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16
Mar 24

Social Change: Increases in Mental Health Needs Among College Students

Beginning well before the pandemic, college students have been facing increased mental health issues. This has resulted in significant change in the needs of college students and a restructuring of priorities and resources necessary to help students thrive.

Students struggle with a variety of mental health issues like depression, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders, and PTSD. In addition to pre-existing mental health struggles that can worsen, students are often commonly affected by social issues such as: academic pressure, discrimination, loneliness, financial issues, insomnia, food insecurity, and social pressures. According to the Cambridge Handbook of Social Problems, “Mental illness is not only in itself considered a major social problem, it also often results from the diverse social problems individuals have to face” (Busfield, 2018).

One of the growing needs on campuses is for both mental health awareness and resources. The effect on students and their performance is significant. “Mental health problems can affect a student’s energy level, concentration, dependability, mental ability, and optimism, hindering performance. Research suggests that depression is associated with lower grade point averages, and that co-occurring depression and anxiety can increase this association” (Suicide Prevention Resource Center). Stigma needs to change in terms of how students are perceived and treated. For this to happen, students, faculty, and administration need the resources to build awareness and affect change.

One of the growing resources for college students is the area of on-campus mental health and disability services. Unfortunately, the need often far outweighs the speed at which resources can be developed and offered. One of the resources students can use is disability accommodations, which take into account the impact of mental health on academic performance. Students are then able to counteract some of the negative outcomes usually resulting from mental health struggles such as inability to concentrate and fluctuating dependability. The downfall of this resource is that it requires a medical professional’s diagnosis and significant written, supporting documentation. Therefore, for any student who doesn’t see a professional due to stigma, confusion about how or where to get help, inability to pay for professional help, etc. won’t be able to use this resource as students who don’t face these additional barriers can. This points to a clear problem that needs to be addressed.

Another change that is slowly taking place that is more inclusive than providing academic accommodations is in the area of course structure and assessment strategies. There is a growing trend toward more equitable grading practices in education. This type of grading allows for differences in student performance that aren’t associated with mastery. According to an article in Ed. Magazine by the Harvard Graduate School of Education,“in traditional grading, many commonly used grading categories invite biases. For example, when we include a student’s behavior in a grade, we’re imposing on all of our students a narrow idea of what a “successful” student is”

“In more equitable grading, grades must accurately reflect only a student’s academic level of performance, exclude nonacademic criteria (such as behavior), and use mathematically sound calculations and scales…Grading practices must counteract institutional biases that have historically rewarded students with privilege and punished those without, and also must protect student grades from our own implicit biases.” (Hough, 2019).

 

Resources:

Busfield, J. (2018). Mental Illness and Social Problems. In A. J. Treviño (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Social Problems (pp.23-42). Cambridge University Press.

“Consequenses of Student Mental Health Issues”. Suicide Prevention Resource Center. https://sprc.org/settings/colleges-and-universities/consequences-of-student-mental-health-issues

Hough, Lory. May 18, 2019. Grade Expectations: “Why we need to rethink grading in our schools”. Ed. Magazine. Harvard Graduate School of Education.

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12
Feb 24

I thought I was a hermit, and other great realizations…

Charismatic is the word my mother uses to describe me, others have said social butterfly and I find this very peculiar considering my adoration for solitude.  When the world shut down during the COVID pandemic it seemed like a gift, here was a reason to stay home and do whatever I wanted and never have to see anyone ever again, I could stay inside without guilt.  Living in San Diego people often suggest getting outside, it’s a nice day they say, well I say every day is a nice day, it’s Southern California, leave me alone.

That’s not to say that I don’t love to be around people, and admittedly so, to be the center of attention, but I really like my alone time.  So, looking back I found it odd that the time in lockdown had the opposite effect I had originally imagined.  In the wake of the pandemic I had put on more pounds than I care to admit, lost my motivation for going anywhere, and therefore any interaction with people outside of a gas station attendant or my kids. Now possibly it was not getting any exercise, or because I had two small boys in school online while I was in nursing school prep courses, but I was not myself to say the least. I had lost my mojo, and I felt angry, and very much inside my head, it was indescribably difficult and I felt alone.

It has been a few years now, my boys survived and so did I, life has begun to seem normal again, but only recently.  As this awareness of normalcy came to fruition, so did the realization that something had gone wrong during that time of isolation, and it wasn’t just a lack of exercise, there was more to it, there was a host of emotional turmoil to sift through, but what struck me most, why had that been the outcome and not a shining butterfly of self-care and peace of mind emerging from that time away from everything?  I loved being alone, I enjoyed binging shows, and puttering around my house without any social contact, so why was I a mess?

It was Aristotle who first proposed that we are social creatures and seek the companionship of others as a component of our well-being.  Well-being, however, has become somewhat of a buzzword and feels rather elusive to attain, like Peter Pan’s shadow, just slipping one’s grasp.  That is, until I started piecing the puzzle together, the whys and whats so to speak of what happened to me, and so many others during this time that could have, and maybe for some, was used to better oneself, in my case, felt more like crawling out of a cave.

Studies have shown that those who regularly attend church or social events tend to live longer and healthier lives (Pew Research Center, 2019), (Godman, 2023).  Many of us have heard that religion leads to happier, and thus healthier lives, but what is it that offers this life extension?  According to (Umberson & Karas Montez, 2011) when adults are more socially connected, they too live longer and healthier lives than their counterparts (isolated adults).  And, in one news brief (Godman, 2023), researchers conducted a study examining the lifestyle and social environments of 28,000 individuals for a term of five years.  Findings show that the more that people were socializing the longer they were living, if they did not socialize every day, they still lived longer than those who did not socialize at all (Godman, 2023).

There was credible information showing we are indeed social animals, and this solitude many of us lived through had a serious impact on our overall health and well-being.  As the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023) state, people who are socially connected are more likely to have stability, healthy relationships, and improved decision-making ability.  They go on to mention that the very choices we make are better for our health when we are among others and that we manage stress better, and depression (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023).

So here it was, findings that show just how important social interaction is for our overall well-being, the elusive shadow, completely within my reach.  It took baby steps, I started delivering food, and would occasionally interact with a customer, and then I started easing into grocery stores, and more.  Now about 4 years later, I have begun to lose weight, I have people over to my house again, and I go out and socialize.  I realized that I am seen as charismatic and social because although I am a social butterfly, my “me time” is imperative for recharging my energy.  However, with that being said I can see clearly now that the support of others, and those daily interactions, no matter how brief, are all part of our nature, and something I was desperately lacking.  As Thomas Kottke once said “Medicine is a social science in its very bone and marrow” (Kottke, 2011).

 

 

 

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, May 8). How Does Social Connectedness Affect Health? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/emotional-wellbeing/social-connectedness/affect-health.htm#:~:text=When%20people%20are%20socially%20connected

Godman, H. (2023, July 1). Even a little socializing is linked to longevity. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/even-a-little-socializing-is-linked-to-longevity#:~:text=Within%20the%20first%20five%20years

Kottke, T. E. (2011). Medicine Is a Social Science in Its Very Bone and Marrow. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 86(10), 930–932. https://doi.org/10.4065/mcp.2011.0444

Pew Research Center. (2019, January 31). Religion’s Relationship to Happiness, Civic Engagement and Health Around the World. Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2019/01/31/religions-relationship-to-happiness-civic-engagement-and-health-around-the-world/

Umberson, D., & Karas Montez, J. (2011). Social Relationships and Health: a Flashpoint for Health Policy. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 51(1), 54–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022146510383501

 

 

 

 

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13
Oct 21

What Would You Do?

What would you do if you saw someone get bullied or hurt in front of you? The bystander “ states that people are less likely to help in an emergency when other bystanders are present” (Gruman, 289). There are many reasons why a person might not help in a situation and might consider the bystander effect instead. Some reasons are because the person doesn’t want all the pressure on him or herself, as well as not having any relationship with the person. On the other hand, there are positive aspects to ignoring the bystander effect like not having a guilty feeling and feeling good about yourself. Considering a close person to you is in a difficult incident, how would you want others to react? 

What if someone got into a fight right in front of your eyes would you go to help or would you act like you didn’t see it and move on? Well, there are many reasons why someone might not help if there was a situation happening in front of him or her. One reason someone might ignore the situation is because they do not want the pressure and attention to fall onto them. For example, if someone gets into a minor car accident then they might not help because they see other people around the victim. They would also say something like “why would I help, there are other people here.” They don’t want the pressure of having to tell the police what happened as well as making sure the person in the car is safe and not injured. Another reason why someone might not help is because of the relationship between the bystander and the victim. They might not be related to that person and feel the need to stay away from the situation and not get involved. There are many dangers within the bystander effect that we do not realize. One danger is that if you witness a crime or accident of death, and not speak about being a witness about what happened, that can result in you going to jail for two years. You can become guilty of not stating what you have seen in the accident. If I were in a difficult situation like this I don’t know what I would do, but I would most likely call the police or someone nearby that would be able to help in the situation. 

Although many won’t help in a situation and rather stay within the bystander effect, what are some ways that can be solved. What if you actually take action, how can that help? If a person decides not to be a bystander and help in the situation instead, then that would give the person more confidence. How can we drop the bystander effect? One way is to take action when a situation happens. For example, if a person is in an accident then stepping in the situation would help the person survive. First you would check if the scene is safe to go near, then make sure the people in the car are safe, and finally call for help from others. This situation would help a person feel good about themselves afterwards in which the idea of saving someone’s life is a big deal. Another reason why someone should step in is to not have a guilty feeling. If something bad happened to a person while you were watching that would make you feel guilty and think to yourself “if I helped him or her would that have changed anything?” That is one major reason to help save someone and ignore the bystander effect. Another reason why to ignore the bystander effect is, what if the person in the accident is a relative to you, would you want people to ignore the situation and act like they don’t see it? 

The bystander effect relates to the “Diffusion of responsibility (Darley & Latane, 1968) [that] reflect the notion that as the number of people present in a situation increases, each individual feels less compelled or responsible to help” (Gordon, 843). The diffusion of responsibility connects to the bystander effect because the more people there are in the situation, the less the responsibility is on a specific person. We assume that if there are a lot of people in the situation, then they are helping out in the situation. We can make a person have more responsibility by decreasing the group number and increasing accountability. This way the situation can be helped instead of just being looked at. 

The bystander effect is a social phenomenon in which a person doesn’t offer any help to a situation when others are present. Individuals might use the bystander effect because of the fear of being overwhelmed as well as believing that they don’t have any relationship with the situation and there is no need to help. Others that might ignore the bystander effect would help a person feel good about themselves and not have an after feeling of being guilty. The diffusion of responsibility relates to the bystander effect in which the help is assumed to not be needed with the increased number of people around. This can be solved through the same way as the bystander effect. What would you do if an incident happened in front of you, would you help immediately or would you stay as a bystander? 

References:

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

Moskowitz, G. (n.d.). Crowded minds: The implicit bystander effect. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://www.academia.edu/11870091/Crowded_Minds_The_Implicit_Bystander_Effect?from=cover_page 

 

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30
Sep 21

Gender Differences

Gender Differences

Gender differences have been a major issue in the society that we live in. People immediately give off stereotypes stating what a person can and cannot do. Gender differences can be seen whether they are stated verbally or non-verbal. Stereotypes lead to assumptions and norms about what activities, sports, and dress codes are considered masculine or feminine. Gender differences play a huge role since childhood and continue to expand as a person gets older. Biological and social factors affect the result of gender differences. A child’s gender influences the outcome of education, social life, and the judgment against them.

Gender differences is a way that we stereotype ourselves and keep ourselves in groups. There are different categories in which we separate for males and females. The activities, dress code, and sports are ways that we stereotype ourselves. For example, when we think of ice hockey, we think of males playing the game instead of females. While thinking about cheerleading, we think of majority females. Gender refers to “social or learned characteristics that are associated with being male or female” (Gruman 393). The way that we act in the social world is the way that we are being characterized. There are social norms that state things to be masculine and other things being feminine.

Even in early childhood, kids separate themselves based on being a male or female. Children separate themselves in activities, classrooms, and playgrounds. If you were to see a boy in a line of girls, then other kids would make fun of him for not being with them. When I was a child, I could relate to gender differences because I would only accept things that are pink and considered girly. I loved to have my hair done, nail polish, and dressing up as a princess. I used to also stay in areas around other girls and play with activities that are not as masculine. When playing a game or activity, do you normally pick others in the same gender or the opposite sex? Not only do our physical actions affect our gender differences, but also our verbal actions. The way that we express our feelings and emotions are different and might be expressed as being emotional for women. According to the textbook, “when a male child cries, people will often explain the behavior by saying that he is angry, whereas when a female child cies, they will often describe her as frightened” (Gruman 394). The way that we express our emotions as perceived differently in males and females. Men are considered to being angry and weak if they cry, while females are considered to be frightened and emotional.

Gender differences are the result of biological and social factors that influence a child’s response. Depending on the biological and social factors that a child grew up in, their responses might differ. If you were to tell a boy, what job do you want to work as you grow older, his answers might be like police officer, fireman, or athletics coach. They would consider jobs that are considered more masculine. On the other hand, if a girl is asked, she would say something like a teacher, model, doctor, or artist. Girls tend to choose careers that are feminine and less masculine. Not only do our choices affect the way that we choose things but also our biological and social factors. Some children might choose to be police officers because the social environment they live in might not be too safe.

In conclusion, the way that we are raised as children is the way that create gender differences and will be the same for future generation. In the society that we live in, gender differences have had a huge impact in our lives. Gender differences cause stereotypes in which we preserve ourselves and consider what and what not to do. Separating ourselves based on gender even developed since childhood and continues to expand as we grow. Gender differences expand to create stereotypes that create social norms since childhood. There are biological and social factors that influence gender differences. Does gender play a role in the way that you interact and communicate with others?

References:

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

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16
Sep 21

The affects of short-term temptations in the American Culture: Obesity.

Overeating has been a major problem in America, “an estimated 60% of adults in the United States and Britain are currently overweight or obsess and they are becoming so at an earlier age than ever before (Davis 929). Overeating is caused by the human’s temptation towards food, alcohol, smoking, and many more. Overeating is a form of social traps in which they pleasure people in the short-term but affect them in the long term in a negative way instead. The choice of a person relates to their want for immediate pleasure in the short term, like eating junk food, or by waiting for the reward of the long term and staying healthy. What are some factors that cause people to overeat in their daily lives? Some factors that might cause overeating are like stress, body shame, and social media and the internet. While there are many factors that influence obesity, there are ways in which we can solve this problem.

Overeating is a major loss of control over what a person’s body is craving. There are many factors that cause obesity to happen, and recently the percentages of obesity have been increasing at a younger age as well. One factor is stress which causes many to keep eating without even realizing to express their feelings and their emotions through food. When someone is stressed, a way of coping with it is by grabbing anything they can find and eat it. Also, body shame is a way that people who do not like the way that they look try to deal with it either by cutting out all food or by overeating. Someone might be angry about the way that they look and not want to be very skinny anymore, for example, so they start eating more and their body is not used to it. Over time, continuing to eat large amounts of food will cause the person to become obese without even realizing. One large factor in what causes obesity is social media and the use of the internet. Many children, teenagers, and adults use the internet daily 24/7, causing them to eat while they are sitting on a desk or in bed on the internet. Using the internet distracts a person from realizing what they are eating and continues to let a person overeat without noticing and repeating this overtime will cause a person to become obese.

Obesity connects to social traps in which we learned in class. Social traps are the involvement of a person in choosing to have the short-term pleasure or waiting long term for the gain of something, according to the textbook (Gruman 354). This idea might not relate to everyone because some might overeat and not become obese while others will eat normally and still gain weight. This is frustrating to people that gain from the slightest things like eating past ten o’clock at night, while others might eat at twelve o’clock at night and not gain anything. This really depends on a person’s body and how it reacts to food. Not wanting to wait for the long term, many eat as much as they want but causing them to end up with some problem in their body like high blood pressure, high levels of sugar, obesity, acne, and many more. Others that wait for the long term are benefited with staying fit and not having to deal with any problem in their body. I experienced a short-term situation in which I was stuffed full after dinner on a Sunday afternoon, and I couldn’t have dessert, so I saved it for later. Still being full, I realized that I did not eat my dessert, but I ended up eating it at twelve o’clock at night even though I was full.

There are many ways that obesity can be solved and minimized in the American culture. One way of minimizing obesity is by eating more healthy food instead of processed food. The easiest thing to cook is processed food in which it would be ready in ten minutes or less. Especially in college, many students don’t take their time in cooking a healthy meal but instead find processed food. Junk food is a major factor of obesity and getting rid of it with health options will help a person see a positive outcome. Another way to minimize overeating is by having a time frame for the time of meals and knowing when you ate the last meal and not eating too late. These ways might be able to help with obesity.

In conclusion, overeating has been a major factor in the American culture caused by many factors like stress, anxiety, body shame and internet use. It is important to realize the effects that obesity can have on a person whether they are young or adults. Overeating relates to social traps in which most of the time aim for the short term instead of the long term. While some might argue that it is a human normal phase in which people fall into this trap, in my opinion there should be ways in which we solve obesity. To find ways to solve overeating, we should strive to find better replacements that will have an increase in human health and weight.

References: Davis, C., Levitan, R. D., Muglia, P., Bewell, C., & Kennedy, J. L. (2004). Decision-Making Deficits and Overeating: A Risk Model for Obesity. Obesity Research, 12(6), 929–935. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2004.113

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

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21
Nov 19

Fake News

For the past several months, at least one of my friends have shared a post, Women Should Go Out With Friends Twice A Week For Better Health, posted by creativehealthyfamily.com (n.d.) on their Facebook.  The article claims that according to a new study, women should go out with girlfriends twice a week to be healthier (creativehealthyfamily.com, n.d.). It further claims that “drinking beer, gossiping, and talking about their rivals (preferred topic). Doing these “things” make women socialize, drink and laugh together” (creativehealthyfamily.com, n.d.). At first, I got excited for a second, how wonderful it is to now have empirical research to backup my excuse to go out with my girlfriends. Quickly, though, I started to question the research. How did the study operationally define “healthier”? How did the study end up with twice a week, but no once or thrice for example? Dr. Robin Dunbar, who was hired to run this study, explains to The Huffington Post that “[t]he figure of twice a week comes from our findings that this is the amount of time that you typically spend with your closest friends/family” (as cited in creativehealthyfamily.com, n.d.). How did he find that findings? And with all these questions my excitement faded and the researcher-in-training in me got the best of me and I fact checked. According to editor in chief Alan Duke (2019) for Hoaxalert.com, the study was actually a social experiment conducted by Robin Dunbar, an Oxford psychology professor, who was hired by the Guinness Beer company. The social experiment involvement five men (note no women) to measure men’s happiness “doing things” with the men (Dunbar, 2019). The purpose of the social experiment was meant for the Guinness Beer company to use as a television campaign to promote men going out and drinking beer with friends (Dunbar, 2019). I’m echoing our lesson commentary that it’s not to say that the researcher, in this case Dunbar, intentionally mislead the public, but there are many aspects that could have led him in this particular direction (PSU WC, 2019, L.13). Thus, it’s important to fact check, check for the credits page, check to see who sponsored it and what was their interest, and check researchers’ affiliation (PSU WC, 2019, L.13). The fake news could end with you, if you fact check before sharing. 

 

 

References

Duke, A. (2019, July 1). Fake News: Women Do NOT Need To Go Out With Friends Twice A Week To Stay Healthy: Lead Stories. Retrieved November 21, 2019, from https://hoax-alert.leadstories.com/3470628-fake-news-women-do-not-need-to-go-out-with-friends-twice-a-week-to-stay-healthy.html?fbclid=IwAR1S9BYjvQrZlCt5WaHVYhGXpp5XVu1M5Gf-dMNBL1UNpONC9aVhtHEq_hw.

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2019). PSYCH 424 :
Applied Social Psychology, Lesson 13: Social Change/Participatory Research. Retrieved on November 19, 2019 from: https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2008549/modules/items/27030759

Women Should Go Out With Girlfriends Twice A Week To Improve Their Health. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2019, from https://www.creativehealthyfamily.com/women-should-go-out-with-girlfriends-twice-a-week-to-improve-their-health/.

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20
Nov 19

The Food Inequality Epidemic

 

There are many things that we take advantage of on a daily basis that seems inconsequential, but others do not have the same luxury. In today’s society we are bombarded with food commercials that entice us to go to the store and grab new products or visit a nearby restaurant and try new foods. Unfortunately, in some areas people are afforded the luxury to go buy any foods that they desire while others lack the same opportunities. With the growing trend to become more health conscious, food selection is an important aspect of health. But if some areas lack the opportunity to choose healthy foods, then there is a major injustice. A food desert, according to the USDA (2010), is a neighborhood that lacks choices of healthy and affordable food options. This is more common among small rural and low-income neighborhoods that lack transportation and retailers that supply healthy foods.  These food deserts can only further health concerns and contribute to disease and high obesity rates.

There has been some participatory action research done in order to understand that factors associated with food deserts and to give suggestions to bring about social action. As stated in our lecture, participatory research aims to learn about issues that are prevalent in the community and create a strategy to effectively change the issues. One research study found that food deserts occur more among black and Hispanic neighborhoods that have higher rates of poverty (Brooks, 2014). The researcher suggested that, in order to combat the lack of grocery stores and healthy food options in the area, the community should develop some initiatives for food programs like farmers markets or a grocery delivery service. They also suggested that policies be made in order to entice supermarkets to develop infrastructure within these food deserts. Public advocacy, social action, and local services development are all essential in order to initiate change (Gruman, Schneider, and Coutts, 2017). Another study conducted by the USDA (2012) found that food deserts correlated with areas with high poverty rates and areas with minimal public transportation, but also found that rural areas with increasing population were less likely to have food deserts. Although some rural neighborhoods can be considered food deserts, many food deserts exist in urban areas with high unemployment rates and racial minorities.

So how can we change food deserts so that they have more access to healthy foods and overall better quality of life? Many organizations are already utilizing their resources to educate and awareness about food deserts, while also using social outreach to encourage policy change. One organization called the Food Empowerment Project works to provide more sustainable and healthy food options to low-income neighborhoods, while also encouraging those in more affluent neighborhoods to make healthier and environmentally friendly choices. They often do surveys of the community to determine the needs of the community and then contact public officials on how to better assist the community. Another way community members have helped minimize the impact of food deserts, are mobile food trucks like Second Harvest Food Bank in California that help distribute healthy foods to those in need (Food Tank, 2016).

Food deserts can have a major impact on the quality of health and wellbeing in low-income and minority neighborhoods. Many of these neighborhoods suffer from high rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease because of the lack of healthy foods in their area. By conducting more participatory research in these areas, it can help increase awareness of these social issues and bring about social justice. Policy change and community involvement are just some of the ways change can be initiated in these areas, but it first starts with awareness.

References

Brooks, K. (2014, March 10). Research shows food deserts more abundant in minority neighborhoods. Retrieved from https://hub.jhu.edu/magazine/2014/spring/racial-food-deserts/.

Dutko, Paula, Ver Ploeg, Michelle, & Farrigan, Tracey (2012). Characteristics and Influential Factors of Food Deserts, ERR-140, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

Food Empowerment Project. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://foodispower.org/.

Food Tank. (2016, November 27). Five Innovative Solutions From “Food Desert” Activists. Retrieved from https://foodtank.com/news/2013/05/five-innovative-solutions-from-food-desert-activists/.

Gruman J.A., Schneider, F.W., & Coutts, L.M. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

United States Department of Agriculture. (2010). Access to Affordable, Nutritious Food Is Limited in “Food Deserts”. Retrieved from https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2010/march/access-to-affordable-nutritious-food-is-limited-in-food-deserts/.

 

 

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15
Apr 18

Beware What You Tweet For

I’ve mentioned before how social media and technology has connected us all as a one giant community.  This connection has not only changed how we interact as a group but also creates a new method for social change.  Taking a look at recent “viral” causes such as the recent debate on the second amendment and firearms, people such as David Hogg are utilizing social media in order to enact social change.  Through just a few taps of a finger it is possible for a regular, normal, person to get in touch with thousands of others who potentially view the situation in question in a similar light (Gomez & Zdanowicz, 2018).  This new ability almost seems to bypass the need for trained social intervention activists, allowing the layman to become one all by themselves and in essence creating the perfect example of a participatory researcher, one who is involved in the work the are researching themselves.

However, this ability to reach out and capture a large group’s attention almost creates a “beware what you wish for” approach in that you may not like the results that are created.  In the wake of the Parkland School Shooting a group of students took to social media demanding a change in school safety and firearm control.  In a controversial response the schools enacted new policies of mandatory clear backpacks and tighter security measures.  The new policy, while arguably creating a safer environment, wasn’t exactly the change that the student’s were striving for, leading to a largely angry response on their part (González-Ramírez, 2018).

My point in all of this is that while technology is great, it is important to fully understand the concepts that you are proposing be changed.  In this instance the activists suffered from the flaw of having an unclear message.  Most would agree that the real change that the activists were trying to achieve was a change in firearm control, legislation, and regulation.  However, in an effort to make it more engaging, appealing, and to tie it to an emotional event they re-branded the message as a social change movement demanding change in school safety.  This allowed the school systems to respond in a way that was beyond their desired outcome, in a way they did not wish, and are most definitely not happy about (González-Ramírez, 2018).  While I am not looking to debate the merits on either said of this social change movement, the point that I am wishing to make is that while it may be easy and quick for any of us to initiate a social change movement in our own community it is also crucial that the desired goals of the movement be clearly expressed so the desired outcomes can be achieved.

 

González-Ramírez, A. (2018). Here’s How the Parkland Students Feel About Their New Clear Backpacks.  Retrieved From:  https://www.refinery29.com/2018/04/195395/marjory-stoneman-douglas-students-clear-backpacks-reaction?bucketed=true&bucketing_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Gomez, I., & Zdanowicz, C. (2018). A Brief History of how Parkland Survivor David Hogg Keeps Schooling Lawmakers on Social Media.  Retrieved From:  https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/28/us/david-hogg-social-media-trnd/index.html

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02
Feb 18

How a Philadelphia prison reduces food waste through composting

One major challenge facing densely populated areas is waste disposal. Therefore, many programs are emerging to dispose of trash in an environmentally conscious manner. Philadelphia Mayor Kenney is an optimist, with his ambitious plan to “reduce the amount of waste the ends up in landfills and incinerators 90 percent by 2035” (Jaramillo, 2017). Therefore, in 17 years, the city must build programs and initiatives to make the plan possible. What makes this plan so ambitious is that Philadelphia currently does not have any facilities to manage the city’s composting. Furthermore, there are only a handful of small organizations that regularly collect compost from residences. There are endless steps to be discussed regarding a major city reducing its waste by 90%, though we will focus on one major factor, composting.

Of course, composting is certainly not the only solution to the earth potentially approaching it’s carrying capacity (PSU WC, 2018). It is instead a feasible way for humans to reduce their impact on the environment. Composting is a natural way of turning food scraps, yard trimmings, and various other waste materials into nutrient rich soil. This soil is reinvested into the earth and contributes to the growth of food and cleaner environments. Composting also directly contributes to a reduction of trash that gets transported to landfills, thus reducing energy use and the loss of natural resources.

For some cities, the barriers to composting may feel too large to tackle. Currently, Philadelphia cannot physically support such a large initiative due to lack of facilities and programs. However, the Philadelphia prison system presents an excellent example of how how turn food scraps into a sustainable, educational, fruitful practice. The city of Philadelphia’s website discusses how some inmates are graduating with a vocational certificate in Organic Agriculture from Temple University (Chatterjee, 2017). Incarcerated students learn through working on a large and extensive farm and composting program within the Philadelphia prison system, composting hundreds of pounds of food waste daily (Chatterjee, 2017). Chatterjee also notes: “The program helped them make connections between food, agriculture, and adverse impacts of the food system on climate change” (Chatterjee, 2017).

According to Applied Social Psychology: “Sometimes, social change is accomplished by empowering the social group or facilitating its members’ social action in some way” (Schneider, 2013). This is what Sustainability Manager, Laura Cassidy initiated within the prison system. A program began that allowed the inmates to work on a program that took their food scraps and turned them into soil and thus produced a farm. This created a cycle of sustainability, while also providing job training, educational certificates, and influencing the culture to one that in conscious of food and how it influences the environment.

Programs such as this are extremely valuable, as they reduce to amount of energy wasted on trash disposal, while also providing jobs, educational opportunities, and fresh healthy food. This saves money and reduces the negative impact on the environment. Other organizations can use this as an example to reduce their negative impact by increasing sustainable and highly-beneficial composting programs. Finally, programs such as this are a way to influence social change, through the inmates participating and directly experiencing the positive influence of such a program.

References

Chatterjee, H. (2017, May 16). Outside the walls. Retrieved from City of Philadelphia: https://beta.phila.gov/posts/office-of-sustainability/2017-07-13-a-new-cohort-of-graduates-in-organic-agriculture/

Jaramillo, C. (2017, February 6). Composting in Philadelphia: Where we are and where we are going. Retrieved October 30, 2017, from Plan Philly: a project of WHYY: http://planphilly.com/articles/2017/02/06/composting-in-philadelphia-where-we-are-and-where-we-are-going

Pennsylvania State University, World Campus. (2018). PSYCH 424: Lesson 4: The Environment. Retrieved from CANVAS: https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1924488/modules

Schneider, F. W. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Second Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

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16
Apr 17

Social Change and Urban Rebellion

Social change and urban rebellion

What is social change research and what are the different forms of social change research? How can we use social change research in our and others daily lives to make improvements? One of the topics that I found very interesting is the effect of social change research in the “Ghetto”. What does the word ghetto means? How can we use social change research to help individuals, mainly youths who reside in the ghetto to have better lives and a possible better future?

Social change research comes in several different forms, but the general idea is that the researchers are actively changing something in a social situation that they are a part of. There is Participatory research which is when the researchers are a part of the community and they get involved to learn things about the community that they live in. A good example of such research would be an individual who lives in the ghetto and is constantly tries to bring changes in the ghetto to better the lives of its residents. The second kind of social change research would be Activist research which goes beyond participatory research. The researcher is not only vested in the outcome of the research, but may be pushing a certain value set through their research (Nelson A., 2017).

Social research is a critical foundation for programs that seek to engage communities in change and in the development of more sustainable societies. Without appropriate research, programs aimed at change are likely to be based on implicit or assumed problem identification and or inferred community needs and wishes. I Personally don’t like to use the word ghetto. The term “ghetto” dates to describing the neighborhoods to which Jewish Europeans were confined. More recently, it’s been used in the U.S. to describe urban neighborhoods where minority groups live out of economic pressures (Izadi E., 2011).

To bring change in the less fortunate areas of the city, the residents of that community need to act and figure out what can they do to better their lives and the lives of the people in their community. This would be a perfect example of participatory research. For example, the leaders of the said communities can with the help of parents, educate the youth and provide them with options to do volunteer work after school. Living in a ghetto gives its inhabitants a certain community feeling, a certain sense of comfort and familiarity that they would find hard to get anywhere. Personal sense of comfort, community and normalcy matter much more to an individual when they do not possess economic comfort (Bandyopadhyay K., 2015).

I believe the best social change research method that would be effective in the said areas, would be the participatory research which is research conducted by the residence of that community. The researcher would understand the issues within that community better than anyone else and would be able to design and implement a plan to bring change within that community. Moving from a ghetto is not as easy as just packing up and moving out. People often get caught in the cycle of poverty. Therefore, getting the education and other life skills to move them out of that cycle can be very difficult, however it is possible with the help of the leaders of the community and by providing opportunities to those in need.

References

Bandyopadhyay K., Quora, (2015, May 9). Why do People Stay in the Ghetto When They Can Move Elsewhere? Retrieved April 15, 2017, from www.quora.com

Izadi E., DCentric, (2011, May 11). Ghetto: Five Reasons to Rethink the Word. Retrieved April 15, 2017, from www.dcentric.wamu.org

Nelson, A. (2017). Lesson 13. Applied social psychology: Social Change / Participatory Research. Presented on the PSYCH 424 course content site lecture at the Pennsylvania State University.

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15
Apr 17

Pseudo-Participatory Researchers and the #BlackLivesMatter Movement

Written 4/15/2017 by Lia Stoffle

This week we learned about social change research and its two subsets: participatory research and activist research. The origins of participatory research are credited to Paulo Freire (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012). He believed that “authentic education” involved “working with…oppressed groups rather than providing information for or about the group” (Schneider et al., 2012, p. 290). Based on his theories, he worked with Brazilian peasants to incite social change and life improvements. His takeaway: unsuccessful social and political change was due to designs not based on the people who would be affected by the change, but rather based on the ideas of “educators and politicians” (Schneider et al., 2012, p. 291). In 1977 Hall, Marino, and Jackson cofounded the Participatory Research Project in Toronto Canada (Hall, 1992). Their work, and the general focus of participatory research, involves a bias for people of “dominated, exploited, poor, or otherwise ignored” origins, with focus on the interaction or power and democracy, and attention to various social factors (Hall, 1992, p. 16). Having these roots established, my mind immediately went to the #BlackLivesMatter movement. I thought between the thousands of articles and studies at my disposal there must be some literature on social change research involving the Black Lives Matter movement. What I found was far less than I imagined. As I searched through “most recent” and “most relevant” filters I was still getting articles that either had to do with the Black Lives Matter movement OR participatory research. I thought “how in the world could this movement be so prevalent in American society that I see it all over the news and social media, yet the scholarly research be so scarce?” That’s what cued me in to discover that, in a sense, people from different walks of life ARE engaging in participatory research, but they probably aren’t in a position to write a scholarly article about the movement and the connections to the participatory research itself. Social media has made it possible for ordinary people to involve themselves in participatory research without necessarily realizing it. Continue reading →

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14
Apr 17

The Kinder & Braver World Project

The Kinder & Braver World Project portray participatory action research as, “a process through which people investigate meaningful social topics, participate in research to understand the root causes of problems that directly impact them, and then take action to influence policies through dissemination of their findings to policymakers and stakeholders (Powers & Allaman, 2012).”  The goal of the research is to expand their social movement into youth communities and encourage leadership.  Schneider describes social action as, “by organizing you can stimulate collective action in the community that generates power to create change (Schneider, 2012).”  Various programs have been designed to add value and promote positive change within communities.

Everyone has their own perspective on how they feel about a particular problem.  Relatively, it is necessary to customize programs that define unique qualities among young people and adults.  After engaging with individualized concerns, a plan for social change may be created.  The plan should clearly define a purpose and identify goals for addressing change.  By involving youthful communities in the developing a plan for social change, young individuals will learn how to address diverse communal issues.  They will learn how to relate to others from various backgrounds, cultures, and opinions.  Youth engagement models are effective for improving issues surrounding a common goal, as well as promoting relations that will motivate involvement.

Youth United for Change (YUC) is a veteran-based organization established in Philadelphia.  The group aims to meet the wishes and needs of young individuals within the community.  Generally, group activities and meetings take place in schools in order to reach out to the youth population.  Organizers promote relationships and address any ideas or worries that the young community may have regarding the world around them.  YUC wants to make sure that juveniles feel like their heard, and their needs are important.  Additionally, the process positively impacts leadership skills and relationships.  Conclusively, the program is an effective way for children to voice their opinion and propose any questions about social reform.

 

Powers, C.B., Allaman, E. (2012, December 17). How Participatory Action Research Can Promote Social Change and Help Youth Development – The Kinder & Braver World Project: Research Series. Retrieved April 14, 2017 from http://cyber.harvard.edu/sites/cyber.harvard.edu/files/KBWParticipatoryActionResearch2012.pdf

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN 978-1412976381

 

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16
Nov 16

Social Change: Action research

 

quote-no-research-without-action-no-action-without-research-kurt-lewin-136-14-90Not all of us will become professional scientists, but most thinking persons are lay scientists. For example, we all make predictions about the outcomes of various choices at our disposal in our daily life through an informal and largely unconscious process. Similarly, those of us who are personally invested in (any pro-social) career outside of basic research nonetheless conduct informal action research in the pursuit of successful outcomes. By definition, action research occurs when individuals seek to influence the community they are a part of, and therefore have a vested interest in (Lewin, 1946, in Scheider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012).

In order to become a better doctor, for example, one must not only stay on the cutting edge of medicine, but must also learn how to achieve greater patient compliance with medical directives. If patients aren’t compliant, a physician might dig deeper to find out why individuals don’t act in accordance with medical advice. He or she might wonder, are patients confused about instructions, unable to afford prescribed medications, or embarrassed to discuss side effects, fears, or other concerns? Could they disagree with or distrust the physician’s goals? These types of questions exhibit more than simple curiosity—they indicate an underlying desire to improve health outcomes more effectively through heightened awareness of patients’ personal and cultural needs.

If we want to systematize this informal process of examination so that our own findings may contribute to broader understanding, participatory action research is an avenue that capitalizes on the insights tharcat can be gained through being on the front lines of a pressing social concern. This iterative cycle of inquiry and reflection (Kolk, n.d.) allows us to—to paraphrase Paulo Friere, author of Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970/1993)—both educate, and be educated by, the very people we study (Brydon-Miller, 1997). At the core of this approach is the fundamental belief that authentic knowledge cannot be generated without the participation and perspective of the communities investigated.

People in various careers participate in action research, not the least of which is education. Dick Sagor, former high school principal and current Director of the Institute for the Study of Inquiry in Education, encourages teachers to collaborate with each other as action researchers (Kolk, n.d.). By pooling their experiences and results, he says, teachers became more invested and successful, boosting teacher satisfaction as well as school culture. Melinda Kolk, editor of Creative Educator lays out a template for would-be action researchers in the classroom environment to follow if they wish to formalize their informal processes (Kolk, n.d.). By progressing through the action research cycle, they can reap the benefits of promoting effective change in their own classrooms, while potentially benefiting students and teachers in the broader community should their research be published.

I can’t help but think that adopting an action researcher mentality, regardless of one’s career, would provide a greater sense of fulfillment and purpose to daily tasks. A sense of ongoing inquisitiveness, paired with a commitment to the greater good, would particularly enrich those whose career choice puts them into frequent contact with disadvantaged or marginalized groups.

Brydon‐Miller, M. (1997). Participatory action research: Psychology and social change. Journal of Social Issues, 53(4), 657-666. doi:10.1111/0022-4537.00042.

Kolk, M. Embrace action research. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from Creative Educator, http://www.thecreativeeducator.com/v07/articles/Embracing_Action_Research

Kolk, M. K. M. Interview with Dick Sagor. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://www.thecreativeeducator.com/v07/articles/Interview_Dick_Sagor

Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://www.azquotes.com/picture-quotes/quote-no-research-without-action-no-action-without-research-kurt-lewin-136-14-90.jpg

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

 

 

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15
Nov 16

By the Bootstraps

You can tell a man to lift himself up by his own bootstraps, but what if he has no feet?

Painting by Van Gogh (1895), as taken from Wikimedia (2012)

Painting by Vincent van Gogh (1895), as taken from Wikimedia (2012)

Like how the classic colloquialism of “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” assumes a set of standards that may not always apply, social interventions are only effective if they match the needs of the people they aim to serve. For instance, if I wanted to help a ward of impoverished patients by donating a dozen pairs of boots, I would get some pretty scornful looks if they were in the hospital for transfemoral amputations. My intentions may have been good, but if I don’t account for the experiences of everyone I hope to help, I may harm them more than help them. Unfortunately, many well-intended people look at the world as though through a mirror, assuming that everyone everywhere would share the same needs, desires, and concerns that they themselves have. While this may at times produce great deeds and moments of human triumph when the needs of donor and recipient coincide, it can at times backfire.

Take the push to send yoga mats to Haiti in the wake of the 2010 earthquake (Kenny, 2011). Or the import of donated clothing that, through overwhelming the local economy, destroyed the textile industries in most African countries by 50 (Frazer, 2008; Brooks, 2013) to 88 percent (Aboagyewaa-Ntiri & Mintah, 2016). Or the food rations packages air-dropped in to Afghanistan that were the same color and size as cluster bombs and which Afghani children often couldn’t tell apart (Stupat, 2012).

If you didn't speak English, would it be hard to tell the two apart? (Stupart, 2012)

If you didn’t speak English, would it be hard to tell which to pick up? (Stupart, 2012)

Interventions like these that do not take the interests and perspectives of the people they purport to help can do far more harm than good. But such top-down approaches are far too common; in fact, they’re the traditional way of providing aid, from neighborhood to neighborhood and from nation to nation. In top-down interventions, researchers, politicians, humanitarian aid workers, and other authorities treat recipients as passive beneficiaries of aid rather than as active participants in the process; they tell people what they need rather than think to ask. By believing that their own culture is the gold standard and the default from which all others should be compared, many individuals who are part of top-down programs practice ethnocentrism, and by assuming that this cultural superiority grants them the authority to know what’s best for others more than those others themselves, top-down practitioners can also be paternalistic as well. By exploring a bit more of what can go wrong when good intentions go bad, perhaps we can see just why the bottom-up participatory action research we learned about this week is such a revolution.

What does a purchase of TOMS shoes really contribute? (Image from TOMS, 2016)

TOMS (2016d) is one of the progenitors of the buy-one, give-one model of profitable giving.

An example of a top-down program that could do with a bit of participatory action research is TOMS, a company that got its start by offering to donate a pair of shoes to an underprivileged person for every pair purchased. The company’s founder, Blake Mycoskie, got the idea while traveling the world after competing on The Amazing Race (2016). Mycoskie was in Argentina to learn how to play polo when he encountered a woman collecting shoes for the poor and, after accompanying her and seeing the impact she had on the lives of others, decided to return home and start an organization of his own (2016). Shoes for Tomorrow, later Tomorrow’s Shoes, which he shortened to TOMS to fit the name on the label (Mycoskie, 2016), has since grown into a remarkable success. The company has helped more than 35 million people in over 70 countries, donating shoes and glasses, increasing access to clean drinking water, promoting the means for safe childbirth, and even working to prevent bullying (TOMS, 2016e). TOMS has achieved this through its “One for One” philosophy–now trademarked–and the sale of everything from vegan shoes to designer eyeglasses to a special band for the Apple Watch (TOMS, 2016e), sales that contribute to the company’s estimated value of $625 million (Rupp & Banerjee, 2014). Clearly, the company aims to do well by doing good. But the question remains:  Good for whom?

Continue reading →

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27
Sep 16

New POTUS job requirement: “A presidential look”

What, exactly, comprises the “presidential look” that according to Republican candidate Donald Trump, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton lacks? Although he demurs when asked for specifics, stating “I’m just talking about general,” (Parker, 2016), it can be concluded based on his former comments about women in general and former female political opponent Carly Fiorina in particular that there are gender politics at play in his remarks (Estepa, 2015). Unfortunately, Trump is not alone in his doubts about whether someone who looks like Clinton (i.e. female) would be able to project the aura of authority the office of the Presidency requires. The uncomfortable truth is that hidden sexism operates in our society, and many of us are uneasy with seeing women in a powerful role.

Penn State psychology professor Terri Vescio explains the gender bias that operates in the political sphere as a “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” situation, in which “the more female politicians are seen as striving for power, the less they’re trusted and the more moral outrage gets directed at them…[because] if you’re perceived as competent, you’re not perceived as warm. But if you’re liked and trusted, you’re not seen as competent” (Bush, 2016). This catch-22 for women in politics (and in business) undermines their support among both men and women, and because much of it is implicit bias, it is often unrecognized. For example, even within the Obama administration female staffers often had to struggle to make their voices heard until they struck upon a strategy of “amplification” whereby they mutually drew attention to each other’s significant contributions in order ensure that the proper party received credit for the idea (Eilperin, 2016). I point this out in order to be clear that sexism is an issue that transcends political party affiliation, and therefore we all stand to lose out if valuable contributions from women are silenced by oppression either blatant or subtle.

Hostile sexism is easier to recognize for what it is, but there is another side to sexism that is more insidious: benevolent sexism. For example, I would describe myself as a feminist, but when I took the “Are You Sexist” quiz offered by PBS.org, my results indicated that I hold a fair degree of subtle gender prejudice:

screen-shot-2016-09-26-at-4-06-57-pmI encourage you to click the link above and see your own results – you might be surprised at what you learn about yourself. Anyone familiar with the Harvard implicit bias tests will recall that we don’t have to hold explicitly negative beliefs about others to be influenced by bias. Our implicit beliefs can lead us to behave in a manner which is discriminatory while we simultaneously think of ourselves as fair and considerate.

When you combine elements of hostile and benevolent sexism you get ambivalent sexism. We can see the interplay of these elements in Donald Trump’s statements about women, both positive and negative. Recently, professor Peter Glick, who along with Susan Fiske proposed the tripartite understanding of sexism stated, “Trump’s views are consistent with conventional ideologies that view women as wonderful…but with a catch” (Glick, 2016).

“Heterosexual men’s intimate interdependence on women (as objects of desire, wives, and mothers), fosters a ‘benevolent’ side to sexism. Benevolent sexism encompasses genuine warmth toward women, but only when they support rather than challenge men’s status, power, and privileges” (Glick, 2016).

Regardless of which candidate we choose to vote for in the upcoming election, I hope that we will all pay closer attention to our own assumptions about gender and competence. Often we hold women to different standards than men without realizing that we are doing so. In light of what I’ve learned in in this course (particularly Swim and Hyer’s (1991) research regarding women’s responses to sexist comments), I will not only strive to resist social pressure to silence myself, but will also do more to support other women as they work to make their voices heard. If enough men and women do the same, perhaps we can arrive at a point sometime in the future when saying that a female political candidate doesn’t look “presidential” will fail to cause some of us to nod in agreement.

Resources:

Allen, J. (2016, July 21). Anti-Hillary Clinton rhetoric has become dangerous and violent. Retrieved September 27, 2016, from American, http://www.rushhourdaily.com/anti-hillary-clinton-rhetoric-become-dangerous-violent/

Bush, D. The hidden sexism that could sway the election. Retrieved September 26, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/features/hidden-sexism/

Eilperin, J. (2016, September 13). White house women want to be in the room where it happens. Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/09/13/white-house-women-are-now-in-the-room-where-it-happens/

Estepa, J. (2015, September 10). Donald Trump on Carly Fiorina: “Look at that face!” . Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/09/10/trump-fiorina-look-face/71992454/

Glick, P. (2016). Benevolent sexism and the art of the deal. Retrieved September 27, 2016, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-enquiry/201609/benevolent-sexism-and-the-art-the-deal

Parker, A. (2016, September 7). Donald Trump says Hillary Clinton Doesn’t have “a presidential look.” Politics. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/07/us/politics/donald-trump-says-hillary-clinton-doesnt-have-a-presidential-look.html

Santhanam, L. (2016, August 10). Are you sexist? Take this quiz. . Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/are-you-sexist-take-this-quiz/

 

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14
Sep 16

Environment Blog: What’s in Your Latte? Almond milk and resource dilemmas

I’ll never forget how perplexed I was when my now sister-in-law first explained that her family ran an “ah-mond” ranch in Northern California. Silly me, I’d thought they farmed “ahl-monds,” but she insisted that the five generations of her family were ranchers, not farmers, and that the word almond should be pronounced just as salmon— “the ‘l,’” she said, “is silent.” I’ve since learned to avoid calling their rows of carefully cultivated trees an orchard, although I still have visions of cowboys rounding up fleeing packs of wily almonds when I think about her family’s ranch.

In spite of drought conditions in recent years, new large-scale almond groves (I still can’t bring myself to call them ranches) have proliferated in California as the demand for alternatives to dairy milk have grown (Philpott, 2014). Soy milk was once the go-to substitute for milk drinkers concerned about the lactose content or ethical considerations of dairy, but due to health concerns soy milk has declined in popularity (Saner, 2015). Almond milk has now become increasingly popular, not only domestically, but internationally as well, particularly in Asia (Philpott, 2014).

The ecological impact of fulfilling this growing demand has been significant. Almonds require an astonishing amount of water to produce—according to Mother Jones, roughly 1.1 gallons of water are needed in order to produce a single almond (Park and Lurie, 2014).

Image source: Mother Jones

Image source: Mother Jones

Consequently, thousands of new wells have been drilled in California (which produces 80% of the worlds almonds), thereby contributing to draining already taxed aquifers (Philpott, 2014). Almond cultivation alone now accounts for an astounding 10% of California’s total water supply per year (Holthaus, 2014). To illustrate the fragility of these aquifers, consider that US Geological Survey hydrologists have discovered that in California’s San Joaquin valley, ground levels have dropped an average of eleven inches a year due to excessive groundwater removal (Sneed, Brandt, & Solt, 2013).

In short, the drive to capitalize on global demand for almonds comes into conflict with current and future public access to the resource of water. As it stands now, growers are experiencing something “akin to an arms race,” according to one hydrologist, because new, deeper wells tap ground water below the level of existing wells, leaving neighbors to choose between drilling even deeper or running dry (Krieger, 2014). “People don’t know, or don’t care, that they are also pulling water from thousands of feet around them,” [the hydrologist explained], “If their neighbor suffers? Well, it’s a dog-eat-dog world” (Krieger, 2014). Unless measures are taken to fairly manage water consumption, this situation could become a classic case of what William Lloyd referred to as the tragedy of the commons (Schneider, Grubman, & Coutts, 2012).

In addition to placing legislative constrictions on water use, I believe applied social psychology interventions could be implemented to influence consumer demand for water-intensive agricultural products. Taking shorter showers is a nice step to take in order to be more environmentally conscious, but curtailing the purchase of some of our preferred products can, potentially, have a greater ecological impact. For example, while the amount of water used to produce almond milk is startling, it pales in comparison to the amount of water needed to produce animal products such as dairy or beef (Walker, 2015). Regardless of which agricultural product one believes should be vilified, the fact remains that altering our consumer behavior can impact our environment as much as (if not more than) our personal habits.

References:

Holthaus, E. (2014, May 14). 10 percent of California’s water goes to almond farming. That’s nuts. Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/05/_10_percent_of_california_s_water_goes_to_almond_farming.html

Krieger, L. M. (2014, March 29). California drought: San Joaquin Valley sinking as farmers race to tap aquifer. Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://www.mercurynews.com/2014/03/29/california-drought-san-joaquin-valley-sinking-as-farmers-race-to-tap-aquifer/

Park, A., & Lurie, J. (2014, February 24). It takes how much water to grow an almond?! Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/02/wheres-californias-water-going

Philpott, T. (2014, July 14). Your almond habit is sucking California dry. Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/07/your-almond-habit-sucking-califoirnia-dry

Saner, E. (2015, October 21). Almond milk: Quite good for you – very bad for the planet. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2015/oct/21/almond-milk-quite-good-for-you-very-bad-for-the-planet

Schneider, F. W., Coutts, L. M., & Gruman, J. A. (Eds.). (2011). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.

Sneed, Michelle, Brandt, Justin, and Solt, Mike, 2013, Land subsidence along the Delta-Mendota Canal in the northern part of the San Joaquin Valley, California, 2003–10: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2013–5142, 87 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20135142

Walker, T. (2015, May 5). California drought: Almond growers fight back over reports they are causing chronic water shortages. The Independent – Americas. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/california-drought-almond-growers-fight-back-over-reports-they-are-causing-chronic-water-shortages-10224339.html

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20
Nov 15

Social Change

I decided to type in social change into a google search to see what I got. I stumbled across a plethora of TED talks. TED talks offer a large amount of information from specialist all over the world on different issues. There were about 100 different videos on different social change issues. The one that caught my eye was Zeynep Tufekci’s talk on online social change movements. In our commentary it explains about social change research and whether or not this particular research could be taken as good or bad. Tufekci talks about how social change is not spread and organized online and how it was implemented before the technology age.

I thought this video was interesting because it goes back to our communication through email paper and communication in general in applied social psychology. Tufekci talks about the civil rights movement back in the 1950’s and how quickly work spread of a protest and there was no social media available. When Rosa Parks was arrested word spread within two days of the arrest by pamphlets that were handed out by different civil rights groups. Pamphlets used to be the main form of social communication when the internet wasn’t around. Pamphlets helped spread ideals of the rebels before and during the American Revolution. Now we can use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram ect. . . Tufekci then goes on to explain how protests can start within a matter of hours due to today’s social media. She uses Turkey as her primary example on multiple occasions.

So which one is more effective? Today’s social change or pre-internet era social change? I would argue that they have strengths and weaknesses. Modern social media can provide speed while old school pamphlets can facilitate organization. With modern social media thousands of people get information in a matter of seconds and along the way information can change just as quick. With pamphlets and paper there is no room for miscommunication since there is only one shot at organizing something.

An important part of social research is how it is spread. In different countries news outlets are completely controlled by the government hence why social media has become so important with social change because the governments cannot control what is posted on Facebook and the others now they can block these sites and or block internet access. Again, this goes back to how important communication is and how we communicate is also important.

 

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13
Nov 15

Salsa Activism – One Step At A Time

I live in a politically polarized household.  That makes talk of any politics a challenge and 99.9% of the time we have to agree to disagree in order to avoid divorce court. One thing we do agree on is that we need to be informed voters. Many of the campaign advertisements use statistics and information to sway voters in one direction or the other. Unfortunately, the sources of the data are often revealed in very fine print at the bottom of the screen or in a two second flash at the end of the commercial. We, as the viewing public, are then left to do our own research to determine the validity of the claims in the commercials. My husband and I figure that not very many people take the time to do that.

This isn’t to say that all advertising or social programming is aiming to deceive in order to receive support. Quite the contrary. On any given day, I receive at least five emails asking for my time or money to support different causes. Most of these causes (i.e. The American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity, The Kennedy Foundation) are proven to put their funds to good use. They are intervening in society to implement change for the betterment of physical health, material communities, and mental health services across the country. Each of these organizations rely on research to further their respective goals. Activist research is research conducted on behalf of a certain entity to collect data that supports continuation of the work being done (The Pennsylvania State University World Campus PSYCH 424 L13 P1, 2015).  One entity in particular, Soldiers Who Salsa, has done extensive work in this regard.

Soldiers Who Salsa is a non-profit organization that uses dance therapy to assist soldiers with a variety of issues (i.e. post-traumatic stress disorder, missing limbs, etc.) (Soldiers Who Salsa, 2014). They recognized a need in the community and knew that in order to gain funding for their program, they would need to conduct research. Their board of directors is composed of several retired military personnel as well as physical therapists and professional dance instructors – each of whom contributed their own research to support the benefits they list on their website (www.soldierswhosalsa.org). While the data is not scientific, the researchers have seen the before and after in each participant. They observed improvements both physically and mentally in both the participants and their spouses.

(Ables, 2014)

Obviously, the work they are doing is remarkable and noteworthy. Their non-scientific approach to research does not necessarily invalidate the outcomes. In this case, the testimonials from participants and their families makes the case for Soldiers Who Salsa better than any scientific study could hope to achieve.

I will add that I am proud to personally know the Executive Director of Soldiers Who Salsa. Jennifer Ables is an amazing woman that I have known for almost 30 years (yes, we were children when we met). So in a way, even this blog entry could be considered activist in nature.  I’ll take that risk because the work she is doing is essential. Helping our service members find their voices, through their feet, is the least we can do to say “Thank You”.

 

Ables, J. (2014, May 4). Salsa Therapy for Wounded Warriors. (B. Lawrence, Interviewer)

Soldiers Who Salsa. (2014). Resources and Education. Retrieved from Soldiers Who Salsa: http://www.soldierswhosalsa.org/menu/resources-education

The Pennsylvania State University World Campus PSYCH 424 L13 P1. (2015). Lesson 13: Social Change/Participatory Research. Retrieved from PSYCH 424: Applied Social Psychology: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa15/psych424/001/content/14_lesson/01_page.html

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20
Sep 15

Why Our Environment Does Not Change

In my family group, we attempt to leave as small of a carbon footprint as possible. Teaching lessons in conservation and protecting our resources is rather important.  With this said, I found myself in quite a dilemma the other day while driving to the store with my seven-year-old son.

The conversation went like this:

Son: Mommy, what is the black stuff coming from that truck?
Me: Well, it depends on the truck as if it is a diesel truck, it is the “normal” exhaust. If it is a gasoline truck, it could be an issue within the engine.
Son: Is it bad?
Me: Yes, it is bad for our air.  It is called pollution.  Remember?  We have talked about pollution and you learned in class.
Son: I remember. Why can’t we tell the person they are wrong and to stop?
Me *can not form words*

How does a parent explain to their child that you cannot simply walk up to another and inform them they are polluting the air we all have to breathe?  Life does not work in that manner nowadays.  However, when you think about it the way my son did, someone should in fact make a comment to the individual.  Too many individuals today are so nonchalant when it comes to the limited resources we have on Earth.  I am not sure if it is simply for the reasons they do not care or if they are not informed.  It reminds me of trying to persuade an individual to be energy conscious or to recycle.  One cannot be forced, they must understand the benefits and have desire to make a change.

The social dilemma here is too many individuals are not venturing to make a change.  Many times an electric car limits the individual to short driving, i.e. staying in the town they reside as there are not areas for them to charge.  When it comes to recycling, all too often smaller towns do not have a recycling program (such as the town we reside) therefore if an individual desires to recycle, they must drive a few towns away.  Whether it is simply for the reason that electric cars are not feasible or implementing a community/city wide recycling plan is too costly, the problem will not change until someone or group begins the process.

Many groups have come forward over the years to inform the public of the many issues we can face down the road if change does not happen soon.  At times, individuals hear what is being said and decide this is something they want to do, although they are unsure how much time, effort, or even money it will take to contribute to the campaign.  If they do make the decision, they may begin the campaign, stick with it for some time, but then stop as they are becoming overwhelmed with the extra effort they are giving when they do not see others doing the same.

Our environment has given the individuals of this world so much bounty; however, this bounty will not last forever.  It is time to stand up and make a change.  It is election time in many local communities, therefore, make the issue known and see that change is made.

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16
Apr 15

What Does Discipline and Child Physical Abuse Mean To You

I’m going to talk about a touchy subject; discipline. I do not believe in spanking a child, ever, for any reason, either in the name of discipline, or in punishment. To many people discipline means to punish, when in actuality it means to teach. The word discipline comes from the same Latin as does the word disciple, the former meaning to teach, and the latter meaning pupil (Collins Dictionary). Also, in Spanish la disciplina means to teach, however punish is el castigo, two different words with two different meanings just as it should be in English or in any language, the words are not interchangeable. There are also many misunderstandings surrounding some quotes from the Bible, specifically, ‘spare the rod, spoil the child” quoted from Proverbs 13:24. However, this particular quote is from a poem called Hudibras, written by Samuel Butler (Religious Tolerance), the poem makes a naughty reference to the mistress “disciplining” her lover (This Day in Quotes).

Hudibras frontispiece - William Hogarth[32]

So as you can see the idea of discipline and what it means remains a mystery, a conundrum, if you will, to many. A question came up very recently between myself and another person about another project I am working on in regards to spanking and child abuse. He asked, “but isn’t spanking child abuse?”, in response to something I had written in the paper and I agreed that it’s abuse, but explained that many people believe spanking to be an effective from of discipline, to which he expressed shock. Pennsylvania, which is where I live, defines child abuse as the following;

(A)   Any recent act or failure to act by a perpetrator which causes nonaccidental serious physical injury to a child.

(B)   An act or failure to act by a perpetrator which causes nonaccidental serious mental injury to or sexual abuse or exploitation of a child.

(C)   A recent act, failure to act or series of the acts or failures to act by a perpetrator which creates an imminent risk of serious physical injury to or sexual abuse or exploitation of a child.

(D)   Serious physical neglect by a perpetrator constituting prolonged or repeated lack of supervision or the failure to provide the essentials of life, including adequate medical care, which endangers a child’s life or development or impairs the child’s functioning (PA Code).

The laws are better than they were due to the Sandusky trial, however they are still broad and subjective. How does one decide an injury is serious, or caused serious pain. Also, how do you decide if there was imminent risk to a child due to lack of supervision, how do you definitively decide that? Let us now look at the definition of abuse.

: to treat (a person or animal) in a harsh or harmful way

: to use or treat (something) in a way that causes damage

: to use (something) wrongly (Merriam-Webster)

A little less subjective, a little less broad, but still well open to personal interpretation.

question mark

Misunderstanding the meaning of the word discipline and then applying this misunderstanding to our children is a problem and social change needs to happen in order to clear up the misunderstanding. Social change theory includes research such as advocate research or participatory research. I believe the research method that will be most useful here will be advocate research. We need to intervene and advocate for cultural and social change; rework the mind set that discipline and punishment are not interchangeable words and have two different meanings and at the same time aim for a goal of banning corporal punishment and reducing child physical abuse. Programs aimed at disseminating information can be offered in social service agencies, churches, prisons, and daycare centers. Success of these programs can be statistically evaluated as rates of child abuse decrease, and misunderstanding and misuse of the word discipline decreases as well.

clarity

References

http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/discipline

http://www.religioustolerance.org/spankin8.htm

http://www.thisdayinquotes.com/2010/11/spare-rod-and-spoil-child-is-not-in.html

http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/055/chapter3490/s3490.4.html

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abuse

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02
Dec 14

“A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words”

Social media is commonplace in today’s society and Instagram is one of the most popular applications used.  Instagram.com reports over 200 million users around the world, sharing an average of 60 million photos daily!  Although it is typical to share photos of trivial things from breakfast to landscapes, what would happen if photos were used towards the better good?

PhotoVoice  is an agency that combines the use of photography and grassroots social action for disadvantaged groups.  According to PhotoVoice.com, their work focuses on consulting and developing projects that are specialized to the needs of its community.  The methodology involves providing communities with cameras which are used to photo journal real perspectives on social change.  PhotoVoice feels that the most effective way to monitor social change is from the within the community.

photovoice_pic

Social change from within is the perspective of Participatory Action Research. Development programs are constructed by researchers based on information collected from within the affected community and analyze not just social aspects but also political and economic (Brydon-Miller, 1997).  Habermas (1971) felt that empirical inquiry does not accurately analyze every facet of knowledge, stating that “practical interests” are only obtained through interpretive means and not simply by observation.  That is, qualitative data is at times as necessary as quantitative data.  Participatory Action Research methodology embraces this idea by its influence from various scientific and social science fields. Ultimately, the goal is for the research to be applied in the real world.

Currently, PhotoVoice methodology is being used all over the world.  Some project examples including providing cameras to Los Angeles high school students to document healthy eating and physical exercise, in order to bring childhood obesity and type II Diabetes awareness to the disadvantaged neighborhoods in which the students live, and Syrian  refugees documenting their perspectives living in a host community.

Perhaps you want to gain insight on homelessness within your community.  Suggest implementing a PhotoVoice project in order to capture the real issues that the homeless community faces.  PhotoVoice can be applied to a multitude of scenarios and anyone can suggest a project, although it is probably most useful to work with researchers, agencies and groups dedicated to social betterment.

References

Brydon-Miller, M. (2010). Participatory Action Research: Psychology and Social Change. Journal of Social Issues, 53(4), 657-666. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/doi/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1997.tb02454.x/pdf

PhotoVoice. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.photovoice.org/

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16
Apr 14

Childhood Education Participation

Taking part in a group that we want to influence or change shows great dedication and determination.  Lately, bullying and childhood issues have been ever present in the news.  The issues encountered by today’s children is likely much bigger than any outside adult, even parent, can comprehend.  It is one thing to say “they” should do something about kids these days, but quite another to actively become part o the solution.

This problem is likely originating, at least in part, from an economic level.  We are too busy earning an income to have the time or to make the time, to be present in schools.  Parents should be actively involved in their children’s school situation from a very young age.  This may be done by volunteering or even working in schools or by participating on the parent teacher association.  With a clear parental presence fro a young age, it is possible to develop friendships between parents and recognition and understanding of the individual children.  With this system in place, students would be less likely to develop bad social habits or rude interactions with peers.  This solution would also apply to drugs, alcohol, and sex in schools because parents are much more likely to catch wind of things when they are present in schools than when they only interaction they have with the educational system is through letter.  Notification about picture day or the latest lice epidemic do not convey the same control that active participation does.

It should also be the responsibility of the school system to create more opportunities for parents to get involved.  More after school meetings, for example, may allow more parents the opportunity to participate in their children’s school environment when work responsibilities take away their daytime availability.  Schools should also create more groups for parents to join and open up more volunteer positions to parents and caretakers.  With more opportunities available at all hours and more parental involvement, a drastic change in schools may be seen in the coming years.

We need to be the change that we want to see in the world and in the lives of our children.  Our children deserve to have the security of involved parents, even if it means a financial sacrifice on the part of the family in order to make that happen.  The cost of not doing so is far too high.

 

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