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EPISTEMIC HUMILITY Jonathan S VOL 70 ISSUE 2 Summer 2017 A publication of the Society of Clinical Psychology (Division 12, APA) CONTENTS PRESIDENT’S COLUMN 1 President’s Column: The News Makes Me Hurt The News Makes 5 Upcoming Society of Clinical Psychology Me Hurt: Clinical Webinars 6 Lead Article: Epistemic Considerations for Our Humility: An Overarching Educational Philosophy for Public/Political Climate Clinical Psychology Programs (Lilienfeld et al.) of Stigmatization 15 Ethics Column: Stress and Self Care Among Graduate Michael W. Otto, Ph.D. Psychology Students 17 Letter to the Editor: What In every National political election there are winners and losers, the Trump? and those who do not win are faced with having to cope with the 21 Division 12 Award Winners repudiation (by the majority of voters, or at least by the Electoral College) of some of their political values. This always happens, and 22 Division Nominations depending on the vitriol of the election and associated policy issues, 29 Previously Aired Society there are palpable and prolonged groans of dismay in either Red States of Clinical Psychology or Blue States depending on the election result. But this year is different. Webinars In the weeks following the Presidential Election in November, 2016, multiple media outlets reported a dramatic increase in hate-related incidents directed at a broad swath of our community: people of color, immigrants, Muslims, EDITORIAL STAFF LGBTQ individuals, and women. One source of this information was an Editor: Jonathan S. Comer, Ph.D. assessment of over 10,000 teachers, administrators, and school counselors [email protected] conducted by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance project (Southern Poverty Law Center, 2016). Respondents to this survey were clear – Assoc Editor: Kaitlin P. Gallo, Ph.D. 90% reported that their school climate had been negatively affected, and 80% [email protected] reported heightened anxiety and concerns about the impact of the election on themselves and their families. Specifc examples include the following: Editorial Asst: Natalie Hong, B.S. [email protected] • “I have seen open racism, spoken, for the frst time in 23 years of teaching.” (response from a Middle School Teacher in Michigan) • “I have never directly encountered race-related harassment in our Join a Division school until after the election this year.” (response from a Middle School Teacher in Wisconsin) • “There have been more fghts in the frst 10 weeks of this year 12 Section than in the frst 10 years of my career (this is my 11th year teaching).” (response from a Secondary Teacher in New York) The Society of Clinical Psychology These incidents appear to be an aggravation of a general trend occurring prior to the election, with the FBI reporting a 6% increase in hate crimes in the (Division 12) has eight sections latest (2015) yearly report available (https://ucr.fbi.gov/hate-crime/2015). In covering specifc areas of interest. addition, the present time is marked by a charged environment of oppressive and dismissive behavior. Consider the following: across the frst weeks of To learn more, visit Division 12’s April, media outlets reported new sexual harassment claims against Bill section web page: O’Reilly at Fox News. Just one day after reports that advertisers were feeing the show in response to the allegations, President Trump provided www.div12.org/sections/ a twitter defense of O’Reilly: “I don’t think Bill did anything wrong.” The facts ISSN 0009-9244 Copyright 2017 by the Society of Clinical Psychology, American Psychological Association Presidential Column: Making the Most of Clinical Science (continued) of the O’Reilly case are not publicly known, but what is news feeds after 10:00 PM or no late night political talk known is that reporting sexual harassment is a fraught shows may help attenuate emotional disruptions that process, and organizational minimization contributes occur when adaptive emotional regulation has waned to negative outcomes (Bergman et al., 2002). for the day. Monitoring and intervening with adaptive behaviors such as adequate sleep and exercise also It is no surprise that leaders have an outsized infuence can enhance resilience (Asmundson et al., 2013; on norm perception and subsequent behavior Walker & van der Helm, 2009). For example, in addition (e.g., Dijkstra, Lindenberg, & Veensra, 2008), and to improving mood, regular exercise also aids cognitive correspondingly, it is no surprise that public and repeated control (Olson et al., 2017). Enhancing cognitive control challenges to core values of tolerance and respect have is also an element of Rumination-Focused Cognitive a societal effect. Stigma, prejudice, and discrimination Behavior Therapy (RFCBT), which includes training create a stressful and hostile social environment. in identifying triggers for rumination and applying The result is chronic stress, with associated mental adaptive alternatives such as mindfulness, behavioral health problems, negative health behaviors, lower activation, or active problem-solving. Initial clinical participation in positive health behaviors, and physical trials support the effcacy of RFCBT as a preventive health problems (Pascoe & Richman, 2009). For intervention for depression (Jacobs et al., 2016) and example, greater teacher-based discrimination was as a treatment for residual symptoms (Watkins et found to predict increased substance use across high al., 2011), and elements of this treatment may have school years for African American students (Fuller et al., similar value for the ruminations and negative affect 2012), following the notion that discrimination motivates induced by the climate of stigmatization we now face. attempts at threat reductions, potentially through maladaptive coping strategies (Major & Obrien, 2005). One issue with daily news feeds being a source of distress is that there may be no one-to-one target for assertive In an especially noteworthy article, Hatzenbuehler or problem-solving action. Aside from opportunities to and colleagues (2009) addressed the titular question, vote, town-hall events, occasional protests, or check- “How does stigma get under the skin?” They book activism, there may be no clear local target for examined self-reported discrimination events (Study responding to publically-displayed stigmatization. This 1) or experimentally-manipulated discrimination recall is where values clarifcation and subsequent smaller (Study 2) and found that rumination mediated the link local action may have beneft: fnding opportunities to between perceived discrimination and psychological underscore and act in accordance with core values in distress. Rumination—the passive and repetitive focus community settings as a bulwark against larger cultural on the causes and consequences of distress without issues. And, there is always the open-a-bar strategy: in engagement in active coping/problem solving—is bad an April 12, 2017, article in The New York Times, Robert for you. Rumination is an established risk factor for the Simonson reported on an individual who complained, onset of major depression and anxiety, a predictor of “for the few weeks after the election, I couldn’t get out the severity and duration of depressive episodes, and a of bed...It was all I could do to read the news.” That predictor of suicidal ideation (Michl et al., 2013; Nolen- individual subsequently opened a bar, named “Coup” Hoeksema, Wisco, & Lyubomirsky, 2008). Accordingly, (as in d’état), where 100% of the profts are going to in understanding the infuence of discrimination “organizations that are either being defunded by the on mental and physical health, rumination may be current administration or need money to fght the an important mechanistic target for intervention. current administration.” This is active coping writ large. Rumination, and its dyadic equivalent, co-rumination, Let me be clear: in this article I am not advocating for may also help explain why social support does not political action in favor of either Red State or Blue State always buffer the effects of perceived discrimination perspectives, but I am advocating for helping those (Meyer, 2003). Co-rumination involves excessively in distress due to the documented climate of stigma discussing problems and negative thoughts within a and oppression. In my comments I have emphasized dyadic relationship (Rose, Carlson & Waller, 2007). perspectives based on a particular accounting of the Although rumination is associated with positive role of rumination in infuencing distress in response friendship quality, it is also linked to higher levels of to stigmatization, and the role of adaptive action as anxiety and depression (as is intra-personal rumination). an antidote to these effects. I am very pleased to say As such, the richly-empathic, “I know, right?” response that a work-group consisting of the members of the may have the potential downside of encouraging Division 12 leadership in Section 4, Section 6, and a further attentional focus on negative events, the Committee on Diversity are collaborating on a without necessarily encouraging adaptive coping. broader statement on potential benefcial responses for intervening with distress linked to a public/political So what is the right response for those in distress in climate of stigmatization/oppression. When fnished, relation to the current political environment and the this work will be posted on your Division 12 webpage. stigmatizing events on news feeds? On the practical Look for it. Ψ side, limiting the dose, duration, or timing of this input holds potential beneft. For example, couples’ rules of no 2 | VOL 70 - ISSUE 2 - SUMMER 2017 Presidential Column: Making the Most of Clinical Science (continued) References stressful life events to symptoms of depression and anxiety: longitudinal evidence in early adolescents and Asmundson, G. J. J., Fetzner, M. G., De Boeer, L. B., Posers, adults. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 122(2), 339-352. M. B., Otto, M. W., Smits J. A. J. (2013). Let’s get physical: A contemporary review of the anxiolytic effects of exercise for Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Wisco, B. E., &Lyubomirsky, anxiety and its disorders. Depression and Anxiety, 30, 362-373. S. (2008).
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