By Ma. Clarisse M. Garcio — RTU PSA Writer
“Ay, psycho ka pala! So nagbabasa ka ng utak? Basahin mo nga utak ko!”
"Ay hehe, psych po. Hindi psycho. Tsaka hindi po kami nagbabasa ng utak.”
Have you ever had this conversation with someone? Or does this ever ring a bell? Because you have just been given a glimpse of what common stereotypes psychology students experienced. Of course, there is nothing true about this statement at all–which is why it is classified as a stereotype. According to the American Psychological Association (n.d.), stereotypes are a set of generalized beliefs and expectations toward a group of people based on their qualities. This generalization often leads to inaccurate representations of the people involved. And while stereotypes and misconceptions are frequently associated with negative connotations, McFarlane (2014) proposes a new theory that sheds a new perspective on stereotypes; he stated that stereotyping and stereotypes can actually be helpful in “guiding and shaping” our behaviors towards other people. They also motivate us to confirm if our stereotypes and misconceptions are true and consequently give us an opportunity to better understand our differences (McFarlane, 2014).
Ms. Dynehgre Casasola, a faculty member of the Department of Psychology for almost a decade now, shared her encounters when she experienced the common psychology stereotypes now and then. To her, the typical ones were: “Basahin mo nga utak ko!”, “Mapupunta ka lang sa Quiapo kapag ‘di nakapasa sa board!”, “Wala namang Math sa Psych!”, “Kalahi niyo ba si Satanas/Aquaman?” (because of our Psi logo). However, instead of feeling unmotivated and discouraged by these stereotypes, she felt eager to study the discipline and was challenged to further prove if the misconceptions were right or wrong. Her views of the stereotypes and myths-conception were positive–as these stereotypes paved the way for new students to be more interested in Psychology. To her, the misconceptions act as a gateway for everyone to study the discipline and promote mental health awareness, especially after learning the real essence and beauty of studying the mind and behavior. Furthermore, while these misconceptions and stereotypes open the path for the future pursuant to the discipline, she also emphasizes the significance of debunking and educating those who know less. According to her, it is important to educate people who are still unaware and we owe it to them to teach them the truth. But if they will not be budged, then at least we have done our job. In line with this, Ms. Dyne also sees the pivotal role of faculty members in educating students–they have to be equipped and competent to correct even the psychology students that are still tainted with stereotypes and misconceptions in their minds.
With these being said, stereotypes are not inherently bad, they only bear more negatives when the person holding the misconceptions refuses to change their opinions after being presented with the truth (McFarlane, 2014). And the truth is: psychology students and psychologists cannot and will never read minds–we are simply unable to do it without magic and divine intervention. Instead what we do, according to Ms. Dyne, is use the scientific method. We describe, explain, predict, and control behavior. “We assess behavior, we do not read behavior,” she stated. The way we do it is by administering a battery of tests and understanding an individual’s emotions, cognition, and motivation. Thus, as behaviorists, we study a person's behavior and mind scientifically and holistically.
At the present, Ms. Dyne is now a licensed psychometrician, she finished her MA in Industrial Psychology in 2018 and is currently a Ph.D. Clinical Psychology student at Far Eastern University-Manila. She rose up among the stereotypes and broke all the misconceptions. And she does it so well. She transformed the stereotypes–from misconceptions to a catalyst for inspiration. She made it a motivation to keep going and share the truth and beauty of Psychology. And perhaps, we could do the same.
References:
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Stereotype. APA Dictionary of Psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/stereotype
McFarlane, D. A. (2014). A Positive Theory of Stereotyping and Stereotypes: Is Stereotyping Useful? Journal of Studies in Social Sciences, 8(1), 140-163.
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