Author Archives: Laura Akers, Ph.D.

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About Laura Akers, Ph.D.

I'm a research psychologist at Oregon Research Institute, and I'm writing a book about meta-narratives, the powerful collective stories we share about who we are and where we're headed. My interests include beliefs and worldviews, ethics, motivation, and relationships, both among humans and between humans and the natural world.

Our enduring debt to the 300 Spartans

Posted on 30 September 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

Has it been 2,500 years already? It was in August or September of 480 B.C. that King Leonidas of Sparta and his 300 elite soldiers (with some allies) held off more than 100,000 Persian soldiers for three days at Thermopylae, … Continue reading →

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Oregon’s ex-fire marshal – too Good for the job?

Posted on 15 September 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

Last week, when Oregon’s fire marshal abruptly quit his job in the middle of the biggest wildfire disaster in state history, many of us wondered what could have happened. Did he make some inappropriate political remark, maybe? Or gross incompetence? … Continue reading →

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The Twelve Super-Stories

Posted on 14 September 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

Let’s imagine you’ve been invited to speak to your entire country! You have to talk about current events (sorry, no sharing your hobbies or bragging about your kids), and the purpose of your talk is not just to educate, but … Continue reading →

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What if half the country’s in a cult (and doesn’t know it)?

Posted on 31 August 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

How can you tell if you’ve accidentally signed up for a cult? One sign is that you’re so enthusiastically opposed to the U.S. presidential candidates besides the one you prefer that you’re no longer living up to the “reflective” ideal … Continue reading →

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Three relationships with our collective stories: Authority, democracy, and the big yawn

Posted on 21 August 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

Last week, I showed that giving people the facts not only won’t make them listen, it all too often makes them double-down and get even more entrenched in their beliefs. Understandably, this is frustrating! This week I’m going to share … Continue reading →

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A farewell to facts

Posted on 12 August 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

A childhood friend, who is now a retired journalist and journalism professor, posted this cartoon on Facebook recently: (Original source) A few hours earlier, another childhood friend had posted something to Facebook – something political – with so many factual … Continue reading →

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A species caught up in stories

Posted on 11 August 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

Science fiction novelist Becky Chambers described my book topic very well, in her most recent Wayfarers novel, Record of a Spaceborn Few. The characters are humans, many generations after a greatly damaged Earth had been left behind. Here, an archivist … Continue reading →

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In a League of her own

Posted on 30 July 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

A few weeks ago, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced a “small quarantine accomplishment”: She’s made it to rank Silver III in League of Legends. Predictably, the lively congresswoman’s tweet met with a scornful backlash – she should give back her salary or … Continue reading →

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Stories-About-Us: How They Work

Posted on 10 July 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

In my last few blog posts, I’ve been focusing on our “stories about us” (“metanarratives”) – the topic of the book I’m writing. I hope the book will reach a broad audience, because it’s vital information we all need to … Continue reading →

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Mother of Two Englands

Posted on 25 June 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

British historian Lucy Worsley has a new TV series, and as I watched the first episode this week, I was delighted to find her talking about exactly the type of stories-of-us that I’m writing about in my book. Thanks to … Continue reading →

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