Psychology Today

Implicit bias is evident across academic departments, including in the sciences, where one might be tempted to believe that applications are more likely to be evaluated objectively.

It's not just that we don't all interpret the facts in the same way, we tend to not even agree on what is "true". Here are four cognitive illusions that help us understand why we don't all see the same social reality, in Ferguson and elsewhere.

Even if only for a day, there is no denying it's fun to be someone else. For some, part of the fun is to be as different as possible. Perhaps that's why some men put on drag, why some demure women get their sexy on, and... why some white folks are drawn to blackface.

Is it possible to parent nonviolently? Ana Joanes's new documentary follows three families as they try to parent without threat or coercion, yet with the general philosophy that everyone's needs (both their children's and their own) matter.

Don't let the humor fool you: The comedic mask can cover up darkness and pain.

There is much to celebrate about the NBA's stand against Sterling but also much to be concerned about. Classic studies in psychology suggest that any one of us could have been in Sterling's place. Do we have a greater responsibility as a society than just removing the bad apple?

Social health is our deepest resource in a global age. With the transition into the 21st century, we are seeing a vast and growing worldwide surge to tap into this resource, even as it is not yet fully understood.

Though not as universally known as the "I Have a Dream" speech delivered just a few months later, Letter From a Birmingham Jail, which King started to write on the margins of a newspaper, is the source of many of his most well-known words. A new film gives these words screen time, much to the benefit of anyone who takes the time to watch.

Two cities. Two people of color fatally shot by those charged with security and law enforcement. Two communities torn apart across racial lines. One city reacts conventionally with criminal charges and court proceedings. The other additionally engages in a Restorative Circle, a restorative process designed to create conditions for mutual understanding and repair of harm.

Residential segregation and other societal racist structures increases health risks and mortality. David Williams and other scholars empirically illustrate the problem...and the potential interventions.

Psychologists for Social Responsibility (PsySR) sees school attacks such as Newtown in the context of a broader culture that endorses force and violence as the way of resolving disputes, including war, urban violence and a harsh, punitive criminal justice system. Here are three recommendations for reducing violence in our country.

While it may seem charitable to promote Lin’s heritage as the key to his success and thus extend praise of Lin to the entire Asian American community, this latter storyline has a dark side to it.

Thinking about privilege — the unearned benefits that we enjoy in society as a result of being White or male or Christian — may not seem crucial, but the potential payoff is the ability to make sense of our relationships, connect across differences, and make the world better in the process.

Recently, I was invited to contribute a short section for a book on race and ethnicity that defined "whiteness". I couldn't resist, in part because I was quite sure that there would be no similar entries for "blackness" or "Asian-ness". Whiteness, you see, is a unique concept and explaining it poses unique challenges. Here is my attempt, in 500 words.