Figuring Out Social Motivations
Meet psychology major Leila Menezes.
Hometown: San Francisco, California
Thesis adviser: Professor Kristen Anderson [psychology]
Thesis: “Exploring the Role of Social Context in Cannabis Use Motivation and Decision-Making”
What it’s about: Why people use cannabis.
What it’s really about: Trying to figure out if social motivations play a role in cannabis use, the same way that we know that they play into other kinds of drug use.
In high school: I was very driven, but also anxious. And really trying hard to lean into compassion and kindness at an intense, competitive private high school where that was considered vulnerable—and vulnerability was considered, perhaps, a negative attribute.
Influential course/professor: My first semester here, I took French class with Professor Catherine Witt. She has one of the most impressive memories for language of anyone I’d ever met. Sometimes, I would be in class and I would have a silly, curious question like, “What does the accent over the ô mean in the French word hôtel?” She would be able to tell me where the word was from, why the accent emerged, the story of how monks used the word as shorthand—through the whole history, thousands of years of the word. That level of engagement and inquiry and passion that so many professors have for their subject was just astounding to me.
Concept that blew my mind: The different ways that researchers can define psychopathology. The one you’re most familiar with is a biological approach—a neurobiological approach—where there is fundamentally something different in your brain. There’s another way of understanding it: that it is completely socially defined. The definition of “deviant behavior” differs from society to society.
Outside the classroom: I applied for Honor Council my first semester of freshman year and was put on my second semester. I ended up becoming a chair the following year. I loved the idea of the Honor Principle: that we were supposed to be engaging with one another, from the small things like “When should I take my laundry out of the dryer?” to the larger issues like “We’re having a political debate” with the fundamental understanding that everyone involved is doing their best to conduct themselves honorably.
Cool stuff I got to do: Being in a band called the Regulators. There are six of us, all Reedies. Our performances are a bit eclectic with covers and originals. (We say: rock and a little bit of everything!) Playing in the band was one of my great joys during my time at Reed!
Awards: I received the Daniel Healthcare Career Fund for a summer internship (i.e., volunteering at hospitals).
What’s next? Pursuing a master’s of psychiatry at King’s College, Cambridge.
Tags: Academics, Students, Thesis, What is a Reedie?