Good Self Identity Critical Thinking Example

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Disabilities, instead of being thought of as nature’s challenge are considered as points of difference between normal people and the special ones. The disabled are often discriminated against. There are a number of stereotypes that people attach with the disabled and force society into adhering to these discriminations. When people are discriminated against all their lives, there is quite a big chance that it affects them in a negative way in the long-term. The effects may begin by physical problems and grow to become bigger mental problems.
There are four main theories of discrimination, and all four of them can be easily applied to the disabled even though they were first created to analyze racial discrimination. To begin with, there is intentional discrimination where people deliberately discriminate against certain individuals based on some stereotypical qualities they possess.
Then, there is subtle discrimination where people do not mean to be discriminatory but end up being so because that is what has been ingrained in them through the norms in society. Then, there is statistical profiling where people are allotted stereotypical attributes because of a certain disability that is found in them.
Lastly, there is “organizational discrimination where, in simple terms, people are not allotted jobs because societal norms have forced people into thinking that hiring the disabled means lesser productivity.” (Hugenberg, 2006).
So it can be clearly seen that discrimination often suppresses human beings, and it ends up making people cruel towards one another. It comes as no surprise then that discrimination has immense long term effects.
Loss of motivation is the biggest effect. It begins with the society repeatedly telling you that you are not good enough for a particular job or, in the disabled’s case, for any job at all. The victim begins to indulge in self-pity and starts believing that they will never be able to do anything with their lives.
“They let go of any dreams they may have been holding and start believing that since they will never be able to accomplish anything, they might as well give up trying.” (Sellers, 2003). The loss of motivation seeps into everyday life as well, and people do not want to carry out the simplest of tasks; like getting up to grab the TV remote.
Discrimination will also invariably lead to the loss of individual rights. Let’s take the example of Nazi Germany here to better describe stereotypes. Hitler had Germany believe that anyone who was not purely German was a second-class citizen and not good enough for anything in life.
It began with discrimination against the Jews and slowly, people did not find it shocking that the Jews be taken away from their homes, starved, beaten and ultimately, killed. The loss of individual rights slowly culminated in the destruction of human beings. Therefore, discrimination often leads to negativity and chaos in communities and societies.
When individual rights are taken away, it often results in lesser opportunities for the people being discriminated against. The discrimination against women has been a long term and, therefore, women are paid lesser than men for the same job. The employment rate of women is lower than that of men too.
When people begin thinking that someone is not good enough, it eventually leads them to believe that they do not deserve opportunities to prosper and flourish. They are told that they are only good enough for second-class jobs since they are second-class citizens at best.
“Discrimination often leads to a number of mental illnesses as well. It all begins with stress – not being able to find a good job or constantly being told off at school.” (Yip, 2008). Slowly, as the individual continues to think about everything being taken away from them, they end up constantly depressed.
They do not want to do anything in life. There are sudden outbursts of anger and despair. Sleep patterns become highly unreliable, and one begins to either eat too much or eat too little. One does not feel like going out or socializing with anyone – not even with their closest friends and family.
“Depression can often lead to very strong anxiety disorders where one ends up losing all confidence in one’s abilities.” (Noh, 2003). This is often combined with a number of panic disorders where, when put under inspection or being the focus of attention, makes people anxious, and they end up panicking.
The symptoms include not being able to breathe properly, having hazy vision, a fast heartbeat and the inability to think clearly. The distortion of memory is another symptom. Additionally, social phobia can also be a result of depression and unhappiness.
Therefore, it is imperative that we take preventive measures to ensure that no one is discriminated against in society, and everyone gets an equal opportunity to prove themselves. We must ensure that the disabled get all the help they need in order to live normal lives and stay happy. More and more research needs to be conducted, and we need to involve the people suffering from these problems to contribute to the solutions.

References

Sellers, R. M., Caldwell, C. H., Schmeelk-Cone, K. H., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2003).Racial identity, racial discrimination, perceived stress, and psychological distress among African American young adults. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 302-317.
Yip, T., Gee, G. C., & Takeuchi, D. T. (2008). Racial discrimination and psychological distress: the impact of ethnic identity and age among immigrant and United States-born Asian adults. Developmental psychology, 44(3), 787.
Hugenberg, K., Bodenhausen, G. V., & McLain, M. (2006).Framing discrimination: Effects of inclusion versus exclusion mindsets on stereotypic judgments.Journal of personality and social psychology, 91(6), 1020.
Noh, S., &Kaspar, V. (2003). Perceived discrimination and depression: Moderating effects of coping, acculturation and ethnic support. American Journal of Public Health, 93(2), 232- 238.