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.
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.
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.
Every day now in the news, we learn of various actions taken by those facing allegations of sexual assault and harassment. One set of actions has to do with their reported sexual harassment and/or assaults. Another set of actions has to do with how they respond when accused. Both types of action are crucially important. A good response can at least do some good (sincere apologies can be healing). But a bad response not only exacerbates the harm of the first injury, it also inflicts new injury, and does so in ways that are usually public and ongoing (well past the media moving on).
In this week’s In Case You Missed It (a roundup of articles touching on psychology, health, mental health and social justice issues that we collate from multiple news and commentary websites), we cover the Rachel Dolezal case, the impact of poverty on the young brain, how an evidence-based approach could fix a flawed criminal justice system and more. How scientists […]
This is part of our ongoing series of blog posts about race, racism and law enforcement in communities of color. By LisaLyn Jacobs, JD (Vice President for Government Relations, Legal Momentum) On a recent December Saturday, I hurried from the Metro train with my 6 year-old son trailing behind. We were joining friends and colleagues at the Justice […]
By Ramani Durvasula, PhD (Member, APA Committee on Socioeconomic Status) Our memories are short, and the Ray Rice domestic violence situation has been eclipsed by the news du jour as well as other revelations of domestic violence from other NFL players. The Ray Rice story was unfortunate, because we witnessed a woman be abused by […]
By Efua Andoh (APA Public Interest Directorate Communications Staff) The horrific shootings in Isla Vista, California on May 23 have given rise to a complex conversation on social media. The shooter’s disturbing YouTube videos and manifesto contained racist and misogynist rants revealing an attitude of male sexual entitlement and white male supremacy. Shockingly, after they came […]
By Gwendolyn Puryear Keita, PhD (Executive Director, Public Interest Directorate, American Psychological Association) The world is justifiably horrified at the abduction and trafficking of nearly 300 schoolgirls by the terrorist group Boko Haram in Chibok, Nigeria. It is critical that the world understand the psychological impact of this terrorist act on the girls and their […]
