Welcome back to those stalwarts, and a warm welcome to new members who have completed the Demystifying Psychology “Course” group. A group of 12 met at Ruby Blue Café to set the scene for 2024.
Our group is not therapeutic; instead, we discuss topics of interest raised without notice and then apply a psychological framework to them. The meeting content is always a surprise since no preparation is needed. Topics often relate to local, national, and/or international issues, often highlighting leadership styles, values, and politics.
This month we established group expectations including the use of Chatham House rules. According to these rules, “participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.” (Source: https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/chatham-house-rule)
Our first topic was “social dominance”, as in “caste”. Caste is described as “a system of classifying society in a hierarchical order in which some people are kept inferior and others superior” (https://theconversation.com/origin-this-outstanding-portrayal-of-indias-caste-system-is-hugely-important-to-dalit-people-like-me-222340), evident through-out the world and defined in many versions of the word “caste”.
A group member recommended the movie “Origin”, a movie inspire by Isabel Wilkerson’s 2020 book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent”. Further reading/viewing : https://theconversation.com/origin-this-outstanding-portrayal-of-indias-caste-system-is-hugely-important-to-dalit-people-like-me-222340
Many theories each offer some explanation for the global support of stereotypes such as “caste”. The concept of “Confirmation Bias” is one such theory – go to https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/confirmation-bias
NEXT MEETING: Thursday 21 March 2:00 – 4:00pm @ Ruby Blue Café 64 Nunn Street.
Jane