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.
The #MeToo movement has elevated the conversation about women and violence. However, there is one population that often gets neglected from that conversation: women with disabilities. How prevalent is interpersonal violence in women with disabilities?
Women with disabilities have higher rates of experiencing interpersonal violence (e.g., physical violence, rape/sexual violence, stalking, psychological aggression, and control of sexual/reproductive health) than women without disabilities.
After every mass shooting, politicians mindlessly follow the lead of the NRA and call for mental health reform as a panacea for gun violence. This approach to reducing gun deaths is based on the assertion that people with serious mental illness (SMI) pose a special risk of gun violence. This inaccurate myth has serious harmful consequences, as it contributes mightily to the stigma already endured by people with SMI in America.
Protesters being marked with numbers, put in dog kennels and shot with rubber bullets. These do not sound like events that should occur in modern day America. Unfortunately, according to media reports, these are some of the first-hand accounts of what is happening in North Dakota as protests escalate over the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Violence prevention, especially in relation to our youth, begins with introducing the idea of acceptance across various levels of diversity, including race, religion, gender, socioeconomic status, and more. Through tolerance, we can teach youth to respect each other and reduce feelings of indifference towards groups of different backgrounds.
On August 11, 2016, the CDC released the results of the first national study of sexual minority high school students. These data show that LGB students experience far greater risks of violence and bullying than their heterosexual peers.
Families around the country are coming together to talk about the officer-involved shootings in Louisiana, Minnesota, and the ambush of police officers in Dallas, Texas. These events come shortly after the violence in Orlando. In fact, it seems that acts of violence are in the news on a regular basis. How do we begin to explain all of this to our children when we, as adults, are having our own difficulties with what is occurring?
In this week’s In Case You Missed It (our roundup of articles touching on psychology, health, mental health and social justice issues from multiple news and commentary websites), we cover the Charleston shooting, the growing number of Latinos graduating with STEM degrees, and why we should all look forward to getting older. The psychology of hate – CNN.com […]
By Cendrine Robinson, MS (Doctoral Candidate in Medical and Clinical Psychology) Chicago native, rapper Chief Keef’s song Hate Being Sober (Cozart, Jackson, Thomaz & Pittman, 2012) has over 10 million views on YouTube. While some may not be familiar with the rapper, his YouTube views suggest that his music resonates with many of today’s youth. At […]
By Tina Wolridge (Communications Coordinator, APA Public Interest Directorate) It seems that gun violence is all around my life. Homicides, assaults, robberies, shootings, and weapon violations are all a part of this world. Gun ownership is so deeply rooted into the lives of Americans that we must re-evaluate our strategy and approach gun violence as […]
Psychology Benefits Society 