The meritocratic nature of popularity – and why it is harmful to the social environment of adolescents.
Consider two hypothetical students: On the one hand, we have Nicole, who is likeable, exhibits prosocial and cooperative behaviour by working agreeably, and can be considered trustworthy — all and all, a socially skilled and nice person. Conversely, we have Noah, a well-known athletically build guy, and despite resorting to aggressive behaviour to maintain his higher status, many of his peers look up to him. Noah might act prosocially, but contrary to Nicole, he will do so with the purpose of manipulating others. Despite their differences, both students experience a fair amount of popularity among their peers. …
This is the third part of an essay series surrounding the concept of identity. The reader is not required to read the series in any particular order, given that each essay (three in total) will include the necessary definitions regarding new concepts.
In the first part of this essay series, I addressed the issue with people who strongly identify with their nationality. This current essay, in some way, elaborates on this issue by including national pride and the traditions that complement a particular nation.
Shallow Defenders of Tradition
This is the second part of an essay-series surrounding the concept of identity. The reader is not required to read the series in any particular order, given that each essay (three in total) will include the necessary definitions regarding new concepts.
As time goes by, our collective identity has proven to be somewhat beneficial to us individuals. Ultimately, we have been made aware that belonging to a certain group — and possessing this sense of belonging — can have distinct advantages over going solo. Seeing that two pairs of eyes, ears, or hands are better than…
This is the first part of an essay-series surrounding the concept of identity. The reader is not required to read the series in any particular order, given that each essay (three in total) will include the necessary definitions regarding new concepts.
Emphasizing both distinctions and similarities between people has been a part of our daily discourses for a considerable amount of time. However, in the course of sifting through these differences that people identify with, we arguably lost track of their origin, as well as the reasons for justifying their current relevance. Meaning, we collectively elevated…
One of the main epistemological questions that various thinkers have tried to answer is ‘what does it mean to know?’. The German-American philosopher Nicholas Rescher is one of those (relatively recent) thinkers who criticized the long-established answer to that question in his 2003 book Epistemology: An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge. …
I didn’t “fit” in society. That isn’t a problem of society. Setting aside moments of petulance, I viewed it as a plain fact. There it was. What to do about it? Ask society to adapt to me? Hah! — The suicide note of Will Moore (a high functioning autistic political science professor)
As I’ve mentioned in my first article An Antidote to Autism that people with a form of autism don’t find it very easy to fit in society and it wasn’t easier before 1938. …
Before you continue reading, this article is not about a real antidote to autism. We all know autism can’t be cured, this does not mean that it can’t become less noticeable or even benefit you in some cases. To be clear, I’m talking from the perspective of a person with autism and what factors lead to the decrease of external traits that are commonly associate with forms of autism. Because autism is a spectrum, these things may not apply for you.
I am a 23-year-old man living in The Netherlands. When I was very young (2–3 years old) my parents…
Alessandro van den Berg
A BA in general economics and studying psychology at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. Previously written for Areo Magazine and Merion West
