Undervaluing self-relevant research may be harmful to both researchers and psychology as a field.
While the COVID-19 pandemic may be classified as a natural disaster, the socioeconomic conditions that have made communities of color disproportionately vulnerable to the virus are socially constructed. Psychological scientists explore race, and racial health disparities, as a process.
The very same technologies that make social distancing bearable in the age of COVID-19 have also been cited among leading causes of social isolation and mental health issues. Psychological research suggests a more nuanced reality.