The Fear of Differences

"Have you ever wondered why the sight of a child born male at birth wearing a dress makes adults so uncomfortable? Or why the new family in town that does not attend religious services in a small community is noteworthy to its residents? Or even why two women sharing an intimate embrace outside of a restaurant can inspire words of hate and malicious stares from those passing by?"

"Human beings are not just biological creatures; we are meaning-makers. We contract shared identities through political affiliations, religion, gender roles, racial categories, and cultural traditions. These social constructs provide structure, predictability, and a shared sense of belonging. They answer the universal question of "who am I in relation to others?", which helps shape our individual understanding of our own identities."

Human beings construct shared identities through political affiliations, religion, gender roles, racial categories, and cultural traditions to create structure, predictability, and belonging. Those narratives answer who individuals are in relation to others and align with nervous systems wired for connection, making social constructs feel like safety. These constructs are agreements developed over time rather than universal truths. People who live outside dominant agreements by questioning religion, expressing marginalized sexual orientations or gender identities, or belonging to minority racial groups elicit discomfort among majority groups. Such discomfort interprets difference as threat. Research shows diverse groups boost innovation, improve decisions, and adapt more effectively, so confronting fear and embracing inclusion is necessary.

Read at Psychology Today