Dear ISSBD Members, Colleagues and Friends,
I write looking forward to our biennial meeting in Rhodes,
Greece next June. It is so uplifting to plan an in-person meeting!
More generally, I know that we are all looking for something
to celebrate, for encouraging news in many different
areas of our lives. There seems to be some relief from the
pandemic. Fortunately, even with new surges, fewer people
are dying and most symptoms are mild. Countries are starting
to open up. At the same time, no one needs to be reminded
that we are living in unprecedented and very difficult
times. No one has gone untouched by the trials and tribulations
of the last few years.
In these difficult times, we have all noticed that people
are weary. My question is: What can we, as developmental
behavioral scientists, do to get through these difficult
times?
Professionally, I try to be as optimistic, but also as realistic,
as possible. A day does not go by without something
really annoying happening professionally. A paper gets
rejected; a grant is not funded; someone misses a meeting; a
colleague makes an unpleasant or critical remark. Under normal
circumstances, these would all be pretty upsetting events.
But now I tell myself, in the larger scheme of things, how
important is this little inconvenience or setback? People are
dealing with much bigger issues. We all are. So, I tell myself
to take a deep breath and move on.
But, of course, this is not only happening on the professional
front. It is also a phenomenon occurring ever so much
more frequently on the personal front. Life is certainly more
challenging. Some people have lost close relatives to the pandemic.
Some families have several adults working remotely.
Trials and tribulations of working remotely include not having
space needed or having to share space with partners or
small children. Some cannot work remotely, or have close
family who cannot, and must face the risk of in-person
employment, thus placing themselves and vulnerable relatives
at risk. Usually, but not always, these are service occupations
from low wage grocery workers to health care
professionals. Many leisure activities are also no longer readily
available, e.g., sporting events, dining out. But also, more
serious limitations are being experienced, e.g., children being
schooled remotely, inability to see or provide care for loved
ones, uncontrollable schedules due to covid diagnosis of self
or family. In Africa the pandemic has not been so deadly as in
some other parts of the world but the lockdown has created
dire economic circumstances for many.
I could go on, but I think we all get the point. The question
I ask, and we all should ask ourselves: as developmental
behavioral scientists, is there anything we can do professionally
or personally to help others through these difficult times?
I suggest there is.
As with so many things, we should think globally but act
locally.
At the professional level, we can find ways to help individuals
who are in crisis – both minor and major. Is there a
deadline not met? Instead of being overly critical with the
person who did not meet the deadline, is there a way to both
understand the reason for the missed deadline and find
another way to get it met? How can goals be set and shared
as a group. How can each difficult goal be reconfigured to
lighten the burden on any specific person or group? If that is
not possible, is there any way to remove the stigma of a goal/
deadline not met? It may be something as simple as deciding
that goal is no longer critical, assigning the deadline to someone
else, or just doing it yourself.
The situation is not different personally. Here we, hopefully,
know the individuals or situations more intimately. Is it
possible, therefore, to anticipate and intervene to forestall a
crisis? If we know money is short this month for a loved one,
how about bringing over groceries or inviting someone to
dinner. Transportation can be tough because gas prices are
high or there is no available means of transportation; offer to
give someone a ride because you are ‘going that way’ or lend
them a bike/scooter to get them where they need to go. If
you know a parent of small children is overwhelmed, offer to
take her children to the park, out for a treat, or just stay with
them while the parent gets a much-needed break to go to the
doctor, grocery shopping, or just take a walk.
While I know my examples tend to be very Westerncentric,
I do believe the point I am making transcends cultures.
Many groups have strong norms of helping those in
need. Others need a little bit of a push. I think we, as developmental
behavioral scientists, can provide that push.
One thing the pandemic has taught us is that we are all connected.
At first, people from certain countries were targeted as
the ‘source’ of the disease, then old people were targeted as the
most vulnerable, then certain ethnic or racial groups, but eventually
it became clear that we are all vulnerable. Yes, perhaps
some more than others, but in the end there are many connecting
dots. So far, I have mentioned only the pandemic, but I am
sure you have noted that we have lots of other crises, of refugees
and immigrants, climate change, war and conflict zones.
The United Nations has taken a global approach by identifying
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which serve to
identify areas that are needed to increase the health and wellbeing
of all. Clearly, we must take these SDGs to heart. The
current crises we are experiencing have actually resulted in a
reversal of some of the most significant gains. For example,
for the first time in decades life expectancy has DECREASED
in many parts of the world, including the US.
As developmental behavioral scientists we need to be creative
about how this can be done for ourselves, the people
around us, and the situations in which we live. I do not make
these suggestions lightly or from a point of naiveté. These are
tough times; changing the way we address them will be even
tougher. Nevertheless, I believe we have the best chance of
meeting these challenges because we, at least, attempt to
understand human behavior and to do so in a developmental
context.
I celebrate our profession and what we have done to
improve the health and well-being of all. I challenge you to
think about what you do, what the world needs and how you
can contribute to it, in a new and different way. I believe we
can and will make important contributions to successfully
meeting the many challenges we face as individuals, societies
and as a global village. The best part is the more we give, the
more we receive. This is not a one-size fits all endeavor. What
is needed in your world and what you can contribute will
differ depending on your circumstances. But every bit helps.
Even better, and as I am sure you have all noticed, it makes us
feel good when we help others.
We missed getting together in 2020. We are now looking
forward to our first biennial meeting in four years in beautiful
Rhodes, Greece. The world has changed a lot and we have
a lot to talk about. I know not everyone can make it but for
those of you who can I very much look forward to greeting
you there and to enjoying the important opportunities for
growth, development and fellowship.
Toni C. Antonucci, President of ISSBD