-
to conform; to be similar to other people, understand one’s place and
position in relationships with other people, and feel comfortable with others
* It’s hard to fit in if you’re the only person over the age of 40 in a class of new
young college students.
to fit in
-
to treat someone as if he or she is unimportant or
unnecessary
* The manager’s comments marginalized the people who work in marketing,
making them feel like their department isn’t valued.
to marginalize (someone)
-
feelings of not belonging, or not being part of a group
* As the only Muslim at his school, Mahmud often suffered from alienation as he
was growing up.
alienation
-
words that are commonly used by non-psychologists to
describe psychological conditions, often meaningless or confusing
* All the psychobabble on popular talk shows tends to make people think they
understand complex mental health conditions.
psychobabble
-
a person who is less important or respected than other
people and who has fewer rights than others, often as a result of certain personal
characteristics
* In Benoit’s speech, he said that women are not second-class citizens. They
should have a right to vote and make laws, just like men do.
second-class citizen
-
to do or say something that makes one seem different
from other people
* James’ strong morals and ethics set him apart from most of the people he
works with.
to set (oneself) apart
-
a person who does not fit in and has been rejected by or excluded
from society in some way
* Her teenage daughter unwrapped the sweater and then started crying, saying,
“I can’t wear that to school! I’ll be a social outcast if people see me in that!”
outcast
-
a way to have or do something that is not available to everyone
* The police investigating the burglary want to know who had access to the safe.
access
-
a right or advantage that only some people have, granted by other
people
* Driving the family car is a privilege you’ll earn when you get better grades.
privilege
-
a division of society, especially based on how much money one
earns, which family one comes from, and/or who one interacts with
* They have friends from many different social classes, which results in some
interesting interactions when they host large parties.
social class
-
related to one’s beliefs about the origin and purpose of life involving
one or more supernatural powers
* The building is full of Christian religious symbols, such as crosses.
religious
-
what one thinks is true, especially when it affects one’s behaviors
* They are studying people’s belief in life on other planets.
belief
-
to repeatedly reject or ignore someone or something
* The mangers consistently shun any attempt to raise prices, because they fear
that would scare away customers.
to shun
-
not fitting into general society in one or more ways,
being treated differently than other people
* What can we do to help the homeless so they don’t live on the fringe of society?
on the fringe of society
-
obvious; easily noticed; standing out; difficult to avoid seeing
* These brightly colored frogs are so conspicuous against the green leaves. I’m
surprised they can survive at all in the jungle.
conspicuous
-
to combine something with one or more other things so that they
become part of the same unit
* How can we integrate our schools so that they better represent the different
races and immigrant groups in our community?
to integrate
-
to be welcomed and appreciated by other people and invited
into their groups and activities, or at least not be excluded from them
* Teenagers’ desire to be accepted by their peers can sometimes lead to risky
behaviors, such as drinking or doing drugs.
to be accepted
-
to show or demonstrate that what one believes or has
said is definitely true
* When I was talking about how much you interrupt people, you interrupted me!
That just proves my point.
to prove (one’s) point
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