Week 4: Social Change, Diversity, Intervention, and Prevention

Week 4: Social Change, Diversity, Intervention, and Prevention (Please note that Chapter 8 of your textbook also includes some of these terms and concepts)

Population and Economic Trends in the U.S. • Great Depression (1929 – early 1940’s) • 1929 stock market crash • 1932: 25% unemployment rate • WWI (1914-1918) • WWII (1939-1945) • Baby Boomers born (1946-1950’s) • Note: According to the Census, the U. S. population more than tripled from 76 million people in 1900 to 281 million people in 2000 • Today: The wealthiest 1% of the U.S. population control a disproportionately large share of the nation’s wealth, and the income gap between ultra rich and the bottom 90% is increasing to levels not seen since the 1920’s

Income From the NY Times, March 29, 2007

Dramatic gains seen by the wealthiest of the wealthy over 25 yrs. (Morris, 2007)

Population Trends in the U.S. over 10 years: Aging of the “Baby Boomers” (included in yellow line)

Population Trends in the U.S. over 10 years: Race/Ethnicity

Percent Change over 10 years

Incomes Over Time: Divided by Race

What Can We Make of These Trends? • The U.S. population is increasingly aging (meaning the largest segment of the population is approx. 50 - 60+ years old) • The U.S. population is becoming increasingly diverse, although the majority are non-Hispanic Whites • Incomes haven’t changed much over time, especially when considering inflation and increases in cost of living and necessities • Whites have consistently earned more money than ethnic minorities, except for Asians (although these data are misleading because Asians have more people living in each household, on average, so when divided by the number of people in each household, Whites make more than Asians) • Did any of these data surprise you? • Websites: • http://www.census.gov/popest/national/asrh/NC-EST2009-asrh.html • http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/overview.html

Terms Related to How Individuals Self-Identify and are Identified by Others • Race: Refers to socially defined categories based on apparent physical criteria, such as skin color and eye shape (was originally supposed to be biological/genetic, but biologists have since rejected race—it’s more of a social construct; all humans are 99.9% genetically alike) • Ethnicity: Refers to socially defined categories based on cultural criteria; depends on the culture with which one identifies (Also little/no basis in biology) • For example, in the U.S. Census, “Hispanic” is not a race; rather, “Hispanic” is an ethnicity that can include any race, including White or African descent, etc. • Races and ethnicities can have complicated ancestry and backgrounds: each category is heterogeneous • e.g., “Asian” can mean someone with roots in China, Singapore, Japan, North or South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and so on

Terms (cont.) • Social class: similar to socioeconomic status (SES), this term includes not only income/assets, but also occupational and educational status, socialization experiences, power, and opportunities in life • Acculturation: Usually refers to identification with or adoption of the dominant or host culture, but can also be defined more broadly as changes in individuals related to contact with 2 or more cultures • Assimilation: giving up one’s culture of origin in favor of the dominant culture (in terms of language, customs, values, etc.) • Bicultural (AKA “integration”): Identification with and participation in activities involving both the culture of origin and the dominant culture

Oppression and Power • Gatekeepers: individuals in positions of power; often used to describe those who control distribution of resources and information • e.g., think about this: where do you get your news information, and how are those companies funded? • Why did it take so long for the public to be informed about the dangers of smoking? • Power comes not only from wealth, but also from social experiences; e.g., if you were raised in a household in which correct grammar and an advanced English vocabulary were spoken, you have an advantage over someone who didn’t have these experiences • Our adherence to individualism (focus on individual responsibility and individual outcomes) makes it easy to discount social forces, but prejudice and discrimination persist…

Oppression and Power (cont.) • Research shows that when using names that sound African-American vs. names that sound White on resumes with identical qualifications, Whites are more likely to be interviewed than African-Americans • Similar research shows that White applicants who reported a felony drug conviction were still more likely to receive callbacks or job offers than African-American applicants with no criminal record • Research also shows bias against female applicants; female resumes are rated less favorably compared to equally qualified male resumes, and resumes tend to get funneled into sex-stereotyped jobs (e.g., secretary vs. manager) • Make sure you complete the Individual Differences Questionnaire on Blackboard • What was this questionnaire like for you?

Stereotyping and Bias • In-group bias: we tend to favor those who are viewed as part of a given social group we belong to (e.g., same gender, same school, same class, same ethnicity as us), while denigrating “outsiders” (those in the “out-group”) • In order to teach children about prejudice, a teacher named Jane Elliot performed a “real-life” demonstration in which White children were psychologically segregated based on their eye color (blue eyes vs. brown eyes); the children quickly became prejudiced against the other eye-color group. • Watch it play out here (please note that this video includes some offensive language): http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/

Reasons Prejudice and Discrimination Continue • Race makes people easily identifiable and therefore easier to stereotype • Stereotypes are learned just by living in the U.S. and they can be passed down from generation to generation and/or from jokes and comments • Perpetuation of the in-group bias and selective attention to examples that confirm stereotypes (while discounting examples that contradict stereotypes) about the out-group • Economic reasons: competition for resources • Power and bias: those in power (predominantly White males) choose to hire or provide opportunities to those who are like them

Reducing Prejudice and Discrimination • Contact hypothesis: having contact with individuals from disliked/outside groups decreases negative attitudes, under certain conditions: 1. Groups need to have equal status 2. The contact should contradict preexisting stereotypes 3. The contact should involve working toward a shared goal 4. The contact encourages members of the “out-group” to be seen as individuals, rather than as part of the stereotyped group 5. The social norms (implied, socially-agreed upon rules) of the contact must include group equality • Start early, e.g., having young children from different backgrounds work together

Reducing Prejudice and Discrimination (cont.) • Increasing positive role models in positions of power who are women or ethnic minorities so that there is greater equality and so that underrepresented individuals have someone to look up to • Media campaigns and educational materials: • Provide historical and current information about women and ethnic minorities who have made a difference and have been overlooked • Counteract negative stereotypes • Focus on our shared goals that transcend gender and racial lines

Bringing About Positive Change It just takes one person at a time

Prevention and Intervention • Case Example: John Snow and the Broad Street Pump (1854) • In 1832 cholera (relatively new disease) killed 14,137 people in London • 1852: second outbreak of cholera • People believed it was spread through the air and many panicked and fled the city • John Snow had a theory that cholera was spread through food or water, not the air • He mapped out the location of the people who died from cholera in London and after investigating, determined that almost all of them received their drinking water from the Broad Street Pump (it was discovered that this water pump was located near an old cesspit that was leaking raw sewage) • He told city officials, who shut the pump down, and the cholera epidemic basically ended • Snow is now regarded as one of the fathers of epidemiology

What Can We Learn from This Example? • It’s important to consider multiple possible causes of a problem; don’t rule anything out without evidence • Be a detective; consider every angle • Even if you don’t know the exact cause of a problem or how to cure a problem, you might still be able to prevent it with enough information about how the problem is perpetuated • You can often prevent a problem by changing human behavior • Public action is often required to completely prevent a problem • Modern-day example: we don’t know how to cure HIV, but we know how to prevent it from spreading

Prevention vs. Intervention • Prevention is primarily designed to prevent a problem from occurring in the first place (or to prevent it from getting worse) • Intervention is a treatment that occurs after the problem has arisen • In the U.S., we tend to be reactive vs. proactive. In other words, we often wait for a disaster or problem to occur, rather than spending effort and money on preventing it from happening in the first place • Case in point: Hurricane Katrina: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G74lnD_90AQ&feature=related

Prevention • There are 3 types of prevention: • 1) Primary prevention: prevent the problem from occurring in the first place (e.g., vaccines); ensure that a healthy population continues to be healthy, physically and psychologically • 2) Secondary prevention: treat a problem in its earliest stages; target an “at-risk” population (e.g., teens in a poor neighborhood who are starting to show educational decline) and introduce a program to help them (e.g., an after-school educational program) • 3) Tertiary prevention: attempt to reduce the severity of an existing problem so that it doesn’t become worse or long-term (e.g., support groups for veterans just diagnosed with either Acute Stress Disorder or PTSD)

Prevention vs. Intervention • As you may have noticed, tertiary prevention looks a lot like intervention • Prevention efforts—even if they save money in the long run—tend to get cut first from budgets because it’s difficult to demonstrate that a problem that might happen will be prevented from happening • e.g., funding for reinforcement of the levies in New Orleans was rejected multiple times • Prevention can also be a creative alternative to solving the problem; e.g., instead of trying to prevent inevitable flooding, build floating homes (in the Netherlands): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjXvHM6M9l8&feature=fvwrel

Consciousness Raising • Definition: “Increasing citizens’ critical awareness of social conditions that affect them and energizing their involvement in challenging and changing those conditions” (-Kloos et al., 2012) • This is a major concept in Community Psychology • People tend to be in a state of obliviousness or denial about issues such as oppression and discrimination, even if they are victims • For example, the vast majority of women do not believe they receive lower pay than men, even if they know that statistically, women receive lower pay than men • Why do you think this false belief exists?

Consciousness Raising (cont.) • A few reasons why people are in denial about discrimination and other societal problems: • They don’t want to view themselves as the victim (or as the oppressor, if they are benefitting from discrimination) • Does a fish know it is wet? • No, (theoretically) a fish doesn’t realize it’s wet because it is always immersed in water • If this society is all you know, and you have been immersed in it your whole life, you may not realize what’s wrong with it; everything is “normal;” “that’s just the way things are;” people adapt to their environment

Liberation, Empowerment, and Activism • Community psychology embraces diversity and social justice: we are all created equal, we all deserve equal rights, and differences are valued; we are a country of immigrants and we don’t have to all be the same; we should respect each others’ cultures and religions • Liberation: securing rights for oppressed individuals; e.g., “Women’s Lib” • i.e., Women and African-Americans had to fight for the right to vote, own property, and hold office • Empowerment and Activism go hand-in-hand; communities have to recognize that there is strength in numbers, that they have the ability to bring about positive change, and that they must actively pursue the change they want

Additional Strategies to Create Positive Change • Grassroots efforts (when citizens come together to work toward a common cause, rather than seeking out an existing organization) • Networking: Individuals can connect with each other (greatly aided by today’s technology) and with organizations; organizations with shared goals can also connect with each other • Organizations can hire consultants who are trained in research and program evaluation who can help them with fund-raising, problem-solving, assessment, etc. • (Note: We will discuss networking and consultation further in Week 8)

Strategies (cont.) • Policy change: placing pressure on law makers, companies, and organizations to bring about positive change; also voting for leaders that support your views or running for office yourself • Information dissemination: providing communities with educational materials can empower them and assist with prevention efforts (e.g., preventing HIV and teen pregnancy, providing health/nutritional information to prevent obesity, etc.)

Take This Survey • Respond to the following statements on a piece of paper (there are no right or wrong answers): 1. My grades are due to how much effort I’ve put in (Agree) (Disagree) 2. Luck plays a big role in my life (Agree) (Disagree) 3. It’s pointless to vote because one person isn’t going to change the outcome (Agree) (Disagree) 4. External events have little impact on me (Agree) (Disagree) 5. I control my own destiny (Agree) (Disagree) 6. As long as I work hard enough, I can get the things I want in life (Agree) (Disagree) 7. The way my life goes will depend on things falling into place due to chance (Agree) (Disagree) 8. I pay attention to things like zodiac signs and astrological indicators (Agree) (Disagree)

Results • This survey is in no way scientific nor pre-validated, but in general: • If you responded Agree to items 1, 4, 5, and 6, you probably have a more internal locus of control • If you responded Agree to items 2, 3, 7, and 8, you probably have more of an external locus of control

Internal vs. External Locus of Control • Locus of control involves how you explain the events that happen to you • If you believe that you control the outcomes in your life, then you have an internal locus of control • If you believe that the outcomes in your life are controlled by other people, luck, fate, or other outside factors, then you have an external locus of control • Why does this matter in community psychology? • Because if you’re trying to help people to organize to bring about positive change in their environment, they have to first BELIEVE that they can make a difference • Think about this: Why is apathy one of the most powerful obstacles to Community Psychology?

Week 4: Social Change, Diversity, Intervention, and Prevention