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Theoretical perspectives in relation to cognitive development impact on current practice
The impact of discrimination on individuals
The impact of discrimination on individuals
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Recommended: Theoretical perspectives in relation to cognitive development impact on current practice
Stereotypes and racism remain present in our society, and will not be going away any time soon. That being said, it is important to know how different forms of racism and stereotypes affect the mental health of different minorities. Not every minority is discriminated against and stereotyped in the same way, which means that minorities may be affected on a mental level differently. Understanding the different affects that racism and stereotypes have on minority groups is important to the values of well being, equality, and a healthy life style.
For instance, Asians are a good example of how one minority can be affected differently by stereotypes. Lwamoto, Derek, Lejuez, Hamilton, and Grivel state, “Asian American young adults are increasingly
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According to Seaton, and Eleanor in the article The Influence of Cognitive Development and Perceived Racial Discrimination on the Psychological Well-being of African American Youth, “racially discriminatory incidents are prevalent among African American youth given that 91% of pre-adolescent African Americans reported experiencing at least one discriminatory experience in their lifetime” (695). It’s both disturbing and shocking that young African American youths experience racism at such a young age. Being discriminated against at such an early age can cause serious mental health issues for African Americans. Seaton, and Eleanor state, “racial discrimination have been linked to lower life satisfaction levels, decreased self-esteem, increased depressive symptoms, increased anger and problem behaviors, decreased achievement motivation and an increased likelihood of alcohol consumption”(695). African Americans should not have to suffer from any type of discrimination especially the youth who are too young to even really comprehend why racism and discrimination is even present in our society. Our youth should be able to learn and live their lives in a friendly and supportive atmosphere, but instead, young African American youth have to deal with racism, which can lead to all kinds of problems to their mental well-being Problems that include a …show more content…
Ahmed, Sameera, and Linda describe in the article Understanding the Mental Health Needs of American Muslims, “A 1,600% volume increase since 2000 in the number of hate crimes perpetrated against Muslims. As a result, many American Muslims experience increased feelings of anxiety, fear, and rejection” (2). It is wrong to hate against a group of people just because they may be different then you. These hate crimes that are performed against Muslims cause American Muslims severe mental suffering, such as living in constant fear and a feeling of being 2nd class citizens. American Muslims are treaded as unequals just because they appear different and believe in a religion that most people are not familiar with which Is Islam. According to Ahmed, Sameera, and Linda, “Despite increased attention, American Muslims continue to be misunderstood and misrepresented. These individuals represent a highly diverse group who are American and follow the religion of Islam”(1). This misunderstanding of their culture causes people to hate against Muslims since people fear what they don’t necessarily understand. American Muslims get a bad rep just because of how they look as well as a misrepresentation of Muslims in our society. Which ultimately causes hate crimes towards American Muslims causing a mental state of fear, anxiety, and rejection to this particular
Imagine being discriminated anyplace you went, with glares from many and you haven’t done anything to receive those judgments. Muslim Americans in the U.S. have to deal with that discrimination every day post the events that happened on 9/11. Some take drastic measures such as changing their birth name, in hopes that they can avoid being judged by others. Muslim teenager Alisha, told her story that while visiting Six Flags with her family, an American man yelled at her father with the racial comment, “F**k you Osama!” She would also get asked offensive questions, like if she hated Jews too. People who engage in relationships with someone from the Muslim population are harassed for having a romantic affiliation with someone who they would call a “terrorist”. Along with getting called horrific names, many have become objects of suspicion.
The way Muslims have been treated after the 9/11 incident is very different than before. Before 9/11 there was certainly some discrimination towards Muslim Americans, but after the attacks happened, between the years 2000 and 2001, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported a 1,700 percent increase of hate crimes against Muslim Americans (Khan & Ecklund, 2012). “While trying to adapt to the outcome of 9/11, Muslim Americans dealt with an increase in negative stereotypes spoken by the common culture, and Muslim immigrants faced more negative attitudes than any other immigrant group” (Khan & Ecklund, 2012). Since the 9/11 attacks, people who dress with a substantial resemblance to Muslims worry about the upcoming hatred and unfriendliness from people of other ethnicities (Khan & Ecklund, 2012). While listening to the media, one can hear reports of negative stereotypes towards people who resemble the Muslim religion, which may be assumed that these people are violent. Negative attitudes that Muslim Americans experience may have detrimental effects on their success in America and their success of achieving the American Dream.
Across the nation, millions of Americans of all races turn on the television or open a newspaper and are bombarded with images of well dressed, articulate, attractive black people advertising different products and representing respected companies. The population of black professionals in all arenas of work has risen to the point where seeing a black physician, attorney, or a college professor are becoming more a common sight. More and more black people are holding positions of respect and authority throughout America today, such as Barack Obama, Colin Powell, Condelezza Rice and many other prominent black executives. As a result of their apparent success, these black people are seen as role models for many Americans, despite their race. However, these groups of black people are exceptions to the rule and consist of only a tiny fraction of all black Americans. These black people in turn actually help to reinforce the inequality of black Americans by allowing Americans of other races to focus on their success. A common thought is, "They made it, why can't you do the same?" The direct and truthful answer to that question is Racism.
“…Everybody jumped on him, and beat him senseless… Everybody was hitting him or kicking him. One guy was kicking at his spine. Another guy was hitting him on the side of his face… he was unconscious. He was bleeding. Everybody had blood on their forearms. We ran back up the hill laughing… He should have died… He lost so much blood he turned white. He got what he deserved…” (Ridgeway 167). The skinheads who were beating this man up had no reason to do so except for the fact that he was Mexican. Racism in this day and age is still as big of a problem as it was in the past, and as long as hate groups are still around to promote violence, society is never going to grow to love one another.
Certainly, there are some stereotypes that may be true, but do not apply to all persons. In my case, the stereotypes I experienced about my ethnicity and my gender, they do not show the truth about me, and they do not affect me, but I learned that I should not label someone without knowing them or even without proofs. Anyway, stereotypes are endless, and have become commonplace in our
The Web. 15 Jan. 2015. Izumi, Yutaka and Frank Hammonds. " Changing Ethnic/Racial Stereotypes: The Roles of Individuals and Groups."
Islam in America has historically been misunderstood, and this is due to the misconception of culture and religion as well as lack of education and incorrect portrayal in the media, which gives a skewed idea of Islam. Especially in the United States, Islam has been seen as the “terrorist religion” or a religion for the extremists and a religion in which freedom is not an option. Among the countless misconceptions, the basis of stereotypes by Americans is due to the mix up between religion and culture. Furthermore, the media only fuels fire to these misunderstandings and lack of factual information about Islam causing Americans to lash out on American Muslims without reason.
Islam is the religion that provides a complete code of life including social as well as personal spheres. Islam has been targeted by many stereotypes including extremism since last few decades. The reason behind these stereotypes are on some facts and to some extent widely propagated through media. Many people involved in criminal activities, get highlighted easily by media and catch the attention of general public if they are Muslims. A major role behind these stereotypes is played by the outcomes of the 9/11 attacks. Muslims have been targeted with stigmatization and other forms of racial discrimination. They have to face tight security at international airports. Employers have also been showing concerns or hesitation while hiring Muslims especially the immigrants. Many reasons beside 9/11 attacks behind Muslim stigmatization in United States have been in existence since many decades.
While racial prejudice and racism may seem and sound similar, they are different. According to the Oxford Dictionary racism is “the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races” (Racism); whereas, prejudice is a “preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience” (Prejudice). An important difference between racial prejudice and racism is that prejudice is a part of individuals, and racism is a part of a society. Racism is far more powerful than racial prejudice, even though it takes racial prejudice for racism to exist. Racism is where a “racial group has the social power to act on racial prejudice and negatively impact the lives of another racial group” (Harvey & Allard, 2012, p. 72). Racism is far more impacting and damaging than racial prejudice, even though racism cannot exist without some form of racial prejudice being present. An example of racial prejudice would be to assume that African American teenagers tend to be thieves. An individual store owner may have such racial prejudice simply based on an unfounded preconceived opinion. The store owner may be more suspicious of African American teenagers when they shop at his store that that of White teenagers. Racial prejudice can also happen when a person sees a group of African American teenagers, and automatically views them as gangsters and trouble makers simply based on an unfounded preconceived opinion. An extreme example of racism is when African Americans were not treated as equals in many parts of America before and duri...
The FBI reported that the amount of hate crimes against Muslim Americans increased 1,700 percent from 2000- 2001 (Attitudes Toward Muslim Americans Post 9/11, n.d, para 2). The actual amount of reported hate crimes went from 28 incidents to 481 incidents (Kuek Sur, 2016, para 4). The amount of hate towards muslims has continued to increase. The number of Americans with favorable views of Islam dropped from 41 percent in 2005 to 30 percent in 2010 (Clay, 2011, para 3). Although American Muslims have nothing in common with the 9/11 attackers besides religion, many have been treated unfairly by Americans whose views of Islam have been skewed by the 9/11
In the United States and internationally, there is a multitude of indicators that the racial environment is changing. Environmental pollution and racism are connected in more ways than one. The world is unconsciously aware of environmental intolerances, yet continues to expose the poor and minorities to physical hazards. Furthermore, sociologist continue to study “whether racial disparities are largely a function of socioeconomic disparities or whether other factors associated with race are also related to the distribution of environmental hazards” (Mohai and Saha 2007: 345). Many of these factors include economic positions, health disparities, social and political affairs, as well as racial inequalities.
In many circles of the world, various groups of people distinguish themselves from one another through religion, language, culture, and sometimes gender. People also develop stereotypes about a particular group of people in order to identify them. However, most of the time, these stereotypes hold true for only some members of a group. Sometimes, these stereotypes are just plain misconceptions that do not even apply to the group it claims to. Stereotypes are placed on people because it is a way to easily identify what type of person or ethnicity an individual is. At one point in time, these stereotypes may have been true; however, in today’s modern society, most of these stereotypes are outdated and false, which leads them to turn into misconceptions. Usually, stereotypes are utilized to humiliate and degrade the person or group; they also do not provide any beneficial outcomes. Stereotypes focus on how a particular group acts because of the radical ideas and actions of the few, how a particular group looks, or how that group is physically lacking in some way. These stereotypes often lead to conflicts because the group does not appreciate the way it is being perceived. Seldom are the stereotypes placed on a group of people truthful and accurate. Some hardly even apply to the particular group people it claims to. It is true that how people are perceived has a big impact on how other individuals interact with them; however, people are not perceiving these groups correctly.
“Stereotypes unreliable, exaggerated generalizations about all members of a group that do not take individual differences into account” (Schaefer 40). Stereotypes can be positive, but are usually associated with negative beliefs or actions such as racial profiling.
Racism and prejudice has been present in almost every civilization and society throughout history. Even though the world has progressed greatly in the last couple of decades, both socially and technologically, racism, hatred and prejudice still exists today, deeply embedded in old-fashioned, narrow-minded traditions and values.
Racial Discrimination, and Oppression and are still major problems in society. Many great historical leaders such as; Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X , and more have fought for the end of racism and oppression yet it lingers like stray dog. Many times when people mention racism and oppression they overlook it, as though it weren’t a real issue in the world today. Ending racial discrimination and oppression is exceedingly important although we are of different race, sex, and language we have the same color blood and we’re human with emotions. The ending of racial discrimination and oppression, could lead to less suicides due to suicides, poverty, unemployment, and uneducated individuals. The information I will be presenting in this critical