IN THIS PODCAST EPISODE

Today, we explore our connection to racism with Dr. Michelle Maidenberg. We examine how cultural perspectives and experiences shape much of the racist rhetoric and perspectives in our lives, and how we might perceive and manage the guilt and shame we feel. We also dive into how we might approach situations in which friends, family, or colleagues consciously or unconsciously share racist rhetoric. And finally....besides breaking down the role of biases, sitting in discomfort, and facing social fears in relation to racism, we break down the importance of mindfulness in our daily approach.

I’m excited to share my genuine and thought-provoking conversation with you. Michelle P. Maidenberg, Ph.D., MPH, LCSW-R maintains a private practice in Harrison, NY. She is the Co-Founder and Clinical Director of “Thru My Eyes”, a nonprofit 501c3 organization that offers free clinically-guided videotaping to chronically medically ill individuals who want to leave video legacies for their children and loved ones. She is also adjunct faculty at New York University (NYU) teaching a graduate course in Mindfulness Practice. Dr. Maidenberg is a Certified Group Therapist through the American Group Psychotherapy Association and a Diplomate and certified member of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.

Dr. Maidenberg has advanced training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Structural Family Therapy, Mindfulness, and is a Level II trained Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist. As a health/mental health advocate, she is also the author of the book “Free Your Child From Overeating: 53 Mind-Body Strategies For Lifelong Health” and is a blogger for Psychology Today.

To learn more about Dr. Michelle Maidenberg, visit https://michellemaidenberg.com/!

The Elements of Being Podcast Dr. Alex Madva.jpg

IN THIS PODCAST EPISODE

Today, I explore the relationship between racism and implicit biases with Dr. Alex Madva, an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of the California Center for Ethics & Policy at Cal Poly Pomona. He recently co-edited the volume, An Introduction to Implicit Bias: Knowledge, Justice, and the Social Mind with his colleague Erin Beeghly, and took the time break down systemic racism and the implicit biases that not only pervade the recent cases involving George Floyd and Kyle Rittenhouse but also steer our perception of such matters. Essentially, we are digging into the unconscious and examining how simple labels of racism may not account for the underlying complexity of these situations.

Dr. Madva’s research and teaching explore how developments in social psychology inform the philosophy of mind, philosophy of race and feminism, and applied ethics, especially prejudice and discrimination. He has written on these topics for journals including Ethics, The Journal of Applied Philosophy, Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews (WIREs): Cognitive Science, Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, Ergo, Mind and Language, and several more. Dr. Madva is currently co-editing another, The Movement for Black Lives: Philosophical Perspectives.

Dr. Madva has taught numerous classes on Race and Racism, Social and Political Philosophy, Cognitive Science, Feminist Philosophy of Science, Contemporary Moral Problems, Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy, and upper-division undergraduate and graduate seminars on social psychology and philosophy, including a new course he developed at CPP, The Philosophy & Science of Implicit Bias.

Dr. Madva is also actively engaged in collaborative empirical research. One ongoing project, funded by the NSF, is testing interventions to reduce achievement gaps and increase belonging for underrepresented groups at Cal Poly Pomona, in disciplines such as physics, economics, mathematics, biology, and philosophy. His published empirical research has appeared in journals, including Ratio and the International Journal of STEM Education. He is also collaborating with computer scientists, engineers, and social scientists to study the spread of misinformation and prejudice across social media, ultimately to counteract these trends. Folks, Dr. Madva, has literally written the textbook on implicit bias.

To learn more about Dr. Alex Madva and implicit biases, visit http://www.alexmadva.com/.

PODCAST DISCUSSION

-The intersection of Dr. Madva’s philosophy, psychology, and sociology studies and the evolution of his interest in implicit biases.
-Epistemic humility and the connection to the recent cases regarding police officers in the media.
-The evolutionary function of implicit biases.
-The reasons why unconscious prejudices still exist despite conscious commitments to be fair and unprejudiced.
-How to determine when implicit biases are serving our personal needs and honoring individuals outside of us appropriately.
-How to test our hidden biases.
-How to use debiasing tools, like “If-Then” Plans and the “Common-Ground Mindsets” Tool, to bridge the gap between intention and action.
-The relationship between “trusting our gut” and implicit biases.
-How ingroup-outgroup distinctions and status preferences contribute to our sets of unconscious beliefs.
-How to create structural reform with a cross-experiential approach.