In light of recent media coverage, it would seem our world has been turned upside down: brutal police shootings based on perceived threat of race; the horrific Orlando massacre, based on perceived threat of sexual orientation and gender identity; terrible international crimes based on perceived threat of religion and ethnicity.
Though each of these tragic events has impacted a different group of people, leaving deep wounds for victims and survivors alike, it is interesting to note that they are all rooted in the same underlying cause: prejudice and stereotype formation. Prejudice and stereotype formation have been extensively studied in the field of social psychology, and we have a fairly good grip in regards to the intricate processes that result in their existence. Unfortunately, we also know the detrimental consequences that arise when one group views another as a perceived threat, or when you view your own group as a perceived threat (yes, internalized stereotype threat is a very real and damaging phenomenon).
For example, as early as 1999, Spencer, Steele and Quinn examined the effects of stereotype threat on women’s math performance. After several studies in a variety of conditions, they found that in threat-induced instances, for example, when a woman was told she will do worse than a man, women scored lower than men. However, this was not the case in the eliminated threat scenarios.
You may be asking yourself, what’s the big deal? Well, the implications of this simple study hold true to a variety of marginalized populations. Why do you think we have less people of color and LGBT individuals in higher education? One of the reasons is perfectly depicted in this early study – if you continually tell a group of people they aren’t good enough, on a subconscious level they are internalizing this belief. On the other hand, when an individual perceives an obstacle as within their expectation and success range, they are more likely to be motivated and devote the effort necessary to achieve it.
The psychology of bias and discrimination is one that has intrigued me for many years. From our first research encounters, which brought to light the in-group out-group phenomena, to more recent studies examining intrinsic attitudes, it never ceases to amaze me at how intricate the human art of “othering” can be.
It almost seems that as we face these issues head-on in the hopes of changing the fabric of our current societal existence, all we end up doing is building more complex layers of hatred. We move from explicit attitudes — in which negative rhetoric and behaviors are acceptable within a particular subset of the population — to implicit ones — in which the negative rhetoric is no longer acceptable in mainstream society; however the attitude remains even though we are not willing to outwardly admit to it. Basically, what we create is a hidden culture of bias.
Taken together, this all may seem very depressing and discouraging. However, it doesn’t have to be. The good news is that even though we all have internal biases against given groups of people, we are the only ones that choose whether or not to act on them. That’s right – discrimination is a choice. It is a choice each and every one of us make day in and day out.
It’s important to note that in order to assure that we do not act on our biases we must first acknowledge them. This isn’t necessarily easy, because it makes us examine ourselves in a potentially negative light. However, I encourage everyone to change their perspective and consider that internal growth only results when we “shake up” our personal fabric. We need to continually challenge ourselves and work toward accepting that though we may have a “faulty wiring” (which is most likely the result of an evolutionary mechanism), we also have the ability to consciously choose what we do with this wiring. That, in my opinion, is an extremely precious gift.
In light of the recent tragedies, I encourage everyone to take a moment to reflect on what is happening in the world today and realize that this has been going on for centuries. The difference is that our current technological system allows for rapid transmission of information – now, whether we want to or not, we are exposed to all the horrors. Take a look at yourself and identify what “others” exist in your life and what you can actively do to improve their lives and ensure that you are not part of the problem, but are actively trying to be part of the solution.
Jessica Lapinski, DO, is a first-year resident at Duke Family Medicine. Email her at jessica.lapinski@duke.edu or follow her on Twitter at @DrJessLapinski.