The ongoing psychological colonization of North American indigenous people: Using social psychological theories to promote social justice

Colonizing events of the past and present continue to disrupt and change the cultural practices, histories, families, and languages of North American Indigenous peoples. As a result, Indigenous people experience a cultural disconnect between the past and the future, what we refer to as a disruption of traditional cultural cycles, in ways that foster psychological risks. In this chapter, we first discuss how the ongoing colonization of Indigenous people in contemporary society, with specific examples from the media and education, undermines psychological well-being. Second, we offer a theory of culture change as a “promotion” approach to target and mend the cultural disruptions brought on by colonizing practices and thereby to improve well-being. Finally, we offer research-based action items for social psychologists and for society more generally to alleviate the ongoing colonization of Indigenous people.