This one is going to be relatively brief. I’m about half way through summer school! Yeah it’s only six weeks so it just zips by.
One of the professors puts out a weekly email… 3 chapters of reading and assignments all due on the same day: “Don’t stress, you can do it! Plan accordingly.” Like, we’re studying stress, and you’re stressing me out =P.
Anyhow, I’m being funny. The thing I want to share with you from the readings in the last two weeks.. is the years. The citations. Ya’ll, a lot of the research that is guiding lifespan development and abnormal psychology is from…recently. Like within the last 5 years. Citation after citation. It makes me wonder: are the stories people tell themselves about themselves based on outdated information?
Some outdated assumptions:
“The brain stops developing after childhood or adolescence.”
“Aging means inevitable physical decline—slowing down is normal, and strength training is dangerous or unnecessary in older age.”
“Mental and physical health are separate—exercise is for the body, not the mind.”
Now, I’m using obvious examples. I bet you can come up with more controversial ones, feel free to reply back with some.
And I know there’s a flipside criticism to new research: if what it says to do changes, it is probably going to keep changing and so what’s the point of adapting with it?
To which I say is that a weakness, or a strength? Science should change, the whole point is that it updates its understanding based on better tools, broader data, and deeper insights.
Refusing to adapt because you think knowledge might change is like refusing to steer your car because the road ahead might curve.
That being said, change is hard. It can feel unsafe even. Trauma wires the nervous system to prioritize predictability and control over accuracy. Beliefs are often wrapped in identity, community norms, and moral values. Changing a belief may feel like betraying your younger self, your family, your culture—or admitting you’ve been “doing it wrong” for years.
All of these feelings are real. The goal is to meet this kind of resistance with compassion, curiosity, and eventually empowerment. That’s what we’re here to do.
Mauricio