Michele Acker
The following profile of Dr. Michelle Acker was printed in the Winter 2009 issue of Otterbein's Towers magazine.
Title: Associate Professor and Chairperson of Psychology
Education: B.A. Eckerd College; M.S., Ph.D. University of Michigan
Hometown: Battle Creek, MI
Which particular topic do you most enjoy teaching? It is a toss up between social psychology and psychology of women. I describe the importance of social psychology below and I really feel pleased when I hear students tell me all the ways it applies to their lives. Psychology of women, I think, is an eye-opening class for most students as they realize how much gender still plays a role in our society, in the types of choices we all have, in our careers and in relationships, whether we are male or female.
Why should every person you meet want to know more about your area of expertise? Social psychology really is a guidebook for life, as I tell my students. Among other topics, it helps us understand how we go about making decisions and why they may be faulty, how to persuade others (and how we are persuaded), who we fall in love with and why, how we can work most effectively in groups, aspects of the darker side of human nature such as stereotyping, aggression and conflict, and also the positive sides of human nature such as pro-social behavior.
It seems to me that in most aspects of our everyday life, there is some psychological research that can shed light on why we act the way we do and also why others act the way they do. Knowledge of this can only help us be more effective, empathic and perhaps happier in our life.
What research are you currently conducting/projects are you currently working on? I am currently doing research on gender and gender roles. In particular, what happens when either men or women violate expected gender roles. For instance, is a woman in power who exhibits masculine characteristics judged differently than a man who does the same? (The answer is yes).
The specific project I am finishing up right now has to do with attitudes toward breastfeeding, particularly in public. Although billions of dollars have been spent in public health messages encouraging breastfeeding in the United States, it is still well below recommended levels. I am investigating one aspect of why that may be the case, which is the attitudes toward women who breastfeed outside the home. In our contemporary world, women with young children are much more likely to be outside the home whether it be for work, community involvement, or many other reasons. In order to breastfeed successfully they will need to breastfeed in public, yet many people hold negative attitudes regarding the women who do this.
I have just finished a paper which is to be published in the peer-reviewed journal Sex Roles, that examines the origin of some of these negative attitudes. One thing I hope that comes out of this work is the application of some of my findings to public health efforts.
If you were not an educator, what would be your dream job? My dream job would be to run either a plant nursery or to run a bed and breakfast with guided tours in a tropical area near a coral reef. It might have to be a "dinner and bed" rather than "bed and breakfast" though, because I am not much of a morning person. I do love learning about and teaching people about native flora and fauna.
What are your hobbies outside the classroom? I love to garden, I like to cook (and of course eat), and I really enjoy traveling. I am an avid snorkeler and have snorkeled in many great places including Australia, Fiji, Mexico, and Bonaire. I like to spend time with my family (which is currently growing - I am married and have a 6-year-old son, and I am about to have a baby this March) and we enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and poking around in the yard and garden.
Email: macker@otterbein.edu