For most Americans, the month of July is synonymous with Independence Day and related celebrations. However, the month also holds a less widely-known title; National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), this title was created by the House of Representatives in 2008 in honor of Bebe Moore… read more
Keep Your Job From Defining You
It’s often the first question we’re asked when we meet someone new: “What do you do?” And while we may do any number of things in our daily lives, from engaging in hobbies to caring for loved ones, those aren’t the answers the other person is looking for. Instead, we’re expected to answer the broad,… read more
What is bisexual erasure?
Isn’t it frustrating when you know for certain that something is true, yet the person you’re talking to refuses to believe you? Maybe they’re questioning a theory that you spent years developing in graduate school, or maybe they’re just misremembering the plot of your favorite book. Either way, their patronizing attitude and refusal to recognize… read more
Why We Need Unconditional Love and Acceptance from Our Caregivers
We’ve all heard that the best type of love comes with no strings attached. The idea that we might come to love someone (usually a significant other) so intensely that we can forgive them all of their faults is a popular one in our cultural mythos. That being said, few people would encourage you to… read more
The Psychological Effects of Stereotyping: A Study Through the Lens of Asexuality
Researchers have a number of theories about why we engage in the act of stereotyping. Some believe it developed as a way to promote group identity and strengthen the social systems that allow us to survive. Others believe it’s simply a matter of ease, as our brains process categorized information more efficiently.
Yet for every evolutionary “pro” that comes with stereotyping, there are several obvious cons. In addition to popularizing untrue (and often insulting) myths about large and diverse groups of people, stereotyping can have devastating psychological effects on the people being categorized.
