New York University’s Applied Psychology Online Publication of Undergraduate Studies, also known as OPUS, was established in 2009. OPUS provides Applied Psychology undergraduate students with a forum for sharing their independent work. This publication is entirely written, edited, and designed by Applied Psychology undergraduates, and is one of the only undergraduate psychology journals in the United States.
We are thrilled to present our Fall 2020 issue this year. To reflect the developing landscape of the field of psychology, our Fall 2020 issue is centered around the themes of Gender and Sexuality. Specifically, the Fall 2020 issue reflects the clinical and research interests of our contributing writers and demonstrates a desire to understand the nuances of psychological phenomena in order to improve the lives of a range of groups, thus embodying the ethos of Applied Psychology.
Our issue this semester contains further explorations of psychological theories with real-world applications. In the first section, “Gender & Development,” Katie Mundt examines how gender stereotypes influence the career decisions of young women. Through an analysis of self-concept, Katie delves into the various factors that may subsequently encourage or discourage a traditional career path. Ancelma Vazquez’s piece addresses another aspect of gender and self-concept through exploring the positive and negative effects of social media network use on adolescent girls’ self-esteem. In the final piece in this section, Abby Rusnak investigates the factors that lead to adolescent females’ experiences of body dissatisfaction.
The following section, “Gender, Sexuality, & Inequality” includes Olivia Russo’s literature review exploring how different types of gender-based discrimiation affect the mental health of Transgender and Gender NonConforming (TGNC) individuals. Expanding on Olivia’s piece, Julia Leschi’s literature review examines how individuals with compounded marginalized identities experience minority stress. Julia highlights the protective and damaging factors of being a part of both Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
Thank you so much to our enthusiastic and talented writers for their scholarly contributions, as well as Sydney Liang, Grace Park, and Chloe Carlson, the OPUS administrative staff for their hard work and commitment to the journal. Additionally, we would like to acknowledge and thank Mel Pagliaro for contributing their artwork to be displayed on the cover of this issue. We are also grateful to Dr. Gigliana Melzi, the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Applied Psychology, and Erica Rodriguez, the OPUS advisor for their continuous support of OPUS. Finally, we would like to thank Dr. Adina Schick, our faculty mentor, for her guidance, wit, and dedication to OPUS, without which this issue would not be possible.
Best,
OPUS Editors
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