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winter surge in cases associated with travel and holiday gatherings. Another principle you learned in your Introductory Psychology class that applies to the pandemic is social norms (DeWall & Myers, 2018). In some communities, wearing a mask, distancing, and other measures became the group norm; individuals tended to follow public health measures because that was the expected behavior, whereas these behaviors did not become the norm in other places or among other groups of people. Again, psychology has answers: How does a behavior become a norm for a group? What is the role of leaders in establishing norms? If psychological science is used to manage the pandemic, we can have greater hope that people will be healthy and our lives will return to normal sooner. What about the other important issues of the day such as climate change, social inequality, and racism? Again, psychology has answers (e.g., Clayton & Manning, 2018; Comas-Doaz & Torres Rivera, 2020). We know how to change behaviors in individuals and groups. Psychological principles can be used to reduce unwanted behaviors and increase desirable behaviors. The sustained momentum of antiracist movements, the election of the first Black/Asian female Vice-President of the United States, the awareness of white privilege, and more dialogues about race in the past year have led many of us to feel hopeful about changing racial and other social inequities. There is still a long way to go, but acknowledging individual and structural racism, as well as implicit and explicit bias, are the first steps toward changing behavior. How can we use psychological science to change individual and group behavior around prejudice and discrimination? Let’s use what research has shown about group norms, persuasion, and conformity to reduce racism and increase social justice. What do we know from developmental psychology that can help us raise children who don’t continue to perpetuate racist stereotypes? Psi Chi students, alum and faculty, YOU are the bearers of hope. Your life relies on psychological principles in your workplace, your personal life, and as a citizen; you bring the hopeful mindset, that perseverance toward goals, to all those whose lives you touch. Let us all move into the spring and into this new decade with hope, and using the tools and knowledge of psychology to reach goals to improve ourselves as individuals, as communities and as a world.
References Ciccarelli, S. K., & White, J. N. (2017). Psychology: An exploration (4th ed.). Pearson Clayton, S., & Manning, C. (2018). Psychology and climate change. Elsevier. Comas-Diaz, L., & Torres Rivera, E. (2020). Liberation psychology: Theory, method, practice and social justice. American Psychological Association. Daly, B. (2020, March 8). How hope can keep you happier and healthier: An interview with Everett Worthington. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/how-hope-can-keep-you-healthier-and-happier-132507 DeWall, C. N., & Myers, D. (2018). Psychology (12th ed.). MacMillan. Lopez, S., & Snyder, C. R. (2003). Positive psychological assessment: A handbook of models and measures. American Psychological Association. Snyder, C. R., Rand, K. L., & Sigmon. (2018). Hope theory: A member of the positive psychology family. In M. W. Gallagher & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of hope. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199300314.013.3 Sue, D., Sue, D. W., Sue, S. and Sue, D. M. (2015). Understanding abnormal behavior (11th ed.). Cengage. Van Beusekom, M. (2020, December 15). Experts propose steps to promote, distribute COVID vaccine. University of Minnesota, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/12/experts-propose-steps-promote-distribute-covid-vaccine Wharton University of Pennsylvania. (2020, November 16). The University of Pennsylvania’s Behavior Change for Good Initiative partners with Walmart on research study to identify communications that encourage vaccinations [Press release]. https://news.wharton.upenn.edu/press-releases/2020/11/the-university-of-pennsylvanias-behaviorchange-for-good-initiative-partners-with-walmart-on-research-study-to-identify-communications-thatencourage-vaccinations/
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Black History Month Is Just Beginning People of color face unique challenges and achieve great things year-round—not just during the shortest month of the year. Take a moment to review Psi Chi’s Black History Month Online Resource, and consider how you could continually apply these resources to build a more socially just world. In this resource, you’ll find new releases and past favorites that honor historic African American psychologists and provide strategies to help you reduce negative stereotypes and systemic racism. A diverse selection of race-related content awaits: magazine articles, podcast episodes, webinars, blog posts, journal articles, and more.
Visit https://www.psichi.org/page/BlackHistoryMonth
A Few Resources ARTICLE: How Do We Get More People to Talk About Race? An Interview With Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD WEBINAR: Difficult Dialogues Webinar by Susanna Gallor, PhD, and Jason Edwards, MA PODCAST: Racist Slurs (That People Use All Too Often) With Rihana Mason, PhD
SPRING 2021 EYE ON PSI CHI
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