Degrees of Separation: Managing Isolation for Doctoral Students of Color

This blog post is a part of the series, “CARED Perspectives,” developed by the APAGS Committee for the Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Diversity (CARED). This series will discuss current events and issues in psychology and how these relate to graduate students. If you are interested in contributing to the CARED Perspectives series, please contact Aleesha Young, Chair of APAGS-CARED.

By Mary O. Odafe, M.A.

CARED PICAs we matriculate through higher education, the journey for racial and ethnic minority doctoral students is often marked by feelings of isolation in both personal and professional networks.

Recent studies show that members of certain racial and ethnic minority groups are less likely to obtain degrees from competitive four-year institutions than their White counterparts. The “race gap” in higher education begins at the undergraduate level and only becomes more pronounced at the graduate level. Simply put, the more advanced the degree program, the less likely people of color are numerically represented.

The journey to a doctorate degree in psychology is equal parts complex and challenging. While friends, family, and significant others are an invaluable source of support along the journey, there are times they may not truly grasp the amount of mental energy, stress, discipline, and hard work that goes into achieving each required milestone. They may underestimate the weight of passing qualifying exams, waiting for internship Match Day results, dissertation data collection, developing and teaching a course, or applying for jobs in academia. They may not understand the unique working relationship with advisors and supervisors, or track what we are doing each year in the ever-complex lifestyle of being a student, teacher, researcher, and clinician – simultaneously!

Likewise, if you are one of the only students of color in your department, you may experience an additional sense of isolation while navigating unique challenges of feeling marginalized, overlooked, stereotyped, or microaggressed in professional arenas. Although our colleagues can serve as critical allies and advocates for diversity and inclusion, there is unspoken value in sharing such challenging experiences with someone who also knows, first-hand, what it feels like to be marginalized on the basis of one’s skin color. At times, our colleagues may confuse our desire to seek out relationships with others who look like us as being unfriendly, segregated, or unwilling to be “part of the group.” When we do engage with our majority-culture colleagues, many students of color naturally default to “code-switching” as a safer alternative to revealing our true identity in professional settings – but for the record, being two people in one is exhausting. Adding an extra layer of stress and isolation to the training experience, students of color are more likely to be first-generation college students than our White counterparts, and are disproportionately affected by the financial burden associated with pursuing higher education (due to persistent disparities in income and wealth distribution in the United States).

Researchers cite active forms of coping, including social support seeking, as more effective in dealing with distress in comparison to passive or avoidant forms of coping. The problem arises when these social support groups are fragmented, insufficient, or even non-existent. Through conversation with wise and trusted mentors, I have learned the importance of diversifying one’s social support network. While we may not obtain all the support we need from any one group individually, we can maximize support benefits by seeking different types of support from different groups. Perhaps your family and friends cannot always offer direct support or advice in navigating specific challenges within your program, but they can attest to the person you are outside of your identity as a graduate student. In times of need, those who truly know your character can remind you of your tenacity to take on any challenge (like that time you tried out for the talent show in 6th grade – and made it!). Likewise, many of your colleagues may not relate to being the first person in the family to obtain a bachelor’s and/or graduate degree, but they will certainly be there with you to take on plenty of “firsts” throughout your training – if you let them.

Part of maximizing sources of support means being vulnerable, transparent, and effectively communicating our needs. Letting people into our struggles and triumphs helps them understand how best to support us. So let’s keep our family and friends updated on our program milestones and challenges, even if they think we’ve just been “studying” these past 4-7 years. Let’s allow our colleagues to become supportive allies and genuine friends, especially when they’ve demonstrated a sincere willingness to listen. Finally, let’s lean into each other and share our own experiences, in hopes of validating and encouraging other doctoral students of color. As we begin to open up and maximize support, we may find that journey is not so lonely after all.

Additional Resources

We want to hear what you think! Please share your thoughts on this topic in the comments section below.

Positioning Your Research as a Graduate Student to Address Social Injustices

By Kevin Wagner and Gabriel Velez

Social injustices involve power relations and unequal access to privileges based on domination and subordination (Miller, 1999; Prilleltensky & Gonick, 1996). Examples abound across the globe, and given their prevalence and impact on human suffering, conducting research to address social injustices are particularly important. As a graduate student, it can feel like there are so many problems in the world and there’s nothing we can do about it. A first step in this journey is recognizing the problems we are most passionate about, identifying our role and resources to address the problem, and then acting in our roles as emerging psychologists. This article is how to do that as grad researchers in psychology by offering an overview of the dissemination and implementation (D&I) literature as a guide to position research to address social injustices. It emerges from our own reflecting, asking ourselves, how can we position our research as graduate students to address social injustices? Below we draw from the D&I literature to outline four guidelines to position research as a graduate student to address social injustices.

Tenet One: Planning Your Research

Bartholomew & Mullen (2011) assert that effective research is guided by theory and empirical evidence. Planning your research to address social injustices means selecting appropriate theories and understanding what empirical evidence provides a strong foundation; design research based on theory to provide sound structure to your investigation. One common framework from the D&I literature to develop change programs is intervention mapping, which includes six core steps: 1) describing the problem (e.g., a phenomenon related to social injustices), 2) developing metrics to measure change (how will you measure the impact of your research, program, or intervention on addressing social injustices?), 3) implementing theory-based intervention to promote change, 4) organizing materials to produce the program cogently, 5) implementing the program with fidelity and with support from others, and 6) creating an evaluation plan to assess the effectiveness of the program (Bartholomew & Mullen, 2011).

Tenet Two: Conducting Your Research

Whether qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods, a critical component of research with a social-justice focus is attentiveness to positionality, diversity, and validity. The many facets require more space than we have here, but we believe it is important to highlight that the research process itself must reflect and be forthright about the social justice orientation of the researcher (Morrow, 2005; Ponterotto, Mathew, & Raughley, 2013). Specifically, best practices to consider for reflection include, 1) cultural competence of the researchers, 2) research focus, 3) selection of research design, 4) composition of research team, 5) power dynamics with participants, and 6) data collection and analysis (Fassinger & Morrow, 2013).

Tenet Three: Disseminating Your Research

Disseminating your research is necessary to share your message and involves spreading information to targeted audiences using determined strategies (Tabak, Khoong, Chambers, Brownson, 2012). In the context of social injustice, it is vital to have your research accessible to relevant stakeholders that can utilize it, such as policy makers, clinicians, advocates, educators, and community members. Of course, sharing your research to non-academic audiences means you will need to communicate academic findings as if you were not an academic. This is difficult, especially when we don’t usually get trained to write that way, so this may involve some self-learning through reading instructional blog posts, finding exemplar writers in your area, and examining APA policy statements. You should also anticipate and plan to address potential barriers, such as costs, time, relationships, and partnerships needed to disseminate your research.

Tenet Four: Implementing Your Research

Once you have conducted your research and generated knowledge, implementation entails applying it to make a difference (Tabak et al., 2012). There are always barriers to doing this. Considerations include: how can the research inform actual policy and practice; what are barriers within applied connects; is the local political and social climate going to be supportive; will a community be receptive to or want to participate in a community-based intervention (Klein & Sorra, 1996)? Observing the organization, conducting surveys, and making connections with desired organizations – that is, studying and caring about the local context – can help you successfully implement the research.

Conclusion:

Social injustices are rife but can be studied and addressed through a psychological lens. As graduate students we were simultaneously in a position of vulnerability (e.g., advisors, programs, student debt) and privilege (e.g., highly educated; access to university/professional resources). Therefore, in many ways graduate student researchers are in a unique position to be keenly aware of injustices and have the resources to make a real difference. Some of these resources can be found in relevant professional and community organizations, such as APAGS subcommittees (e.g., Science, Committee for the Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Diversity, Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, Advocacy Coordinating Team). Having an overall guiding framework can help provide structure and clarity in how to draw on these supports. Therefore, we have offered a brief overview of the D&I literature as a first step for other graduate students interested in delving further into questions of social justice and integrating them into their own work and development. With this goal in mind, we end with a list of some resources for further exploration.

Further Resources for Exploration:

  1. Journals/Volumes
  2. Articles for General Reflection
  3. Organizations

References:

Bartholomew, L. K., & Mullen, P. D. (2011). Five Roles for Using Theory and Evidence in the Design and Testing of Behavior Change Interventions. Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 71, S20-S33.

Fassinger, R., & Morrow, S. L. (2013). Toward Best Practices in Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed-Method Research: A Social Justice Perspective. Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology, 5(2), 69-83.

Klein, K. J., & Sorra, J. S. (1996). The Challenge of Innovation Implementation. The Academy of Management Review, 21(4), 1055-1080.

Miller, D. (1999). Principles of Social Justice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Morrow, S. L. (2005). Quality and Trustworthiness in Qualitative Research in Counseling Psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(2), 250-260.

Ponterotto, J. G., Mathew, J. T., & Raughley, B. (2013). The Value of Mixed Methods Designs to Social Justice Research in Counseling and Psychology. Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology, 5(2), 42-68.

Prilleltensky, I., & Gonick, L. (1996). Polities Change, Oppression Remains: On the Psychology and Politics of Oppression. Political Psychology, 17(1), 127-148.

Tabak, R. G., Khoong, E. C., Chambers, D. A., & Brownson, R. C. (2012). Bridging Research and Practice: Models for Dissemination and Implementation Research. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 43(3), 337-350.

About the Authors:

Kevin Wagner is a second year Ph.D. student in counseling psychology at the University of Texas at Austin (Email).

Gabriel Velez is a fifth year Ph.D. candidate in Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago (Email).

#METOO and R. Kelly: The Role of Race, ‘Celebrity,’ and Political Climate

This blog post is a part of the series, “CARED Perspectives,” developed by the APAGS Committee for the Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Diversity (CARED). This series will discuss current events and how these events relate to graduate students in psychology. If you are interested in contributing to the CARED Perspectives series, please contact Aleesha Young, Chair of APAGS-CARED.

By Krystal Christopher

In January 2019 a docuseries entitled “Surviving R. Kelly” premiered on Lifetime igniting a firestorm of emotions and reopening several investigations against the singer. In February of this year (soon after the release of the 6-part docuseries), Kelly was indicted on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Chicago.

The docuseries consisted of six episodes spanning three nights examining the over two decades of sexual-misconduct accusations against Kelly. However, the details and reports in this series were not new, or unheard of. Quite the opposite. The subject matter of the docuseries has been reported elsewhere circa 2000 in a local Chicago newspaper. In 2002, Kelly was indicted on 21 charges related to child pornography. However, the jury selection began in 2008 with a reduction in charges from 21 to 14. Kelly was ultimately found not guilty on all counts. Over two decades of allegations Kelly also settled several sexual misconduct lawsuits, while retaining his innocence. “Surviving R. Kelly” did not expose R. Kelly as the details were known and readily available. Instead the docuseries highlighted how the court of public opinion did not convict Kelly; rather, his celebrity status protected him until the public could no longer remain silent.

The court of public opinion failed to bring charges to R. Kelly, yet the voice of the public has increased outside of the court to bring justice to victims of sexual assault. The #MeToo movement started by Tarana Burke, an African American woman, is a movement against sexual harassment and sexual assault. The power of public opinion has been at the roots of this movement, as it began in the realm of social media. As such, the perceptions of the allegations, and the context in which the abuse occurred have dictated how the public process the allegations. Since its inception, we have seen accusations levied against Harvey Weinstein, and Les Moonves- perhaps largely perceived as wealthy white men who used their status to fortify their behavior. Conversely, Bill Cosby and R. Kelly, may have been perceived (largely by the African American community) as black men for whom their success (in film, TV, music) represented beating the odds of living as a person of color, and specifically a Black man, in a country where racism is embedded.  In fact, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Bill Cosby, R. Kelly, and Virginia’s Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax have all used metaphoric words like lynching and assault in response to accusations of sexual misbehavior.  Their words playing on the public’s (specifically African Americans) instinct to surround “people who are being subjected to potential injustice,” according to Jackson-Lowman, president of the Association of Black Psychologists.

It cannot be overlooked that the accusers in the Weinstein and Les Moonves cases were white and may have impacted how swiftly action was taken against these individuals. Additionally, recognizing that the #MeToo movement created a climate conducive to facilitating these changes. However, even in the #MeToo era there are some notable trends as it pertains to racial differences in sexual violence. Black rape victims remain less likely to see their rapist prosecuted (Stacey, Martin, & Brick, 2016) and black girls are twice as likely to be sexually abused as their white counterparts (National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-4),2010). Moreover, Tarana Burke, says African American females are often hypersexualized, and thus, are seen as more mature and ultimately bear the burden of being perceived to be responsible for what happens to them. In America, the sexual exploitation of African American females has been deplorable. Dr. Carolyn West, a clinical psychologist and psychology professor at the University of Washington West explains that rape was a part of the African American woman experience dating back to the slave trade. Cultural stereotypes insist that both African American men and women are animalistic, driven by uncontrollable sexual needs, which in turn attempts to justify inhumane treatment. Though as a society, we have largely moved past this perspective, implicit biases are embedded in the system. America’s deep seeded racially divided history is interwoven into its fabric.

How was “Surviving R. Kelly” able to move the needle on a well-documented history of questionable behavior to finally convince the public to convict R. Kelly? In a piece written in the New Yorker, Cobb and Cobb (2019) suggest it is plausible that because the docuseries was produced by an African American woman who has made a career as a feminist; dream hampton, it forced an analysis of Kelly that otherwise have been difficult for African Americans to digest. For one, hampton’s role demonstrates that the entities at play were no longer the institution trying to “bring down the black man.”  It is often discussed within the African American community that the majority of those in power in the United States (i.e., White wealthy males) are working overtime to continue the assault on the African Americans. These assaults on the community are mainly through incarceration or the stripping of accolades, and dates back to many historical events in the United States (e.g. slavery, Jim Crow Laws, the War on Drugs, etc). In this case, the docuseries was constructed by a member of the community, perhaps making it more palatable for African Americans, who also make up the majority of consumers responsible for Kelly’s successful music career. Perhaps hampton’s involvement in the docuseries aided in lowering defenses allowing the message of the docuseries to be heard. Whatever the case is, it is important to recognize the disparities is sexual violence, be aware of our biases, and understand the role of history in present day.

References

Cobb, J., & Cobb, J. (2019, January 11). R. Kelly and the complexities of race in the #MeToo                     Era. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/r-kelly-and-the-                 complexities-of-race-in-the-metoo-era

Noveck, J. (2019, March 18). R. Kelly case spotlights abuse of girls in the era of #MeToo.              Retrieved from https://apnews.com/41bc5551f81949eb854bb243e87c96df           

Kelly’s arrest barely scratches the surface of a much-needed #MeToo reckoning for black girls. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/r-kelly-s-arrest-                          barely-scratches-surface-much-needed-metoo-n977816

Stacey, M., Martin, K. H., & Brick, B. T. (2017). Victim and Suspect Race and the Police                                Clearance of    Sexual Assault. Race and Justice, 7(3), 226–255.                                                           https://doi.org/10.1177/2153368716643137

 

 

 

Where Science Meets Policy Part 3: Writing About Your Science for Non-scientific Audiences

Melanie Arenson & Mary Fernandes

It is critical that researchers translate their scientific findings to non-scientist consumers (seriously, we’ve written 2 blog posts about it – find out about engaging with stakeholders here and how to write academic papers for a broader range of stakeholders here). However, many researchers (including us graduate students!) feel uncertain about exactly how or where to write about our science. While graduate students typically get exposure to creating posters, giving talks, and writing scientific articles, very few of us are ever taught how to write for other mediums. Below are a few tips and tricks.

Writing for a non-scientific audience.

  • Adjust your lexicon. Sometimes this is easier said than done. Many of us have been talking about our work in scientific circles for so long that jargon is second-nature for us. Break the habit.  Write about your findings in your typical scientific manner and then go back and ask yourself, “but what does this mean?” — then replace whatever you wrote with that answer. Wherever possible, write in lay terms or connect back to phenomena that people know and understand.
  • Write a story. This sounds abstract, but it is really important. People are good at processing stories — they’re not as good at conceptualizing facts and figures and understanding why they matter. The story will change depending upon the science that you are talking about, but it should flow from beginning to middle to end.
  • Write short. Ideally, people should be able to get the gist your scientific findings and the story you are going to tell them within the first 3 sentences. Get to the point as quickly as possible. For longer pieces (e.g. a blogpost), you can definitely expand, but the first few sentences should be a punch that conveys the big takeaways.
  • Wherever possible, include accessible infographics. What these look like can change from discipline to discipline, but you want the graphic to be accessible, easy to understand without explanation, and to summarize the most important take-home point and/or summarize large amounts of information.

Now, share it!

  • Social Media: If you’ve written something just a few sentences long, tweet it, share it on Facebook, or find a great photograph to represent it on Instagram. Then, interact with anyone who comments on or likes it. Encourage people to share your work, and make sure you’ve provided links back to the original scientific article.
  • Link to longer pieces: If what you’ve written is longer than just a few sentences (e.g. you wrote a blogpost, or have talked about your research in a news article), provide the link to the longer story, but make sure you’ve got a 1-3 sentence summary of your results and why they matter. As a tip, if you’ve followed the tricks listed above, you’ve probably already written those 1-3 sentences.
  • Blog posts: There are a number of science-relevant blogs (in fact, you’re reading one of them!). These blogs can vary from area to area, but they are a fantastic way to disseminate your research.
  • Email and listservs: We know this can feel strange, but you should be sharing your work with your colleagues. This means blasting it out on listservs and sending it to your department. First, people in your field are probably already interested in your work. Second, they also have connections, and may want to forward your work to other people who might also be interested. Whenever possible, include links to both the scientific article and the more accessible format.

Help! The media has asked about my work.
First of all, congratulations! You’ve been contacted by the media, because they want to know more about the really cool science that you are doing.
Many scientists feel nervous about talking to the media. They worry their work will get misrepresented, or feel uncomfortable describing themselves as the expert. Below are a few tricks (some of them may feel familiar).

  • Adjust your lexicon. Before providing information to the news source, do some background research on them to see what their writing style is usually like, and who you think their target audience is. Then, adjust your language accordingly.
  • Tell a story. It’ll be a short story, but it should still be a story. Whenever possible, connect back to why your results matter. Contextualize it within the broader picture.
  • Talk short. Your answers shouldn’t be lengthy. Make sure you already know how you want to talk about your work and what the key takeaways are (think back to those 1-3 sentences you’ve been using for social media and the beginning of blog posts).
  • Plan your responses. Think about what questions you might be asked and plan out how you would respond. Pay special attention to anything you think might be taken out of context; aim not only to be understood, but also to avoid being misunderstood. Be as precise in your language as you can be, without sliding into scientific jargon.
  • Build a relationship. Whenever possible, build rapport with the media author that contacted you. You want to be in a place where you would feel comfortable contacting them if you think they’ve accidentally misrepresented your work.
  • Remember, you are the expert. This one can be really difficult, but you are the expert in your work. Take pride in that, feel confident in that.

Further resources.
Don’t just take our word for it! Tons of people have written about communicating scientific findings to non-scientists. Below are a few of our favorites:

Keep following the series for more ways to translate your science! Up next, we’ll discuss how to write a policy brief.

APAGS Charts its Next Five Years

It is with great excitement that I share the new 2019-2023 Strategic Plan for the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students. Over the past year, APAGS leaders have been working together to brainstorm, gather information, and articulate a five-year Strategic Plan to inform how APAGS can better serve graduate students around the nation and the world. Take a moment to read through the main pillars and objectives of the Strategic Plan that was unanimously approved by the APAGS Committee in December.

You may be aware that APA has also completed the development of its strategic plan. APAGS leaders anticipate that the APAGS strategic plan will align well with the larger APA plan.

Feel free to share your thoughts on the plan, as well as ideas you have about how APAGS can continue to use this living document to inform how we focus our time, utilize our resources, and support the next generation of psychology professionals.

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