Applying Psychological Science, Benefiting Society
Native American people are often overlooked, considered extinct, romanticized, forgotten, ignored and bear the burden of negative stereotypes. Belonging to a socially invisible community has consequences beyond being misunderstood and stereotyped. It can lead to much more dire outcomes – specifically, the public disregard of the epidemic of violence against Native American women and girls reflects passive cultural genocide.
Traditionally, African American grandparents have played a critical role in the caretaking responsibilities of their grandchildren. This has allowed their adult children to be able to pursue educational and employment opportunities. However, how the consequences of mass incarceration on the African American family system extend beyond the incarcerated individual into the lives of their children and the grandparents left to care for them are little discussed.
In this blog post, two psychologists draw insights from a peer mentor on the real world experiences of survivors of sex trafficking and discuss ways in which psychologists and peer mentors can partner in the fight against human trafficking.
Every year many children and adults creatively plan out their costumes for the one night where spooky wins. And even though for the most part the holiday may seem harmless it can have scarier consequences for our girls. With the acceptance of sexualized women’s costumes, the line for what’s appropriate to wear at different ages is increasingly blurred. Each Halloween, as girls get older, they are bombarded with costumes that are progressively more sexualized and socially acceptable. The question is, should this be a concern?
When my son was just eight weeks and two days into his gestational period, I settled my anxiety of giving birth to a Black male. The night before I gave birth, unlike his twin sister, he was hovered up into the corner of my womb and his heart rate had begun to slow down. That following morning, he was born. Now 20, my Black son has dreams and aspirations but there is the threat of death in the air.
did whatever I thought would provide the best start for my daughter and cement me as a “good mom”. And as a young 21-year-old, unmarried, Black mother I felt even more pressure to prove this to others since I knew my age, amongst other things, unfortunately said otherwise to some people. Absent the knowledge and support of any family or friends that breastfed their children, I did my research and decided to breastfeed my daughter and enrolled in WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, infants, and Children). I was doing what I was thought was best for my daughter while simultaneously, purposefully performing an act that I thought would shatter anyone’s doubt that I could be a good, competent parent.
This post continues our blog series regarding racial/ethnic socialization practices, programs, and approaches. APA is putting together a clearinghouse of resources to help parents/caregivers to protect youth of color and themselves from the psychological damage of discrimination and racism. For more information regarding APA’s new initiative and to provide feedback as we continue to engage in […]
When a teacher is able to instill a growth mindset in his or her students, it can help temper the impacts of poverty, and lead to a lifetime love of learning. This common goal, however, is not as easy to achieve in our urban communities when some of our children cannot see beyond their current struggles. When 80% of America’s teachers are white and 26.3 million students are of color, students have less access to role models that look like them, and have less opportunity to be empowered through their education. Limited resources limit horizons, but the influence of culturally responsive teaching is able to encourage the development of a growth mindset in our urban children, bridging the exposure gap between urban students and their more affluent peers.
You don’t need to be a psychologist or even a parent to understand that the Trump Administration’s practice of separating immigrant parents from children causes substantial short- and long-term harm to children, parents, and families.
This post continues our blog series regarding racial/ethnic socialization practices, programs, and approaches. APA is putting together a clearinghouse of resources to help parents/caregivers to protect youth of color and themselves from the psychological damage of discrimination and racism. For more information regarding APA’s new initiative and to provide feedback as we continue to engage […]
Psychology Benefits Society 