Zoe Weil is a blogger for Psychology Today (PT), and twice a month we share her blog posts here. Enjoy! There’s an oft-told parable about a child rescuing beached starfish by throwing them back into the sea. A pragmatic adult walks by and tells the child that given the hundreds of starfish on the shore,…
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by Marsha Rakestraw A 2012 survey of teen volunteers revealed that the main reason teens volunteer is because their friends are doing it. As social animals we pay attention to what those around us are doing; and because we like to feel part of the “in” crowd, we’re often willing to conform so that we’re…
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by Marsha Rakestraw The recent US election has highlighted a significant divisiveness. And the media and social media have been awash in hate speech and arguments, calls for healing and moving on, judgments, ideas about next steps, and assumptions. Usually when we make assumptions about others, they’re not positive ones. We tend to make split-second…
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by Marsha Rakestraw Awhile back I had dinner with some new non-vegan friends and colleagues. I was the only vegan there, and it came out that they’d been a bit concerned that I’d pull out my “vegan police” badge and start lecturing them about their food choices. When I told the person next to me…
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by Marsha Rakestraw As I scroll down my Facebook wall, I skim across a horrific image of cruelty that someone has posted, with a caption that merely says “This has to stop!” and no other information. The image is so traumatizing that I quickly skip by it, and even consider hiding that person’s posts from…
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by Marsha Rakestraw It seems like common sense that when we learn that previously-believed information is false – when we receive new facts that contradict what we previously thought — then we’ll change our beliefs to fit with the new information. Right? After all, we’re thinking, logical beings. But numerous studies show that’s not the…
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Participants receive a visit from a traveling alien on a fact-finding mission to learn how beings treat other beings on Earth. Answering the alien’s questions reveals the inconsistencies in how our society encourages us to treat others and encourages students to think critically about our choices. Recommended for grades 5-8. Time: 20-45 minutes Common…
Read more » Un/a extraterrestre tiene una misión a aprender cómo se tratan a la gente y animales y el diálogo se inspira a los estudiantes considerar las inconsecuencias de la sociedad con respecto al tratamiento de seres diferentes. Recomendado para grados 5-9 Duración: 20-45 minutos
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