PSYCH 424 blog

A Class Divided made me think about how 54 years later we are seemingly only getting worse in regard to racism and discrimination in the classroom. Lately, it’s common to come across news stories showing anger over teaching the history of the United States, even whitewashed versions, because it’s showing our history of racism. I think trying to paint over true history does a disservice to society, and students can benefit from learning the history and barriers that exist for many people in this country.

In this ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQKRYJnqIdM ) segment of the daily show, staggering numbers show how deeply we ignore the history of slavery in the US. “8% of seniors can identify slavery as a central cause of the Civil War…there is no national standard for what history is taught…7 states do not directly mention slavery, and 8 do not mention the Civil Rights Movement..only 2 states mention white supremacy” (The Daily Show; 2021; 1:25). Abysmal is an understatement.

People seem to think teaching the real history of this county will cause its citizens to hate it. I disagree. I think it’s necessary to learn and address our past so we can build something to actually be proud of. By continuing to live in a world where we bury the past, we cease all ability to learn and grow and do better.

References:

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. (2021, May 6). The War Over Teaching America’s Racist History in Schools | The Daily Show. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQKRYJnqIdM

I benefit from the use of the internet as a source of help, as mentioned in our Chapter 12 reading. Online communities can provide access to valuable information and emotional support to many who cannot seek help through traditional avenues (Gruman, 2016). I stumbled upon these communities looking for….something…and they helped me survive.

Within the last year and a half-ish, my life kind of blew up. My mother, seemingly overnight, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. It was already very progressed, and doctors were actually shocked she had hidden it and compensated so well for so long. My sister and I had to figure all of this out with no guidance, across different states. My mom’s family (she’s one of 9 children) abandoned us. And then my dad died.

While estranged from most of my family, I’m extremely lucky to have incredible friends. While they are unbelievably supportive, they don’t understand. I’m 36, and as people keep reminding me — very young to be dealing with this. Online communities gave me a way to connect to others experiencing these same, very unique experiences. They’ve kept me going in a way, and I’m mostly a lurker. I don’t often comment or participate in these groups, but I visit and read and commiserate in my own way.

I do see the dangers of online communities and self-help groups. More than once I’ve stumbled upon a group with ill intentions, and it’s easy to get sucked in. What starts out as a healthy eating quest turns into disordered eating, etc. I think as long as people can keep an awareness of reality around them while engaging in these groups, they’re extremely benificial.

References:

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.

When I was going through this lesson the discussions of problems with police investigations, interrogations, and lineups made me think of how all of those things are portrayed on TV. I went to YouTube to look up videos of real-life experts discussing the differences between what we see on TV and what would actually take place. After several videos, I came across a Last Week Tonight with John Oliver segment. The description of the video mentioned how forensic science is surprisingly unreliable. This caught my attention. I think John Oliver is hilarious, but obviously, forensic science is extremely reliable.

To say I was surprised by what I learned by watching this segment would be an understatement. The things we’ve learned throughout this semester about the impact of psychology on social issues make sense to me. We need to be aware of our language and biases. Our book mentions how the most “widely accepted interview technique” (Gruman, 2016) — cognitive interviewing — focuses on trying to lessen the impact of these things. (Gruman, 2016). That all seemed to be a given, but I always thought forensic science was concrete.  Apparently, it’s not!

“Not all forensic science is as reliable as we’ve come accustomed to believe” (LastWeekTonight; 2017; 1:26) Oliver says. He then goes on to cite a 2016 report by a Presidential Science Council that states expert witnesses have often overstated the value of their evidence, going far beyond what the relevant science can justify” (LastWeekTonight; 2017; 1:28). Okay, so if they know all of this, surely they don’t let it impact cases, right? Wrong again!

Santae Tribble is a man who was convicted of murder and spent 26 years in prison because the FBI testified his hair was at the scene of the crime, and their evidence was “rock solid”. It turns out “Tribble’s” hair at the scene ended up being the hair of a few sources, one being a dog. (LastWeekTonight; 2017; 2:40)

The entire video is really worth a watch — it was extremely eye-opening and funny. I think it really shows the importance of digging into and evaluating where we get our information and ideas from. I had no idea forensic science, while extremely valuable when applied correctly, could be baseless in other instances.

References:

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.

LastWeekTonight. (2017, October 2). Forensic Science: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScmJvmzDcG0

I’ve always been interested in human relationships and what makes us attracted to one another. In this lesson’s readings, there was a lot of information about physical attraction, proximity, familiarity, situational influences, and how all of those things impact our attraction to one another (Gruman, 2016). While I understand and can pinpoint relationships in my own life that are great examples of each of those things, I started to wonder about the rare instances of attraction and familiarity that don’t exactly fit into those boxes. The person you meet who bowls you over with no real explanation behind it. The following story is weird, I know.

On my 22nd birthday, I was at the funeral of my friend. He died in a car accident, surprising all of us, as we were so young and felt invincible, and he was so fun and talented and absolutely beautiful. This was not where I expected to meet someone. After the service, I was standing in the parking lot with a few friends, talking about our friend we had lost, how crazy all of this was, and what our next moves for the day would be. That’s when T walked up. I didn’t know him, but he knew the people I was standing with. We acknowledged each other with a casual “what’s up”, and I was hooked. He was not traditionally good-looking, or someone I would expect myself to be attracted to. I didn’t know anything about him or his personality, and I felt like I’d been hit by a freight train. This was almost 15 years ago and I remember it vividly. What happened between the two of us in the following days, months, and years can only be described as an absolute disaster, but where did that instant connection come from?

In the article The Science Behind Pheromones, the BetterHelp editorial team discusses the impact of pheromones — “chemical messengers” secreted through sweat, urine, and saliva. “People who have a love-at-first-sight reaction to someone or who feel a strong attraction to another person are usually experiencing a pheromone attraction” (Fader, 2022). However, this can work both ways. Pheromones can also repel you against someone. The impact of pheromones is thought to be so strong that products have been created to “boost” pheromone levels with the hopes of increasing an individual’s attraction.

“Studies using pheromones at the University of Chicago showed that men who used topical pheromones had a 52% improvement in starting conversations and an even better rate of improvement in staying engaged in conversation. They also saw improvement in getting compliments, noticeable flirting from the opposite sex and a 40% increase in female sexual responsiveness…females who used topical pheromones found themselves asked on dates more often…an increase in foreplay during sexual activity. 74% of the females…saw a huge increase in their interactions with men overall with most reporting having sex more often and receiving more intimacy such as hugs and cuddling after a sexual act. Another study in 2002 by San Francisco State University showed that women who wore synthetic pheromones were found more attractive by their partners.” (Fader, 2022).

Although I don’t see myself ever purchasing a product to increase my pheromone output, I do think it’s interesting that so much of attraction is literally just created by our bodies, and is a natural part of our biology.

References:

Fader, S. (2022, August 16). The Science Behind Pheromones Affecting Attraction And Humans | BetterHelp. https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/attraction/the-science-behind-pheromones-attraction/

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.

When it comes to studying groups of people, especially when you are trying to design interventions, it would make sense to actually ask for their feedback, right? We see this done with all sorts of communities when social change research, or participatory action research (PAR) is utilized (Brydon-Miller, 1997). Not so long ago, the only information kids were given about drugs was “Just say no!”, but we have since learned that kids are bright, and curious and have a lot of input to give on how best to help them and their peers. Interventions now include information about how to be safer by educating teens on what drugs not to mix and how to remain safe rather than “just saying no”. This is, unfortunately, not a respect we have afforded them when it comes to their sex education curriculums. Parents, school boards, administrators, legislators, and everyone but the kids have a say in what they are taught. For many, sex education remains in the dark ages of literally “just say no” and as you can imagine, there is carnage. Adolescents are left to fend for themselves, learning from porn, their equally uneducated peers, and uncomfortable parents who may have their own limited education and even more limited willingness to discuss it with their kids.

The existing research on sex education curriculums focuses primarily on unwanted outcomes (pregnancy and STD/STIs), the benefits of a comprehensive sex education curriculum have been fairly well documented, along with the harms of abstinence-only programs (just say no!)(Kirby et al., 1994). The science is in! So what is the hang-up? The parents? In a lot of ways, yes but the research on parental attitudes and perceptions of sex ed curriculums is actually very supportive. Many parents do feel it is the parent’s job to teach these sensitive topics but they admit that it’s just not getting done so curriculums are still valuable (Kee-Jiar & Shih-Hui, 2020). Parents are overworked and have so much on their plate, with their limited educations (besides first-hand uninformed experience) many are uncomfortable and the relationship between parents and their kids can make this a near-impossible conversation to have. Even across political lines, there is the support of the majority of comprehensive sex education components (exclusions for pleasure and diversity)(Kantor & Levitz, 2017). Parents will still harp against components of CSE but many states offer an opt-out option should parents decide against their kids receiving the education.

There is one major component missing here. What do the kids think? Has anyone asked them? It turns out, not really. I have focused all of my undergraduate work on this topic and have found close to no research that has asked kids their thoughts and feelings on the topic. There are a few very limited international studies but very few in the U.S. where the lack of a federal mandate allows the states to teach vastly different material, oftentimes without a requirement they are medically accurate. This semester I am privileged to be able to do just this, ask the kids. And by kids, I mean my younger college peers. Those of you, recent high school graduates, with your high school sex education somewhat fresh in mind. I am asking how these curriculums served you, how comfortable your teachers were, whether could you ask questions, were their topics of diversity, and pleasure, was nonheteronormative sex discussed. Most importantly, I asked what you wanted to learn more about, how you would change your education, and what you think is best for future generations. The feedback has been amazing so far and teens are not given the respect they deserve as being seen as intelligent and mature enough to handle this much-needed information. Much of the feedback has been very supportive, with lamentations of disservice from inadequate curriculums, disruptive peers, and many expressing the importance of comprehensive curriculums.

On the coattails of this module on participatory action research and social change, I am excited to feel like I am stepping into the community and asking for direction. Asking for insights and the understanding of the needs and feelings of those most in need. It is my hope with this, and future, research to be able to create future interventions by working with the communities and the youth to educate and get this much-needed life training to our world. I am continually blown away by the maturity and shared desire for more information shown in the feedback, it tells me I am on the right path. Keep talking, I’m listening…

References:

Brydon-Miller, M. (1997). Participatory Action Research: Psychology and Social Change. Journal of Social Issues, 53(4), 657–666. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1997.tb02454.x

Kantor, L., & Levitz, N. (2017). Parents’ views on sex education in schools: How much do Democrats and Republicans agree? PLOS ONE, 12(7), e0180250. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180250

Kee-Jiar, Y., & Shih-Hui, L. (2020). A systematic review of parental attitude and preferences towards implementation of sexuality education. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 9(4), 971. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v9i4.20877

Kirby, D., Short, L., Collins, J., Rugg, D., Kolbe, L., Howard, M., Miller, B., Sonenstein, F., & Zabin, L. S. (1994). School-based programs to reduce sexual risk behaviors: A review of effectiveness. Public Health Reports, 109(3), 339–360.

     It is no secret that the homeless crisis in Los Angeles has been a concerning issue for decades. However, now more than ever, these transients are going out and committing violent crimes in broad daylight. It is sad to see that our politicians care more about concealing them and hiding them from the public than actually providing them with the help they desperately need. The real issue here isn’t that they do not have money. The real problem is the drugs that are being supplied to these people continuously.     

     Majority of the homeless population came from stable homes, good jobs, and an education. Sadly, drugs have consumed their lives and their bodies. They ended up on the streets because they would rather spend their money on illegal drugs. Their encampments began to take over the city. You could find them sleeping anywhere and everywhere. Finally, a project was put into place to move them off the street and into a community of brand-new tiny homes. I don’t know why I believed that would solve the problem.

     The violence committed by these homeless people only began to increase. Just last night, in downtown Los Angeles, a small child and his mother were stabbed with a butcher knife inside a Target store. This heinous crime was committed by a homeless man who had entered the store. He was shot and killed on-site but it should not have even led to that.  Sad to say but he should not have been allowed into the store.

     Although these people have been moved to isolated locations within the city, they are still very ill. They are still free to roam around our streets and attack innocent people. I feel that social change research would definitely help address the homeless crisis. The community can benefit from Participatory Action Research (PAR) because it aims at helping the communities that have been oppressed and exploited. Participatory Action Research (PAR) is a “process of research, education, and action” (Brydon-Miller, 1997). The main focus should be to help keep these people off the narcotics and see if there is a significant decrease in violence committed by transients. The homeless community as well as all of humankind would greatly benefit from this type of social change research.

Reference

Brydon-Miller, M. (1997). Participatory Action Research: Psychology and Social Change. Journal of Social Issues, 53(4). 657-666.

The lesson about attraction was fascinating. Is the theory of opposites attracting true? In the past, I often heard this saying about how opposites spark interest in one another. Although I now have a different opinion on the theory. The lesson demonstrated the two different ideas, similar-to-me and opposite attract. In other words, people want someone similar to or different from them; they cannot have both.

The long-term relationships I have seen last are all similar and share the same beliefs. If people are different, it will be easier to have a long-term relationship because people will argue often. Knapton (2016) states that the theory of opposites attracts is a myth. The researcher found that people are attracted to others with the same values. This makes sense because if someone does not have the same values as their partner, can they have a long-term relationship?

“It suggests that strangers hoping to hit it off would do better to play to their similarities rather than trying to impress the other person with attributes that make them unique” (Knapton, 2016). This quote stood out because I have seen some friends pretend to be completely different just so the guy they liked would like them back. This quote also reminds me of the similar-to-me effect and how people get along with others who tend to look and think similarly to them. This makes sense because people with similar personalities usually get along because they think and act similarly.

Regarding the similar-to-me effect, the way I strike up a conversation with a stranger is if they have similar interests as me. For example, I was reading a book called “The Four Agreements,” and so was the woman next to me on the plane. I started a conversation with her because we shared a similar interest in this book. In addition, if you and a stranger have little in common, continuing the conversation and enjoying it will be challenging. Therefore, I do not think that opposites attract. This is because change is not easy and is unlikely to happen. Knapton (2016) demonstrates that choosing people compatible with one’s needs and goals is simpler than being with someone who does not share similar beliefs. Therefore, this will cause strife in the relationship, which is unlikely to be long-term. 

Furthermore, the theory that opposites attract is a myth. Attraction is based on similarities and having similar goals that two people can strive to achieve together. If people do not have commonalities in a relationship, there will likely be more arguing and strife. Lastly, being with someone like yourself is crucial for a deeper connection.

References:

Knapton, S. (2016). Opposites don’t attract, we look for partners with same values. Daily Telegraph [London, England], p. 9. Gale In Context: Global Issues, link.

As a psychology student, reading about social change research has been absolutely thrilling. We read in our module that what sets apart social change research from classic scientific research is the active involvement of the researcher. While we are encouraged to remain as objective as possible when conducting classic scientific research, in social change research a researcher’s investment in the procedures and outcomes is actually looked at as a benefit. This sentiment is further conveyed in participatory research, where the researcher is involved in the community they are researching (Nelson, 2022). While I can see value in both forms of research, I would argue that having a personal investment in a project works for the project’s success in a number of ways.

First, having relationships and connections within the community where a researcher is conducting this research can be a huge advantage. Gaining the trust of individuals whether looking to conduct surveys, interviews, or participation in other ways, can be a lofty hurdle. If the researcher is already a part of this community, on the other hand, they already have a leg-up so to speak. These individuals will feel confident that the researcher has their best interests at heart as feelings of comradery are shared among community members. Additionally, they may be willing to open up more easily and provide more truthful answers to aid research goals.

Participatory research can be supremely beneficial because a researcher who has a personal stake in the community they are servicing may have a better understanding of the social problem. Along with this, they likely have a robust idea of the barriers faced within this community when looking to solve the problem, as well as the tactics that have already been implemented. Eradicating duplicate efforts leaves more time for new ideas and further research. Ultimately, the goal that is reached will be more timely and more suitable for those in the community.

The personal insight of researchers working within their own communities can prove incredibly valuable in formulating interventions. Through this insight, researchers have the unique ability to cater solutions to their direct audiences for the social problems they are facing. Understanding the problem as well as the perpetuating and precipitating factors is integral to formulating successful interventions. This involvement should not be seen as a conflict of interest but as a research advantage.

Reference

Nelson, A. (2022). Psych 424 –  Social Change/Participatory Research. The Pennsylvania State University, World Campus.

There’s a biology professor at my local community college who starts each term with a warning to his students: choose your lab partners carefully, you just might end up married to them. As it turns out, I’m part of the reason for that warning.

As we learned this week, the proximity effect has a major impact on the forming of friendships, and I can personally attest to the truth of this. Sometime during the first week of intro biology, I fell into conversation with someone in the row just behind me, completely unaware that I’d just met my future wife, and we became lab partners for the simple reason that we just couldn’t stop talking to each other. The more we talked, the more we found we had in common, and a friendship swiftly formed, though it seems everyone but us (professor included) had noticed there was more to our connection. Someone from a different section came to our lab and was quick to ask if the two of us were dating; I found out years later that if I’d gone with my first instinct and said, ‘No, but it’s because she hasn’t asked me yet,’ she would in fact have asked me out on the spot. Alas, I was nowhere near that confident.

Fast-forward three years later, we had lost contact until I came home from a sixteen-hour shift to an e-mail from her, and within a few weeks, we had finally gotten our act together to acknowledge that yes, we’d fallen for each other. More to the point, those feelings hadn’t gone away, and we were done wasting time: eight months later, we were engaged. Just for fun, we decided to pay a visit to our biology professor to tell him the story, which is when we found out that we weren’t the first: we were the fifth pair of lab partners in his lectures to end up engaged/married. As this was over a decade ago, I’m sure that number is in double-digits by now.

Our textbook defines the proximity effect as ‘the tendency for physical and psychological nearness to increase interpersonal liking’. (Gruman et al, 2017) Our conversation likely began due to sitting near each other, then our bond grew as we discovered the things we had in common, especially as some of those things are niche interests like medieval history, swordfighting, and nature hikes. Working together as lab partners gave us a common goal and laid the foundations for our whole relationship, which is as equal partners and very much a team. Sixteen years and two children later, it’s amazing to look back and realise that it all depended something as simple as where two people chose to sit in a classroom.

Take care who you choose as a lab partner: you may just be choosing your future spouse.

References:

Gruman, J.A., Schneider, F.W., & Coutts, L.A. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

We are all naturally social beings, we craving interaction and belonging. Therefore we look for a sense of community where we live, work, and learn. “Community psychology concerns the relationships of individuals with communities and society” (Gruman et al., 2017). I am grateful that I have been able to experience multiple examples of a strong healthy community in my life so far.

One that really sticks out to me was when I was a part of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. This is a volunteer type service that last for just under a year. In this experience you are placed on a team and complete about a month of training before you go out on projects. As a team you travel together, live together, eat together, and work together in the communities that you serve. Some of the projects that my team completed were deconstruction/construction of homes, taxes for low income families, Habitat for Humanity, and trail blazing. We were also first responders to the BP oil spill in Florida in 2010. This experience taught me how important a positive sense of community is in two ways. One was with my teammates; while we didn’t always get along we were always there for each other. We lived together and cooked for each other, we helped each other out when something went wrong, and we were always there to lift each other up when times got tough. The second way was with the communities we lived in, they were always so welcoming and willing to take care of us. There was just something so incredible about genuinely giving back and serving the communities we lived in. We quickly became accepted and felt like we belonged.

Another unique experience of a strong community has been my experience in the Air Force. It is a quite the experience to go through basic military training and become an Airman, it’s something you will never forget. There is a lot of history, tradition, and ceremony that you experience as an individual and as a team. Community is naturally created through shared experiences and shared values. There is an understanding among all Airmen that we have each other’s back. I have been stationed overseas in Europe, in the middle of nowhere Texas, and in the DC area. Every time I have been assigned to a new base I have always been welcomed by my coworkers and pretty quickly experience a sense of acceptance. Of course things are not always perfect, but there is always and understanding of respect and belonging.

Both of these experiences have been really great for me and they have helped me to build a positive sense of community. A positive sense of community can be built with these four elements, membership, influence, integration and fulfillment of needs, and shared emotional connection. Having membership in a community makes someone feel like they belong and are emotionally safe. Having influence means the community can affect the individual, but the individual also can affect the community. Community can also represent shared values and sharing goods and resources. A cohesive community will feel a shared bond with others within their community (Gruman et al., 2017).

Reference

Gruman, J.A., Schneider, F.W., & Coutts, L.A. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

It’s not an understatement to say that I have lofty dreams here, but over the course of the last 8 years, especially since joining the world of social psychology, I have seen just how many roads come back to elements that are being taught as part of a comprehensive sex education program. Our readings this week about the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) showed their use of varying levels of implementation from the community, classrooms, parents, and individuals to enact substantial change to limit bullying and unify children (Olweus & Limber, 2010). I kept thinking about how the entire curriculum fell into my favorite topic, comprehensive sex ed (CSE), and how beneficial they would be working in tandem as a part of a whole human youth intervention (I will admit I spent far too long working on an acronym to only come up with WHO RU, which needless to say, sends the last message sex ed ever needs!).

I have written in previous blogs of mine how comprehensive sex education curriculums go far beyond teaching about just sex. The very thing people fear or get nervous about as part of the curriculum is just the tip of the iceberg. The main principles taught about in sex education curriculums, the comprehensive ones at least (abstinence-only curriculums mostly need not apply here) are of personal autonomy, educated decision-making, increasing respect for yourself and others, boundaries, expression of desires wants and needs, communication skills, care and compassion for yourself and others. A comprehensive sex education curriculum is the ultimate of life interventions as it starts with age-appropriate material from a very young age and prepares kids for all facets of intimate relationships throughout life.

Young elementary school children can begin by learning self-expression, what touches are appropriate and inappropriate, appropriate medical terminology of their body parts, who is and is not allowed to touch them as well as how and where, how words can be hurtful, how to listen to how you feel and how to then express yourself with clarity and care for the feelings of everyone involved. Obviously, none of that has anything to do with sex right? These tools would be applicable in any number of situations from the sharing of a most desired toy or bullying on the playground, to being able to identify and report sexual abuse. Who would have a problem with their child learning any of those elements?

As children get a little older, and wiser and with the changing of hormones and the onset of first budding relationships, their need for more understanding and a bigger toolbox becomes more apparent. Middle school is not exactly the age you would like to think of kids becoming sexually active, but for many, exploration begins here, and for those unprepared, can go far beyond what they wanted or are ready for. CSE can help our youth understand these changes to their body, their friends, and the new big influences in their lives that can feel overwhelming. Why is their best friend suddenly no longer interested in hanging out, why is their best friend changing how they behave around them, why are they not interested in anyone yet, what is all this stuff!? These changes can be scary for kids and many are reluctant to discuss what is going on in their lives with their parents. Parents may have no idea how to even begin to explain it, let alone with much accuracy, and can unknowingly or even purposefully fill kids with shame that they may carry for a lifetime. Many parents feel it is their job to teach about sex, but many also admit it just isn’t happening, leaving many kids without any intimate education (Robinson et al., 2017).

High school, as we all know, is middle school run rampant. Schoolwork is harder, relationships are harder. The pressure, all of them, are amplified and this includes pressures for sex, coercive behaviors, and manipulative behaviors. Once strong-headed sweet kids, become raging hormone demons who may go well beyond their best cool-headed boundaries in the heat of the moment. Many of you reading may look back and think, “man, if I only knew then what I know now I’d have maybe made some different choices”. And that’s true, maybe you would have, maybe not. It is at this age that we see many lives change forever with unplanned pregnancies, rape, abuse, impatient decisions, and plenty of potential regrets. Kids are thrown into the fire (smores not included). CSE certainly cannot fix everything, but the science shows the benefits, delayed onset of sexual debut, decreased unplanned pregnancies, and STD/STIs, so we know it can decrease unwanted outcomes and the ones every parent and kid fears (Stanger-Hall & Hall, 2011). Kids who have been engaged in CSE are much better prepared to face these hormone-filled situations with a bit more clarity, with the tools and oftentimes the verbiage and practice to be able to stand firm for their desires, practicing consensual dialogues, and understand the effects of peer pressure, coercion and the influence of alcohol and drugs.

I once dreamed of being a therapist, I started by becoming a sex and relationship coach, hosting discussions with groups and talking to countless grown people about sex and relationships. So many had poor interpersonal communication skills and lacked the ability to be vulnerable with their partners. Many had no idea what they wanted out of a relationship and reported just falling into them, only to realize they were blinded by lust or someone’s best behavior. So many were so closed off to their sexual nature, so filled with shame, that it invaded every aspect of their lives and led to debilitating sexual dysfunctions and relationship issues. I became so distraught that so many people were so hurt and grown adults lacked the skills and knowledge to even recognize their own wants and needs in relationships. Our most basic emotional need is to belong and to feel and give love, and so many were lost in the woods.

Everywhere I look and I see pain, anger, mistrust, or someone hurting someone, I see a hurt child who wasn’t taught love and respect. They weren’t shown how to cultivate a world that made them feel good and they could make feel good in return. I see abused and battered people, the cycle of abuse, angry incel boys and bullies just desperate for kindness and affection and the space to feel all of their big feelings. I see how all of this fear of SEX ed, is limiting us from the chance for healing future generations because of a fraction of the content. But most of all, I do see the path, or at least a path, to heal the world. But first, maybe a name change is in order…

References:

Olweus, D., & Limber, S. P. (2010). Bullying in school: Evaluation and dissemination of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80(1), 124–134. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-0025.2010.01015.x

Robinson, K., Smith, E., & Davies, C. (2017). Responsibilities, tensions and ways forward: Parents’ perspectives on children’s sexuality education. Sex Education, 17, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2017.1301904

Stanger-Hall, K. F., & Hall, D. W. (2011). Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the U.S. PLoS ONE, 6(10), e24658. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0024658

In today’s day and age MMOG or mass multiplayer online games are played at any time seemingly everywhere in the world. There are so many options of consoles to use ranging from Playstations to Xbox’s to Nintendo Switches to so many PC options and even other consoles not mentioned. Now, I am not going to be someone who writes about how games are terrible, dangerous, no good etcetera. I enjoy many games myself and find it a good way to blow off some steam and a good form of communication to talk and play with my friends in different locations in the world. However, sometimes I am not just playing with my friends.

On almost any of the consoles, I mentioned there is a feature in which you can play online with anyone anywhere else and you even get to hear them and speak to them. This can be fun with friends and sometimes with strangers too. However, there is always at least one person who cares far too much about the game you guys are playing and starts to get really mean, and rude, and can say some devastating things to you while online and while others are listening. While I understand being frustrated with some games as I often get when I feel I should have progressed levels or I die due to a cheap shot someone took while hiding in a corner, I do not ever feel the need to degrade someone just because I maybe think they are not as good at the game as me or because they’re new, and I certainly do not feel the need to insult them about something that has nothing to do with the game like how they look, their weight, gender, sexuality, living circumstances, etc.

Unfourtently though, there are so many people who do this. Like myself, many people play games because they enjoy them and it is freeing for them. Sadly though this may stop being the case for people when bullying behaviors occur making them not want to play anymore losing what may be their one and only source of relief or happiness. I have been someone who has taken things I have been told on a(n) MMOG to heart but was able to bounce back because I have a support system nearby. Something that needs to be considered is that to some their support system is being on these MMOGs and getting to interact with other people.

To some, they can take the cyberbullying that occurs (not that they should have to) but there are far too many more people who can not and get hurt because of this. I have lost far too many people in my life due to cyberbullying and I am left every day wondering not only if these MMOGs are worth the mental warfare that I have received but to those who needed someone’s help and suk out the help of people on an MMOG and ended losing because we have not done enough to remove terrible people like these from these platforms.

Reference:

Ballard, M. E., & Welch, K. M. (2017). Virtual Warfare: Cyberbullying and Cyber-Victimization in MMOG Play. Games and Culture, 12(5), 466–491. https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412015592473

At my childrens’ elementary school, they implement an anti-bullying program. From the time my boys stepped foot onto that campus, at the ripe age of 4, my boys were taught we do not bully. Young children need to be taught that being kind is always superior than being the villain. The earlier young children are taught that bullying is wrong and cruel, the more effective the intervention will be in the long-run.

These days, bullying has become a matter of life and death. This topic hits home for me because a family friend lost her son to a bully. He was only ten years old when he hung himself in his room. He was being bullied at school and did not tell anyone about it. His mother had no idea nor did the rest of his family. Had they have known, I am sure that sweet boy would still be here with us today. If only school staff could have said something to make mom aware that there were issues going on at school.

Teachers and other school staff are aware when a child is being bullied. They need better training on what to do and who to notify.  Many times these bullied kids go ignored. Teachers can see and hear when students are being bullied. Teachers need to intervene but I have seen several look the other way. The main focus of the teacher is not the child being verbally abused in the middle of class. Their main focus is teaching the lessons to their students. They are not adequately trained how to help a student with their mental health.

Educators are trained to listen to the victims but they do not know how to proceed from there. There are social workers are psychologists on campus to further assist with these types of issues. Educators mainly use avoidance strategies to maintain the class lesson and avoid as much disruption as possible. Avoidance strategies use “cognitive or behavioral distraction or withdrawal” (Gruman et al, 2016). I have experienced with my own eyes, middle schoolers being viciously bullied and teachers simply telling the victim to ignore it. How does the problem of bullying go away if we just ignore it?

References

Limber, S.P. (2004) Implementation of the Olweus bullying prevention program in American schools: Lessons learned from the field. Bullying in American schools: a social-ecological perspective on prevention and intervention. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Ch. 17. pp. 351-363.

Agatston, P. W. et al. Students’ Perspectives on Cyber Bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41(6, Supplement 1). Dec. 2007. pp. S59-S60.

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.

Attachment styles are shaped by experience and can be replaced throughout adulthood (Gruman et al., 2016). However, what events trigger us to unlearn our attachment styles? Moreover, are these changes temporary or enduring? If these can be clarified, it may lead to suggestions for interventions to increase security.

According to Fraley et al. (2021), certain life events have been shown to cause persistent changes in attachment styles. For example, conflict with a new romantic partner is associated with a persistent increase in avoidance and anxiety. Those who have experienced loss have also been shown to be associated with increased attachment anxiety(Fraley et al., 2021). These may suggest that if the life event is adverse for the individual, it may increase interpersonal anxiety and trigger changes in attachment style.

Conversely, it has also been suggested that the more positive and rewarding the experience is, the stronger the tendency to show a permanent decrease in attachment anxiety following the event (Fraley et al., 2021). This study shows that attachment styles can change depending on people’s interpretations of life events. For example, if people can develop a positive, mutually supportive, and understanding relationship in a new romantic relationship, they may expect a sustained decrease in attachment anxiety. However, more research is needed because most life events are difficult to translate into lasting changes in attachment styles and are interpreted differently by different people.

There are many life events in our lives. Some people may negatively perceive conflicts in romantic relationships, resulting in increased fearfulness. In contrast, others may take a long-term view of the conflict and interpret it as a positive thing in their relationship, which may reduce the fearfulness. Thus, in the future, by clarifying under what conditions people change their attachment styles in a sustained manner, we may be able to propose interventions to increase our sense of security.

Resources

Fraley, R. C., Gillath, O., & Deboeck, P. R. (2021). Do life events lead to enduring changes in adult attachment styles? A naturalistic longitudinal investigation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 120(6), 1567–1606. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000326
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.

Bullying is a practice that has been around for centuries, but cyberbullying has been demonstrated to be more harmful. This newer form of bullying is called cyberbullying and is now a massive problem in America and other countries. Further, cyberbullying affects students’ mental health more than traditional face-to-face bullying. Therefore, the only way to properly end the epidemic of cyberbullying is to be aware of the motivating aspects that can cause this type of malicious behavior and how to neutralize toxic situations. Based on the evidence from various studies performed and the problematic nature of prevention practices needed to end cyberbullying, it can be argued that cyberbullying is far more harmful than traditional face-to-face bullying.
Cyberbullying occurs over social media platforms. While traditional face-to-face bullying can be brutal without witnesses or authorities stopping the situation, cyberbullying is more private, less likely, and more difficult to track or report. This is why my intervention in the discussion post discussed policies and procedures to monitor and address bullying. In addition, it is challenging to catch cyberbullies because they create fake accounts to bully fellow students, and no one knows who is responsible.
For example, applications such as Snapchat or even Instagram are just two of the many social media platforms that can make cyberbullying anonymous, and therefore difficult to find the bully or retain evidence of the situation. Fortunately, both applications have policies where people can report someone or block them if they are harassed. However, unfortunately, “victims of bullying may not get the help they need to cope with their experiences and feel misunderstood by those in their environment, resulting in a higher potential for negative outcomes” (Sticca & Perren, 2013). This quote is important because many students believe that school staff and parents do not know how to help them. This is another reason why I expressed in the discussion post that school administration, teachers, and parents should obtain the appropriate skills so their children can seek help.
If schools raise awareness of cyberbullying and its harmful effects, bullying in schools can decrease. This awareness can intentionally reduce the likelihood of bullying, especially in severe forms, since bullies would be more informed about the consequences of bullying and know that there will be repercussions (Sticca & Perren, 2013). Furthermore, cyberbullying is more challenging to monitor than face-to-face bullying because it is difficult to catch the potential bully; there are no witnesses, and they cannot track them.

References:

Sticca, F., & Perren, S. (2013). Is Cyberbullying Worse than Traditional Bullying? Examining the Differential Roles of Medium, Publicity, and Anonymity for the Perceived Severity of Bullying. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(5), 739–750. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9867-3.

This week’s reading about how social psychology relates to our personal relationships naturally had me thinking about the people in my life and how they came to be there. For many of us, we can remember how and where we met people; but, what made us go from complete strangers to close friends? What forces led to this immaculate connection that for many, is shared for a lifetime? As we came to learn in our chapter reading, there are many factors that influence relationships. In reflection, the proximity effect has certainly had a grand pull on my development of friendships.

The proximity effect states that when people spend more time together in close spaces, they are more likely to form a bond and affinity towards one another (Gruman, Schneider, & Coutts, 2016). This is because the close proximity offers opportunities to get to know one another and find common interests. The chapter reading mentioned the likelihood of having childhood best friends with last names that start with the same letter as your own, due to possible seating arrangements that were made during class. While this is less accurate for me, as I grew up with the unpopular letter “Z” as my last initial, I did think back to my childhood and the friends that I had.

Most of my friends growing up, and the friends that have stuck by my side into adulthood, are those that I grew up with in my neighborhood. About 20% of my wedding attendants were childhood neighbors of mine! I think that this had a great deal to do with the fact that we grew up living so close to one another, that it was hard not to become close in friendship. If we think about seating arrangements in class, a similar explanation could be bus seating in elementary school. Rather than being seated by the last name, we were always seated by the bus stop. At the beginning of the school year, this was typically assigned for us, however as the year progressed most students stuck with these assigned seats even after we were told we could choose freely where to sit.

I can also apply this proximity effect to my current group of friends. As a full-time student and full-time employee, it stands to reason that my social life is not necessarily flourishing. I do not go out much, however, most of the friends that I do hang out with are people that I work with. I am very different from these individuals. So much so, that I don’t think we would be friends if it weren’t for the fact that we work together in the same office five days a week. In fact, this rings true for the past few jobs I have had, which is very interesting!

Reference

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.

Nowadays it is very easy to talk to anyone essentially anywhere in the world regardless of distance or time differences. This is a great time to be here if I’m being honest. Things are much different now than they used to be and we as people have different interests and different levels of anxiety and social batteries and it is much easier now to cope with that.

For my people that do not like going outside because they feel like they either do not have enough or any friends, people that just have social anxiety, or people who do not relate to anyone around them the internet is doing them such a great favor! They can make friends on so many websites and apps that are plenty safe as long as they are aware of what they are doing. For example, many people like to play video games and find online friends this way and may add them on an app called discord allowing them to message each other, audio, and video chat while not having to give out any private information if they choose not to! It is so great to have other options where you can truly be yourself and vent to people that are unbiased and learn about what their life is like wherever they are in the world.

The possibilities seem endless with internet communities. While home for me is here in Boston, Massachusetts and I now attend Penn State World Campus this was not always the case for me. I actually used to attend Penn State Mont Alto in person up until the end of my Junior year. I lost my mother and felt I needed to come home and support my younger brother and my grandmother since we are all we truly had left. However, I had come too far with my Penn State degree and had been loving the experiences and courses at Penn State so I was and still am very grateful to be continuing my experiences through Penn State World Campus. Through my classes alone I have made more connections and experiences and friendships I had not previously expected and am very grateful for the possibility itself.

The Internet is a powerful place whether it is being used for online learning due to unexpected circumstances, learning differences, communicating across the world, making new friends, therapy, working from home, or whatever else it is that you are doing, we as people everywhere should recognize or begin to recognize and give credit to the internet for all the incredible things it can do for us as well.

Reference

Bekalu, M. A. (2020, January 6). Social media use can be positive for mental health and well-being. Hsph.harvard.edu. Retrieved November 3, 2022, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/social-media-positive-mental-health/

When I think of community, I think of a diverse group of people who are kind, giving, vulnerable, and thrive off of caring for the other members and their shared space. This sounds idyllic and it indeed is, but even a fraction of that kind of ethos would benefit every human involved. Sitting here I am reminded of this beautiful park a block from my house. This large property housed a run-down, asbestos-filled school, a tennis court, a baseball field, and a walking path, all of which are still highly used by the surrounding neighborhood. For a very long time, this school sat there as an eyesore, and members of our neighborhood would often discuss dreams of what the space could be. I would daydream of all of the amazing opportunities that would be possible with the space if only the school could safely be demolished or cleaned up. I imagined being more than just neighbors but creating a community through a sense of belonging (membership), leadership and sharing of skills and ideas (influence), community gardening and sharing of resources (integration and fulfillment of needs), and building of friendships and connections outside the home (emotional connection) (Gruman, 2016). What an amazing little community we could have where we tended the land and each other with care, and in a way, many of us have never experienced in life, nor our ancestors probably going back hundreds or thousands of years. I imagine how that would benefit our kids, to teach them to care about something beyond their screen, to be invested in others in their community, especially those older than them.

It was this daydreaming that gave me my big dreams of teaching comprehensive sex ed to my community. I firmly believe that the interpersonal and intrapersonal skills learned within a thorough curriculum go far beyond keeping just your body safe. Teaching respect and boundaries, communication skills, and how to combat shame, as well as allowing adolescents the grace and understanding that they are capable of mature thought and behavior when given the knowledge they need to thrive. I still dream of giving this to my community, but I am taking the long way around, earning my Bachelor’s and then Master’s and learning how to properly enact change through public policy. Eventually, I hope to make this dream a reality by bringing communities together with the social and emotional support possible through self-understanding.

Fortunately for my community, this dream is becoming more of a possibility as a company came in over the summer and bought the property. Our neighborhood was very concerned about what would be done, fearing the worst of corporate greed envisioning an industrial building being built within our neighborhood. However, much to our astonishment, this was not the case. This company seems to understand community psychology and shares our dreams of preserving the park and has held multiple meetings with neighborhood residents to brainstorm what to do with the park. The community seems very important to them, so much so that every meeting has only been with the builders and the residents, keeping political agendas and those nonresidents with special interests out of the conversation. I and my neighbors got to voice our desires for the park, concession stands, public bathrooms, a longer walking/bike path, redoing the baseball field, a community building with a kitchen, and an outdoor pavilion for parties and events. All sorts of amazing ideas for amenities to bolster our use of the land have been put forth and the community involvement has been immense as we’ve been allowed the opportunity to have a say and give back in a way that is nearly unheard of.

Our last meeting two weeks ago concluded with the sharing of 4 virtual models of possible park layouts and amenities. Each one was beautiful and showed that the builders were listening and really took into account our neighborhood ideas. As of now, demolition of the building has just been completed, and a final plan will be picked in December with groundbreaking in the spring. I cannot wait to see what else my neighborhood comes up with, I for one want a community board and plan to spearhead leading community events and creating the environment and community I dream of.

References:

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.

Being diagnosed with a chronic illness at sixteen came with mixed emotions. First, I was relieved to finally have an answer to what illness had taken over my body and life a year ago. But on the other hand, this was an illness not I, nor anyone else I knew, had heard of at the time. I was a perfectly healthy looking sixteen-year-old girl trapped in a body plagued with nausea, vision trouble, migraines, intense brain fog, high and low blood pressure, insomnia, hypersomnia, chronic pain, digestive issues, worsened periods, circulation issues, chest pain, tachycardia- the list goes on. I went from an A-student, competitive athlete, and sociable teenager to a girl who could barely ever leave her darkened bedroom and bed. Aside from the physiological war that was going on within my body, I had lost everything that made me, me. I was depressed and alone with no one to understand what I was going through, and most people not believing I could be as sick as I was with my appearance still that of a normal, healthy 16-year-old. This is how I discovered what online communities can offer.

During some point in the beginning of my journey with POTS, I found a private Facebook group dedicated to bringing people together from all around the world, all with the same diagnosis as me. This became a place I could go to and be surrounded by people who just got it. Although POTS symptoms and severity can vary widely from case to case, these people were fighting the same physical and mental fight that I was. Now a decade after I first became sick, I can honestly say I would be much further behind in my health journey if it wasn’t for this online community that I found years ago.

Within this group of over 50k members, there is a community. McMillan and Chavis (1986) named four elements that contribute to the sense of community: membership, influence, integration and fulfillment of needs, and shared emotional connection (Gruman et al., 2017). To join this private group, there is a short questionnaire that must be filled before being accepted. This ensures the group is compromised primarily of people already with a POTS diagnosis. This creates the sense of belonging and provides a safe place for its members. With a group of this size, you can choose your level of participation. There are some who are very consistent participates, and others who observe from more of a distance. At different stages of my journey, I have been more active or less active, depending on my needs at the time. Regardless, I know if I need help, there will always be people there for guidance. Feeling as more of a veteran of the group now, it is nice to give back more and help those newer to this diagnosis. The reason I am most thankful for this community, however, is due to the sharing of personal experience, advice, and resources. I have learned far more about my illness from reading through this group, than I have ever sitting in front of a doctor. New research is posted and discussed. For example, one new study posted in this group led to a huge breakthrough in my treatment and symptoms, which has allowed me to come back to finish my undergraduate degree. I have also found my cardiologist and neurologist through recommendations in this group, as there are very few specialists out there. Lastly, this group is a community due to our shared experience with chronic illness. While loved ones may try their best to understand, no one truly can understand without experiencing it themselves. There is an emotional bond we share due to this shared experience. We support those struggling with their circumstances, whether it be because they are new to this diagnosis, or because they are plain sick and tired of being sick and tired.

While we come from all around the world, and the large majority will never know each other in real life, there is a community that comes in the form of online support groups. Having this group throughout my health journey has given me the community I needed to not be alone, and it continues to give me the tools I need to properly navigate my diagnosis. There are many unique circumstances we may find ourselves in from time to time, where the people immediately around us will not be able to help or relate. Thankfully, there are now a plethora of online options that eradicate distance from the equation and connect us with people going through a similar situation so that we can navigate our lives to the best of our abilities.

Reference:

Gruman, J.A. Schneider, F.W. & Coutts, L.A. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

When the pandemic happened and everything changed to zoom instruction, I could no longer see my beloved coworkers in person. I was very thankful to be transitioning to a new job during this difficult time period. It was bittersweet saying goodbye to my old coworkers and hello to my new work family. I remember before transitioning, we were on zoom and I did not feel the same connection online with my peers as I did in person. Seemingly, when I started my new job, which started also on zoom, it was very awkward because I did not know any of these people and it was a new environment.

It was a very hard transition for me because I felt very awkward trying to teach students online when they all had their screens off and we’re not even present. It was very hard to build rapport with people I had never met through a screen. It made it even more difficult because these kids were teens and obviously did not want to be there. Had I already known these individuals, I guarantee it would not have been as awkward as it was.

When I finally was able to meet these same students I had been teaching over zoom, I made some real connections with them. These kids were no longer just black, muted screens. They were real teenagers with real struggles. I got to know them more deeply then I ever thought I would. We built real trusting relationships. They could share with me anything they felt comfortable telling me. I would help them with more than just Math and English. They would tell me about their teenage drama, too. I still miss those students so much. They have graduated but they are still my favorite bunch of kids.

What a huge difference it is to put a face to a name and seeing their personalities and talents as well. Building bonds with my new coworkers was also much easier in person. There is something special about human interaction that cannot be replicated through a screen. One component of a positive sense of community is a shared emotional connection. Members of the community “will feel a shared bond with others within their community” (Gruman et al, 2016). Another component is membership which dives into the emotional safety provided within a community. Those children shared their personal struggles with me because they felt safe within our community after building a strong bond. I will cherish those kids and our time together for years to come.

Reference

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.

Mental health awareness and the acceptance of mental health issues is a recent phenomenon. According to a survey done by the APA, 87% of Americans agree having a mental health disorder is nothing to be ashamed of, while 86% believed mental health disorders can be resolved (APA, 2019). Today, anxiety and depression are two mental health disorders that are commonly spoken about and are encouraged to seek help for. However, it did not begin this way and still today mental health issues can be highly stigmatized.

To give some history, mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and bi-polar disorder were known as hysteria, shell shock, psychosis, and even demonic possession (Baton Rouge Behavioral Hospital, 2022). During the 16^th century most mental health issues were seen as an absence of God and religion, and at this time religion was of the highest importance. This is when and how the negative attitudes about mental health disorders began emerging. During this time cures for mental disorder involved intense surgeries such as lobotomy, exorcisms, or isolation from society such as, jail (Baton Rouge Behavioral Hospital, 2022). Society developed negative attitudes towards those suffering from mental disorders (that carried over until today) believing they were crazy or other-worldly (Baton Rouge Behavioral Hospital, 2022).

Today’s media does an awful job on helping ease the stigma on the mental health disorders. Often, when you come across mental health in the media its portrayed to the extreme and is very negative. For example, the media depicts those with schizophrenia as asylum ridden when in fact if schizophrenia is treated and managed correctly, most people can live normal, productive, and fulfilling lives just as you and I. But because of the long history of the mental health stigma, it has left a lasting impression on society and different culture. Many cultures do not allow conversations surrounding mental health as they perceive it as being weak and unacceptable (Mental First Aid Health USA, 2019).

Most people allow the stigmas surrounding mental health disorders to live on because it is easier than having to expand extra effort in understanding someone’s differences and accepting them. Thibaut and Kelley explain this as the social exchange theory, where people are calculating the rewards versus the cost of an action and go with the action that provides the most rewards (Gruman et al., 2017). So how can make the stigma surrounding mental health issues more costly and education more rewarding? The Tennessee Department of Mental Health suggest the best way to reduce stigmas is to speak openly about mental health in a positive way, educate yourself and others, respond to misperceptions or negative comments by sharing facts and experiences, and to be conscious of language (TN Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, n.d). It is also important to know through education more people can discover, diagnosis and treat mental illnesses. According to the CDC, mental illnesses are among the most common health conditions in the United States with more than 50% of people being diagnosed with a mental illness at some point in their lifetime (CDC, 2021). If more people are aware of how common mental health disorders are understanding someone’s differences will be more rewarding than costly, helping reduce the stigma.

References

American Psychological Association. (2019, May). Survey: Americans becoming more open about Mental Health. American Psychological Association. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2019/05/mental-health-survey

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, June 28). About mental health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm#:~:text=Mental%20illnesses%20are%20among%20the,some%20point%20in%20their%20lifetime.&text=1%20in%205%20Americans%20will,illness%20in%20a%20given%20year.

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE.

Kapil, R. (2019, July 11). Four ways culture impacts mental health. Mental Health First Aid. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2019/07/four-ways-culture-impacts-mental-health/

Reducing stigma. Tennessee State Government – TN.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://www.tn.gov/behavioral-health/stigma.html#:~:text=Easy%20Ways%20You%20Can%20Reduce%20Stigma,-The%20National%20Alliance&text=Talk%20openly%20about%20mental%20health,remind%20people%20that%20words%20matter.

The surprising history of mental illness treatment. Baton Rouge Behavioral Hospital. (2020, April 2). Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://batonrougebehavioral.com/the-surprising-history-of-mental-illness-treatment/

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community faces both internal and external discrimination and oppression in multiple facets of our society despite the social and political gains within the last couple of decades (Harper & Schneider, 2003). For example, the LGBT community still experiences harassment from law enforcement officials based on their sexual orientation (Mallory et al., 2015). There is a well-documented history of police harassment toward LGBT peoples to include profiling and entrapment that the Department of Justice complied in a brief to the Supreme Court (Mallory et al., 2015). More recently, a national report from 2014 detailed that within the LGBT community, 14% reported that police had verbally assaulted them and 21% reported experiencing hostile attitudes from law enforcement personnel (Mallory et al., 2015). Those that are expected to serve and protect use their position to harass and discriminate against a whole community of peoples.

Despite these hardships that the LGBT community experience, they have still come together across local, national, and even international means to create organizations designed to improve the LGBT’s overall quality of life (Harper & Schneider, 2003). These organizations have given back to their community, providing needed resources for LGBT peoples and being a central point for socializing and activism (Harper & Schneider, 2003). The fight for basic human rights for the LGBT community has been a long one. This historical fight for social justice from the LGBT community (among many other communities, such as the Native Americans, domestic violence victims’ organizations, etc.) helped to create and shape the scope, intent, and context of community psychology (Trickett, 2009; Harper & Schneider, 2003). Furthermore, the “community mobilization and social action efforts that have occurred within LGBT communities throughout history clearly demonstrates that LGBT people and communities have participated in many of the same activities as Community Psychologists” (Harper & Schneider, 2003, p. 244). The oppression that this community has had to experience caused them to rise to the challenge and direct change so that they may survive and, hopefully, thrive (Harper & Schneider, 2003).

Although the LGBT community is attributed for implementing community psychology efforts before the field was fully developed, its noted that there is very little academic or empirical support articles about the LGBT experience (Harper & Schneider, 2003). Community psychology is rooted in core values that seek to improve individual and communities’ well-being, fight for social justice, and develop respect for human dignity while combining research with actionable interventions to support the goals of their core values (Gruman et al., 2016). Community psychologists can benefit from observing what activists within the LGBT community are doing and vice versa (Harper & Schneider, 2003). The awareness of these benefits is gaining traction in the community psychology field. For example, the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA) proposed that a Special Interest Group (SIG) be developed to focus on the plights that the LGBT community faces and act as an advocate on behalf of the LGBT community to raise awareness of their issues to community psychologists (Harper & Schneider, 2003).

The discrimination and oppression experienced by the LGBT community has negative effects. As mentioned, law enforcement officers disproportionally target the LGBT community and subject them to verbal or physical abuse (Mallory et al., 2015). This fosters distrust among the two groups which results in LGBT peoples distancing themselves from cooperating with law enforcement (Mallory et al., 2015). Even within the context of schools, LGBT youth experience discrimination which has been linked with negative mental health and increase in risky behavior by LGBT youth (Russell & McGuire, 2008). However, when community psychologists engage in assessing ways to improve the quality of life for communities, positive benefits can occur. Russell & McGuire (2008) conducted a study utilizing the ecological perspective approach regarding school climate and LGBT youth’s sense of connection and discovered that teacher intervention was positively associated with LGBT youth experiencing increased levels of safety. This further illustrates that community psychology will help to enhance the overall well-being of the LGBT community.

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications.

Harper, G. W., & Schneider, M. (2003). Oppression and discrimination among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people and communities: A challenge for community psychology. American Journal of Community Psychology, 31(3), 243-252.

Mallory, C., Hasenbush, A., & Sears, B. (2015). Discrimination and Harassment by Law Enforcement Officers in the LGBT Community. UCLA: The Williams Institute. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5663q0w1

Russell, S. T., & McGuire, J. K. (2008). The school climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. Toward positive youth development: Transforming schools and community programs, 133-149.

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