Applying Psychological Science, Benefiting Society
Have you ever noticed that the tone of birthday cards for children is upbeat with messages like, “way to go, you’re another year older”? Whereas that is rarely the theme in cards for adults older than 21, at least in the United States. Birthday cards and gifts that poke fun of older adulthood are communicating negative ageist stereotypes found in society…
It is important that we talk about race-ethnicity with children – all children. A recent ethnic-racial identity intervention study provided an opportunity for teenagers to explore their culture and develop a clearer sense of what their ethnicity-race meant to them. Participating had positive effects on youth from all racial-ethnic backgrounds.
How do we counter the negative impact of ageist stereotypes pervasive in Western society? It’s more complicated than it appears. Even embracing positive age-related stereotypes can have unintended consequences. Here’s an overview of what research suggests might really work.
You may have heard the saying ‘the older the wiser’? It connects with stereotypes of older people as having gained wisdom through their longevity and life experiences and has been described as ‘sageism’. Positive stereotypes of older people can create expectations that older people cannot live up to.
By Muninder Kaur Ahluwalia, PhD (Montclair State University) and Saba Rasheed Ali, PhD (University of Iowa) A Muslim mom, Melissa Chance Yassini, recently wrote on her Facebook page: Sad day in America when I have to comfort my 8 year old child who heard that someone with yellow hair named Trump wanted to kick all Muslims out of […]
This is part of our ongoing series of blog posts about race, racism and law enforcement in communities of color. By Lorie Fridell, PhD (Associate Professor of Criminology, University of South Florida) Do you claim to be color-blind? Do you believe that you do not notice when a person is Caucasian, Black, Hispanic, or Asian? Well then, you […]
Welcome back to In Case You Missed It (our weekly roundup of articles touching on psychology, health, mental health and social justice issues from multiple news and commentary websites). This week, we address the impact of stereotypes on women of color, new research indicating that gun violence may be “contagious”, how psychologists are addressing the impact of poverty on […]
Welcome to In Case You Missed It, a weekly roundup of news articles related to issues of psychology, health and mental health, social justice and the public interest that you may be interested in. We collate these articles from multiple news and commentary websites. This week we look at stories covering the misrepresentation of mental illness […]
By Efua Andoh and Leslie Cameron (APA Public Interest Directorate Communications Staff) Halloween is meant to be a fun-filled, family friendly event for people of all ages and backgrounds. We all get to dress up in a funny or scary costume, go out trick-or-treating, have a few good laughs, and overindulge on candy. Sadly, every […]
By Dana S. Dunn, PhD (Professor of Psychology and Assistant Dean for Special Projects, Moravian College) One of my former students has muscular dystrophy. He uses a power wheelchair to get around. He tells me that it is not unusual for him to attract the interest of strangers when he is out and about with friends—in […]
Psychology Benefits Society 