Stephanie Fryberg
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Stephanie Fryberg is a
Tulalip The Tulalip Tribes of Washington (, lut, dxʷlilap), formerly known as the Tulalip Tribes of the Tulalip Reservation, is a federally recognized tribe of Duwamish, Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skagit, Suiattle, Samish, and Stillaguamish people. The ...
psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...
who received her Master's and Doctorate degrees from
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
, where in 2011 she was inducted into the Multicultural Hall of Fame. In the same year, she testified before Senate on ''Stolen Identities: The impact of racist stereotypes on Indigenous people''. She previously taught psychology at the
University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...
, at the Tulalip Community at Marysville School, and at the University of Washington. She currently teaches American Indian Studies and Psychology at the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, and is a member of the Tulalip Tribe. Her research focuses on race, class, and culture in relation to ones psychological development and mental health. She translated
Carol Dweck Carol Susan Dweck (born October 17, 1946) is an American psychologist. She is the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. Dweck is known for her work on motivation and mindset. She was on the faculty at Columbia ...
's growth mindset; taking a communal-oriented approach. The students on her tribe's reservation who received her translation had significant improvement compared to the original version.


Studies

In 2013, Stephanie Fryberg did a study on survivors of the
2010 Chile earthquake The 2010 Chile earthquake and tsunami ( es, Terremoto del 27F) occurred off the coast of central Chile on Saturday, 27 February at 03:34 local time (06:34 UTC), having a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale, with intense shaking la ...
and
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
to find out how survivors deal with the trauma, specifically by attributing the disasters to religious factors. Those who were the most negatively impacted by the disasters were found to be most likely to attribute it to religion or being a punishment from God. Even when levels of education and race were taken into account, the findings held true. Traumatic experiences, such as the survivor having seen dead bodies contributed more to the experience being attributed to religion than one's reaction to the trauma. The study gained insight to those who attribute natural disasters to religion. That year, another study was published in which Fryberg investigated how academic underperformance among Native American students can be attributed to the standardized model of education more fit for white students that emphasizes assertive and independence, in opposition to the Native American culture of interdependency and intergroup connections. The study investigated one hundred fifteen
Naskapi The Naskapi (Nascapi, Naskapee, Nascapee) are an Indigenous people of the Subarctic native to the historical country St'aschinuw (ᒋᑦ ᐊᔅᒋᓄᐤ, meaning 'our nclusiveland'), which is located in northern Quebec and Labrador, neighb ...
students from
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
. Prior to the experiment, information was obtained on the assertiveness of the students, extent to which they identify with white and Native culture, and the students grades. The findings showed that the stronger the students connection with their culture, whether it be white or Native, the higher their grades. Low assertiveness when it came to cultural identification lead to lower grades. Having a strengthened identity in terms of culture and racial identification can help Aboriginal students perform better academically. The study showed that an Aboriginal students low academic performance can be attributed to how they are nurtured in school, and it is not inherent. In 2012, Fryberg investigated the connection between
anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
and cognitive science through the lens of
cultural psychology Cultural psychology is the study of how cultures reflect and shape the psychological processes of their members.Heine, S. J. (2011). ''Cultural Psychology. ''New York: W. W. Norton & Company. It is based on the premise that mind and culture are i ...
. Cultural psychology assumes that cognitive processes can be influenced by ones sociocultural upbringing. The study finds that this helps people understand humans functioning in different contexts, and that cultural psychology connects one's cognitive functions to their cultural upbringing allowing humans to be understood on a more diverse individualistic level; through class, race, and gender disparities. This study somewhat relates to the previous study due to its considerations on how one's cultural upbringings can impact school performance. It also establishes how one should not approach cultural practices with a bias perspective, as just because a cultural practice is different does not mean it is subordinate. This study emphasizes the importance of cultural context and acknowledgement of diversity in many situations such as education. In 2008, through a series of four studies Fryberg aimed to investigate the impact of the stereotypes portrayed by Native American
mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
s on Native American children's
self-identity In the psychology of self, one's self-concept (also called self-construction, self-identity, self-perspective or self-structure) is a collection of beliefs about oneself. Generally, self-concept embodies the answer to the question ''"Who am I? ...
and self-conception. The first study showed that Native American
High School A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
students had positive connotations with
Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
,
Chief Wahoo Chief Wahoo is a logo that was used by the Cleveland Indians, a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise based in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1951 to 2018. As part of the larger Native American mascot controversy, the logo drew criticism from Native ...
, Chief Illinweck, and other widely known Native American characters. However, the second study's results found that showing Native American High School students these images decreased their
self-esteem Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth or abilities. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Mackie (2007) d ...
. The third study on Native American High school students showed a decrease in Native American student's perceived community worth. The fourth study involved Native American
college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
students, and the images of Native American figures shown to college students decreased the number of ways in which they envisioned themselves achieving in the future. Fryberg's study suggests Native American mascot imagery is harmful to Native American students because it portrays them in limited and simplistic ways, resulting in Native American students also seeing themselves more simplistically. In 2011, Fryberg testified before the
United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is a committee of the United States Senate charged with oversight in matters related to the American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples. A Committee on Indian Affairs existed from 1820 to 19 ...
on the effects of stereotypical mascots on Native American students. In 2019, Fryberg - along with authors Arianne Eason, Laura Brady, Nadia Jessop, and Julisa Lopez at the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
and
The University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...
- published a study to the journal '' Social Psychology and Personality Science'' aiming to gain insight into Native Americans attitudes towards Native mascots. This study found that for the most part, Native Americans oppose Native mascots, with half of the participants stating that they were offended by the
Redskin Redskin is a slang term for Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada. The term ''redskin'' underwent pejoration through the 19th to early 20th centuries and in contemporary dictionaries of American English it is labe ...
's name. However, this is moderated by demographic characteristics in addition to Native identification. A year after the study was published, Fryberg was interviewed by the '' Washingtonian'' on the results of her study. In the interview, Fryberg mentions the polls by the Washington Post inquiring whether or not polltakers found the title "Redskins" offensive, and how these polls inspired the recent study. She spoke about how the data for the recent study is kept public, and why the data she collected is more reliable than the poll data. In the interview, Fryberg also discussed how the name "
Redskin Redskin is a slang term for Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada. The term ''redskin'' underwent pejoration through the 19th to early 20th centuries and in contemporary dictionaries of American English it is labe ...
s" contributes to the dehumanization of Native people. In an article in ''The New York Times'' on schools that are reconsidering nicknames of their sports teams as an outcome of campaigns against racism, Fryberg counters arguments that teams with Native names honor the heritage of those peoples. "When you use a person’s identity in a sports domain,” she said, “and you allow people to dress in red face and put on headdresses and dance and chant a Hollywood made-up song that mocks Native tradition and culture, there is no way to call that honoring.”


Recognition and awards


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fryberg, Stephanie American women psychologists 21st-century American psychologists Tulalip Tribes Living people Native American activists Year of birth missing (living people) Stanford University alumni University of Arizona faculty University of Washington faculty American women academics 21st-century American women