• Question: do you think psychology plays a role in regards of the inequalities minority ethnic groups experience? e.g. black lives matter

    Asked by anon-216414 to Robert, Olly, Nicola, Jasmin, Dennis, Caroline on 12 Jun 2019.
    • Photo: Dennis Relojo-Howell

      Dennis Relojo-Howell answered on 12 Jun 2019:


      Psychology plays a huge role in understanding human behaviour and how they affect our interaction with other people.

      There are researchers who explores racial differences. For instance, Carl Noah from Cambridge. But these kinds of works are being attacked.

      Personally, rather than saying ‘Black lives matter’, why don’t we just say ‘All lives matter. It doesn’t do much good if we get too fixated with identity politics.

    • Photo: Caroline Brett

      Caroline Brett answered on 12 Jun 2019:


      There is a great deal of research out there, mostly in social psychology, on how attitudes are formed, how prejudices are formed, and what effect this can have on the lives of those in minority ethnic groups. I’d agree with Dennis that All Lives Matter but at the same time do appreciate why those in ethnic minority groups feel the need to assert their identity and their rights.

    • Photo: Robert Dempsey

      Robert Dempsey answered on 12 Jun 2019:


      Yes, definitely. It may be that psychology could help to overcome these inequalities which may be more to do with social factors (e.g. at a group level) rather than the individual. There are various health inequalities for minority ethnic groups which are well known and I think we have a lot more to learn in terms of how these inequalities can be reduced and overcome (not just for ethnicity, but also for other groups in society).

    • Photo: Nicola Johnstone

      Nicola Johnstone answered on 13 Jun 2019:


      Yes. It’s important to recognise the importance of groups and issues specific within these. For example, one of my colleagues has is working on research on khat addiction that is a particular problem in specific minority groups in the hope of improving outcomes in these groups.

    • Photo: Oliver Clabburn

      Oliver Clabburn answered on 13 Jun 2019:


      Absolutely, psychology is not just about the study of individuals. It has a massive part in attempting to understand and explain how groups of people think, feel and behave. As such, psychology is really important in identifying inequalities in various groups of people, including BME.

    • Photo: Jasmin Moon

      Jasmin Moon answered on 13 Jun 2019:


      I would say psychology plays a part in every person and every group, whether they are a minority or not! The black lives matter movement came about because an ethnic minority group felt they were being unfairly treated, it was those feelings of anger and injustice (their emotions) that led them to take action. The same applied for women suffragettes who campaigned for women to be able to vote. When we feel strong emotions it powers us to try and do something to make a change, often improving the lives of others too.

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