments sought to diminish their reliance on fertilizers. Along with killing countless sea life,  beaches had to be closed down negatively impacting local economies.

There are many factors that led to last year’s algae bloom. The nutrient-rich runoff did not only affect the coastal waterways, it also caused problems inland. As noted by Wei-Haas (2018), just north of Lake Okeechobee, nutrients poured in from agricultural runoff which then feeds cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria, which resembles green smoothie, covered the lake, eventually making it into the ocean, which then fed K.brevis as cyanobacteria decomposed (Wei-Haas, 2018). To make matters worse, new developments and sugar farms just south of Lake Okeechobee, prevent the water from naturally flowing through the Everglades, which works to filter the water before it enters the ocean. (Wei-Haas, 2018).

Scientist have pointed to strong hurricane seasons as the reason for the algae blooms. These hurricanes hit the state, and “cause nutrient-rich runoff into the gulf” (Wei-Haas, 2018). But those are human-released nutrients according to researchers Larry Brand and Angela Compton. Environmental groups have tried to educate the citizens of the state through outreach programs (Nierenberg et al., 2011). These outreach programs, which started in the early 2000s by Florida Red Tide Research Group (FRTRG), included press releases and interviews with local media (Nierenberg, 2011). They also distributed print materials in the form of posters and flyers. The problem with this was that evaluating its distribution proved to be “tricky”. There was no way of knowing if the 211,000 pieces of material ended up in the hands of the public, or if they were simply sitting somewhere (Nierenberg et al., 2011).

With our oceans are only getting warmer due to climate change, one can only imagine things are going to get worse. It would seem as if not many people are willing to change their behaviors because the perceived rewards may not seem as enticing. But if things are to change, it must start at the state level. Floridians may love waking up in the morning and looking out their window to see their lush green lawns, but at what cost? The fertilizers used end up in the waterways that then make it in to the ocean providing K. brevis (red tide) with the nourishing nutrients it needs to thrive. If decades of education have not worked, legislation should be passed limiting the use of these harmful fertilizers.

Interventions are not always successful, and when necessary the government needs to intervene to help curb harmful behavior, in this instance polluting the waterways. It isn’t just individual citizens who should feel the effects of new legislation, but the industries whom also release these chemicals in the Florida’s waterways. Red tide will continue to be a nuisance for the state, but its citizens should not be contributing, nor should they do nothing simply because it is a natural occurrence.

References
Fleshler, D. (2018, October 2). Is red tide natural, or is it a human-cause crisis? Retrieved from South Florida Sun Sentinel: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/florida/fl-ne-red-tide-causes-20181002-story.html

Nierenberg, K., Hollenbeck, J., Fleming, L. E., Stephan, W., Reich, A., Backer, L., Kirkpatrick, B. (2011). Frontiers outreach and education: The Florida Red Tide Experience. Harmful Algae, 10(4), 374-380.

Wei-Hass, M. (2018, August 10). Red Tide is Devastating Florida’s Sea Life. Are Humans to Blame? Retrieved from National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/08/news-longest-red-tide-wildlife-deaths-marine-life-toxins/


03
Feb 19

Life isn’t plastic, we need to get enthusiastic

 

Since its introduction in the 1950’s, it is “estimate[d] that 8300 million metric tons (Mt) of virgin plastics have been produced to date. As of 2015, approximately 6300 Mt of plastic waste had been generated, around 9% of which had been recycled, 12% was incinerated, and 79% was accumulated in landfills or the natural environment” (Geyer, Jambeck, & Law, 2017). These are staggering numbers to absorb, and it is apparent that this trend of plastic generation will have devastating environmental effects.

“The amount of plastic produced in a year is roughly the same as the entire weight of humanity” (Geyer et al., 2017).This translates to “91% of plastic waste isn’t being recycled. And since most plastics don’t biodegrade in any meaningful sense, all that plastic waste could exist for hundreds or even thousands of years” (Geyer et al., 2017). According to research, “plastic takes more than 400 years to degrade, so most of it still exists in some form” (National Geographic, & Parker, 2018). Meaning, the plastic we make and “toss away” today will remain here long after our children’s children are gone. “Half of all plastic manufactured becomes trash in less than a year” (National Geographic et al., 2018).

“Worldwide, a trillion single-use plastic bags are used each year, nearly 2 million each minute” (Earth Policy Institute, & Larson, 2014). Nearly 100 billion plastic bags are used by Americans every year and tied together, they would reach around the Earth’s equator 1,330 times. In an effort to combat the accumulation of plastics, many cities and countries now either ban the sale of plastic bags in stores or charge a nominal fee for the use of the bags; a fee that is shared between the store and environmental cleanup corporations. While this is a step in the right direction, it still begs the question about what lasting effects plastic production will have on our environment currently as well as for the generations to come.

Plastics are effectively threatening our oceans and marine life. One prediction states “that by mid-century, the oceans will contain more plastic waste than fish, ton for ton, and this has become one of the most-quoted statistics and a rallying cry to do something about it” (National Geographic et al., 2018).

“Recycling in the U.S. has remained at nine percent since 2012. The United States ranks behind Europe (30 percent) and China (25 percent) in recycling, the study found” (National Geographic et al., 2018). Sadly, our environmental regulations are far behind many other parts of the world.

“The rapid acceleration of plastic manufacturing, which so far has doubled roughly every 15 years, has outpaced nearly every other man-made material. And, it is unlike virtually every other material. Half of all steel produced, for example, is used in construction, with a decades-long lifespan” (National Geographic et al., 2018). An intervention on plastics production is imminent, the question is whether the population at large decides to participate in the conversation before it becomes a very real crisis.

The time to fix these issues is now. “We as a society need to consider whether it’s worth trading off some convenience for a clean, healthy environment” (National Geographic et al., 2018). Taking action as a consumer is one tangible step in the right direction. Using reusable bottles or bringing reusable bags to the grocery store are individual choices that can make a big difference. Sharing information with others and helping influence the community around you can help alter the marketability of plastics which in turn will ensure change. If the choices of consumers show that plastic mass production is no longer profitable, companies are bound to follow suit and will have to find better, more sustainable options to get their products on the market.

Resources:

Geyer, R., Jambeck, J. R., & Law, K. L. (2017, July 01). Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Retrieved January 31, 2019, from http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/7/e1700782

Earth Policy Institute, & Larson, J. (2014, October 16). Plastic Bags Fact Sheet. Retrieved January 31, 2019, from http://www.earth-policy.org/press_room/C68/plastic_bags_fact_sheet

National Geographic, & Parker, L. (2018, December 20). A whopping 91% of plastic isn’t recycled. Retrieved January 31, 2019, from https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/07/plastic-produced-recycling-waste-ocean-trash-debris-environment/


02
Feb 19

The Tragedy of the Commons

The tragedy of the commons is a resource dilemma concept introduced by a prominent 19th century economist named William Lloyd. In his allegory, he discussed the fact that in our world where resources are finite, people will consume these resources in a self-interested manner which will eventually lead to their depletion (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). We can look at history to see that, in certain situations, this theory holds true and we will see that economic principles may provide a potential remedy for this problem.

For a resource dilemma example, we will consider water rights to a certain creek in Montana. Rob Harmon gave a thought-provoking TEDxRainier Talk in 2010, entitled Blue is the New Green: Water Footprints, on the Prickly Pear Creek and how people with senior water usage rights used their allotments (even when they did not need the water) solely to maintain their rights. This consumption in a self-interested manner led to the complete drying up of the entire creek. We can also see tragedy of the commons when we consider the over-fishing of so many species in our oceans, the irresponsible and extravagant use of clean water sources, excessive deforestation, etc. This is a problem that economists and environmental psychologists are both are struggling to solve.

These examples are evidence that the choices of a few can affect the welfare of many. Economists view these types of problems as negative externalities. Negative externalities are the spill-over effects (usually seen as costs to a third party) that are not accounted for in the original transactions of production or consumption. These negative externalities are treated as market failures by environmental economists; too much of a good is being produced due to the fact that its full cost is not being accounted for (Callan & Thomas, 2013).

One solution for this type of market failure was proposed by Ronald Coase in 1960. In his paper “The Problem of Social Cost” he hypothesized that the assignment of property rights would bring the market back into equilibrium. According to Coase, it does not matter who is assigned the property rights, whether it’s the party we feel is harmed or the one doing the harming (1960). To briefly explain the Coase Theorem, we will use the problem of air pollution.

For this example, the citizens who live around an oil refinery will be assigned the property rights to the air in their town. If the citizens own the rights to a public good, such as clean air, then the refinery will have to pay them in order to pollute that air. Due to this extra cost, refined oil will become more expensive, and as a result the demand for it will decrease. This will in turn cause a reduction in the air pollution. This is how property rights can bring the market back into equilibrium.

In certain situations, I think that this concept could help environmental psychologists mitigate resource dilemmas such as the tragedy of commons and improve the manner in which people consume resources. Perhaps an intervention could be designed that would increase participants’ feelings of ownership of the environment. This intervention could utilize cognitive dissonance in the same manner that Dickerson, Thibodeau, Aronson, and Miller did in 1992 to encourage water conservation.

First, the intervention would establish the understanding that the Earth belongs to everyone which translates to the participants assuming individual ownership of the Earth. This relates to the Coase Theorem as it would be assigning conceptual property rights to the participants. The next step would be to ask participants how they take care of their most valuable possessions, especially those that cannot be replaced. Finally, feelings of hypocrisy would be induced when participants are made aware of the disparity between how they choose to treat their belongings in contrast with how they misuse our Earth and its finite natural resources. The intended result would be that participants choose to use natural resources in a more conscientious and sustainable way. Perhaps if we implemented an intervention in this manner, combining environmental economic and social psychological principles, the tragedy of the commons (market failure) would become a problem of the past.

 

References:

Callan, S. J., Thomas, J. M. (2013). Environmental economics & management: Theory, policy and applications (6th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

Coase, R. H. (1960). The problem of social cost. The Journal of Law & Economics, 3, 1-44.  

Dickerson, C.A., Thibodeau, R., Aronson, E., & Miller, D. (1992). Using cognitive dissonance to encourage water conservation. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 22, 841-854.

Harmon, R. (2010, December 10). Blue is the new green: Water footprints [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV3ZjORGwoI

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.


01
Feb 19

The Beef with Beef

If there’s one thing a Californian knows, it’s that there’s never enough water. For a state that is often lauded as a tourist destination — with the ability to surf and ski in one day being a major talking point for many a college trying to lure in unaware out-of-staters — it spends much of its time in drought or, as a result, on fire. The water shortage is what fuels the condescending letters from the water district about how much water you’re likely wasting and is what drives people to replace their front lawn with AstroTurf, scruffy native plants, and gravel, which, in my opinion, is a bridge too far. I mean, sure, it saves water and MWD will pay you to rip out your lawn and ruin your home’s curb appeal but… at what cost? I don’t care how many rock cairns and cactuses you use to try and spruce it up, walking around some neighborhoods still makes me feel like I’m the Curiosity rover exploring Mars.

From 2012 to 2016, California experienced its worst drought in over one thousand years (Xiao et al., 2017). It “caused billions of dollars in economic losses, killed millions of forest trees, brought several fish species closer to extinction, and caused inconvenience and some expense to millions of households and businesses” (Lund, Medellin-Azuara, Durand, & Stone, 2018, par. 1). It was, in short, a real bummer. During this time, citizens experienced a call to action to conserve water. They were encouraged to limit how often they watered their lawns or washed their cars and restrictions were placed on water runoff and overspray, hosing down driveways, and watering within two days after rain (Western Municipal Water District, n.d.). There was, however, one potential citizen action which was completely overlooked and largely went undiscussed. That is the consumption of beef. In California, it takes approximately 1621 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef, making it an important topic in the discussion about water conservation (Rijsberman, 2005).

While protein is an essential part of the human diet, Schlink, Nguyen, and Viljoen (2010) found that beef was significantly less water efficient than any other protein source they studied, including other animal proteins like eggs and poultry and plant proteins like soybeans. In fact, the beef industry accounts for 33% of the global water footprint of farm animal production, a number which is one and a half times higher than that of pigs and three times higher than that of broiler chickens (Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2012). One of the primary reasons for this disparity is the amount of feed — which requires water to be grown — that beef cattle consume. For instance, beef cattle require four times more feed than pigs and eleven times more than broiler chickens for every pound of meat produced (Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2012). However, to complicate things a bit, the use of concentrate feed in the chicken and pork industries does often result in a larger, negative impact on groundwater consumption and water pollution (Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2012). While the beef industry uses, by far, the most water, that does not mean that other farm animal industries do not also have issues that they need to address.

It’s funny to me that, only a couple of years ago, the water districts, politicians, and the news industry were busy making me and other Californians feel bad about watering our lawns and washing our hair, and no one was talking about beef and the burden that a meat-based diet places on water scarcity. As shown by Hoekstra (2010), the shift from a meat-based diet to a largely vegetarian one could reduce an industrialized society’s water footprint by 36% (as cited in Gerbens-Leenes, Mekonnen, & Hoekstra, 2013). Additionally, Chapagain and James (2011) found that, for UK citizens, food waste accounts for 6% of their total water footprint (as cited in Gerbens-Leenes et al., 2013). Perhaps, as with many other industries like pharmaceuticals and tobacco, money is being placed above the well-being of both our citizens and our planet.

In the end, what this means is that, as usual, it really comes down to the individual to make a difference. First and foremost, it’s important to educate yourself and others on the realities of the beef industry. The importance of “educational campaigns lies in their priming ability; […] they get people ready to make a change rather than actually [getting] them to change” (Schneider et al., 2012, p. 307). From what I can tell, many people are unaware of the beef industry’s large water footprint and circulating this knowledge can help prime people to change. From there, it becomes obvious that by simply reducing the amount of beef you consume or waste and replacing it with other animal or plant sources of protein, you, as an individual, can contribute to the water conservation effort. To be clear, this doesn’t mean that if you like to enjoy a hamburger now and again that you’re a bad person. (Well, you might be, I don’t know, but it’s not because of the burger.) It simply means that if everyone made a concerted effort to reduce their beef consumption, we could save a lot of water. On a larger scale, implementing interventions to reduce both the waste and consumption of beef would be very beneficial. For example, students would be a great group to target for change. By designing programs that utilize powerful motivators of change like cognitive dissonance, an antecedent strategy, or comparative feedback, a consequence strategy, the government and schools could help do their part to encourage people to limit their consumption of beef (Dickerson, Thibodeau, Aronson, & Miller, 1992; Schneider et al., 2012; Siero, Bakker, Dekker, & van den Burg, 1996). Besides, even if you don’t care about water conservation, it’s been recently shown that muscle meat cooked at high temperatures produces carcinogenic chemicals, so it’s probably best to skip that burger anyway (National Cancer Institute, 2017).

References

Dickerson, C.A., Thibodeau, R., Aronson, E., & Miller, D. (1992). Using cognitive dissonance to encourage water conservation. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 22. 841-854.

Gerbens-Leenes, P., Mekonnen, M., & Hoekstra, A. (2013). The water footprint of poultry, pork and beef: A comparative study in different countries and production systems. Water Resources and Industry,1-2, 25-36. doi:10.1016/j.wri.2013.03.001 

Lund, J. R., Dist.M.ASCE, Medellin-Azuara, J., M.ASCE, Durand, J., & Stone, K. (2018). Lessons from California’s 2012-2016 drough. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management,144(10). doi:https://doi-org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0000984

Mekonnen, M., & Hoekstra, A. (2012). A Global Assessment of the Water Footprint of Farm Animal Products. Ecosystems, 15(3), 401-415. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/stable/41507787

National Cancer Institute. (2017, July 11). Chemicals in meat cooked at high temperatures and cancer risk. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/cooked-meats-fact-sheet

Rijsberman, F. R. (2006). Water scarcity: Fact or fiction? Agricultural Water
Management,80(1-3), 5-22. doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2005.07.001

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: SAGE.

Schlink, A. C., Nguyen, M. L., & Viljoen, G. J. (2010). Water requirements for livestock production: A global perspective. Revue Scientifique Et Technique (International Office of Epizootics), 29(3), 603-619.

Siero, F.W., Bakker, A.B., Dekker, G.B., & van den Burg, M.T.C. (1996). Changing organizational energy consumption behaviour through comparative feedback. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 16. 235-246. 

Western Municipal Water District. (n.d.). Water use regulations & restrictions. Retrieved from https://www.wmwd.com/208/Water-Use-Regulations-Restrictions 

Xiao, M., Koppa, A., Mekonnen, Z., Pagán, B. R., Zhan, S., Cao, Q., . . . Lettenmaier, D. P. (2017). How much groundwater did Californias Central Valley lose during the 2012-2016 drought? Geophysical Research Letters,44(10), 4872-4879. doi:10.1002/2017gl073333

 


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