Claude Steele on Churn, the Awkward Social Distress That Divides Us All

I’m pretty sure you’ve been in this situation: you’re in a group setting of consequence and importance. Maybe it’s at work, maybe in school, but something is on the line. In that place are people different from you. They’re of a different race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and you begin to worry about how you are being perceived. Are you an individual in everyone’s eyes or are they seeing you for the group you represent? Does your behavior match the stereotype that exists for people like you in the eyes of these other folks? Claude Steele, distinguished social psychologist, calls this churn in his new book, Churn: The Tension That Divides Us and How to Overcome It. He says it can have an effect on your mental health, particular in the areas of depression and anxiety. Steele explains the fascinating research and experiments that led him to explore the idea of churn and offers ideas on how to stop feeling it and establish yourself as an individual.

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