Original_To:  PGLIST
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.psycgrad
Date:         Tue, 15 Dec 1992 19:01:00 CST
              <PSYCGRAD@UOTTAWA.BITNET>
From:         Betty Harris <B1H6017@TAMVENUS.BITNET>
Subject:      Sitting back as a strategy for attitude change.

Matthew,
I'm afraid that I'm gonna hafta disagree with you too on the
issue of just doing science until people see that what we do is
a science. Tho I do agree that the more useful our research is
at solving real world problems, the more we will be accepted as
a science.  but that's only one aspect that has to be addressed.
I just started a listserv for researcher, clinicians,
and educators in the field of sexuality and had a BIG dose
of intolerance from one person who subscribed to our list (who BTW
isn't in the field).  Basically he kept trying to tell everyone
that various things were immoral etc, and impose his beliefs on us.
this went on for around 3 days.  end result, I told him to cease
and desist or leave.  But this brought home a very important
issue for me.  A group of well educated people COULDN'T change
his beliefs OR his need to impose those beliefs on others using
rational data based arguments.  What if he was in a postiion
of power and could implement sanctions to make us conform to
his beliefs?  If....
If there are organized groups of people who believe that studying a
certain phenomena or teaching about it is immoral/bad/wrong/not useful
and that group wants to impose their beliefs on our freedom of
inquiry, and that group has access to the power with which to
accomplish their goals, can we just sit back and do science and
ignore it as you suggest? I think not.
The current funding issues in congress are a prime example.
Non scientists who don't know the content of peer reviewed
research are attempting to control what can and can not be funded.
I don't think that we can just sit back and let others
implement situational constraints on freedom of inquiry.

As far as adopting the attitude, that I heard a while back on this
list... "oh they just can't understand the research I do in
psychology so I'll just joke with them and allow them to continue
thinking that psychology is Freud."
I think that's copping out.
If you research is very complex, then pick a socially relevant
example of a line of research that CAN easily be communicated
into non-PsychoBabble and educate them!

On of the coolest things that can happen to me is when I stimulate
another person to actually examine their biased or intolerant
or non data based attitudes/beliefs and ask... hmmmmm how come
I do believe this way?  Could there be another way of looking at it?
Perhaps the answer is not so much persuading them that you are correct
and that they are in err, but stimulating them to think about why
they believe the way they do and reasses whether could be other ways
to look at something.  Old Socrates may of had something way back when.
*almost* makes me wanna study attitude change!*
Scary thought.
Betty
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      TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
      TTT     TTT     TTT        Betty A. Harris
              TTT                Department of Psychology
    AAA       TTT    MM     MM   Texas A&M University
   A   A      TTT    M M   M M   College Station, TX 77843-4235
  A A A A     TTT    M  M M  M   1-409-845-2566
 A       A    TTT    M   M   M   Bitnet: B1H6017@TAMVENUS
AAA     AAA TTTTTTT MMM  M  MMM  Internet: B1H6017@VENUS.TAMU.EDU
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Jetho Tull: "I may make you feel... but I can't make you think"
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Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU