Psychology is for one, but not for all

Dr. Jonathan Lassiter, a professor at Muhlenberg College, expresses in one of his works “Whiteness in the Psychological Imagination” how the psychological narratives of people of color is left out of most studies, but particularly in psychological research. He addresses how whiteness is so ingrained in society that even when one is asked to imagine a “person”, a white person is what first appears in their mind. He explains how white is synonymous for person and basically most aspects of life. White is the default. He addresses many topics surrounding whiteness, what it means to be white, the white brain, and more specifically how whiteness takes dominance in actual psychology research. Something in particular he addresses is “White-washed psychology” and explains that in all meanings of the topic. Lassiter shows us how literally, psychology research is ran and based off of white participants and white experiences. Reading this essay, lead me to consider and browse the concept of actual research and how true it can be for all. The answer is: it can’t be. Lassiter tells us that most participants in studies are western, white, and rich which leaves out white a big portion of the population. This then pushes the conversation in considering who was psychology made for? And now knowing that it does not address and/or include people of color, how can people of color relate to literally any psychological research? How can this be changed when psychology is based off of such older principles and people (who are apart of pushing the whiteness narrative forward)?