Managing hypervisibility: An exploration of theory and research on identity shifting strategies in the workplace among Black women

Dickens, Danielle D.; Womack, Veronica Y.; Dimes, Treshae

doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2018.10.008

Cited by 73 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…The combination of race-and gender-based oppression may create unique experiences for Women of Color, in particular Black women, which may influence their well-being (West et al 2010). Moreover, recent work has explored how Black women who are tokenized in the workplace experience workplace stressors and feel added pressures to modify their behaviors and appearance, which can lead to decreased psychological well-being (Dickens et al 2019;Hall et al 2012). This is one example of how Black women may experience various forms of institutional racism and sexism, which is referred to as gendered racism (Essed 1991).…”

Section: Mental Health Implications Of Gendered Racismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a consequence of this dual oppression, Black women may develop strategies to mitigate experiencing gendered racial discrimination through an array of options including remaining silent, confronting their perpetrator, or shifting (e.g. altering how one speaks and behaves) (Dickens and Chavez 2018;Dickens et al 2019;Hall et al 2012).…”

Section: Mental Health Implications Of Gendered Racismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Whereas code switching describes how individuals might modify their vocabulary or shift their pitch to better accommodate the expectations of the listener (Glenn and Johnson 2012;Gumperz 1982), identity shifting is the term that incorporates both the language aspect of shifting (e.g., code switching) and the behavioral aspect of shifting (e.g., altering how one acts so as not to confirm stereotypes about one's social group). Identity shifting can include a range of conscious or unconscious behavior modifications including changing their typical language, wardrobe, and hairstyles (Dickens et al 2019;Gamst et al 2019;Jones and Shorter-Gooden 2004).…”

Section: Coping Strategies Among Black Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to past experiences of discrimination, Black women may engage in shifting as anticipatory coping by taking steps to present one's self in a manner that may prevent or reduce the likelihood of being a target of discrimination (Dickens and Chavez 2018;Shih et al 2013). Further, Dickens et al (2019) proposed that respectability politics (i.e., adhering to dominant views of respectability), tokenism (i.e., symbolic or superficial showcase of minority representation), and racialized gendered socialization (i.e., parental teaching of one's gender and/or racial identity) can influence motivations and pressures to engage in identity shifting in the workplace. Conversely, research has also found that when confronted with discrimination, Black women may engage in reactive coping shifting by remaining silent to avoid confrontation.…”

Section: Coping Strategies Among Black Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a recent quantitative study, Gamst et al (2020) reported that in a sample of African American women, greater levels of shifting produced an increase in race-related stress. In all, research suggests that the costs of identity shifting can include psychological distress and being tokenized and that a benefit of shifting may include enhancing one's cultural competence (Dickens et al 2019;Gamst et al 2019;Jones and Shorter-Gooden 2004). Yet more quantitative research is needed to explore identity shifting as a coping strategy for experiencing discrimination among millennial and post-millennial U.S. Black women.…”

Section: Coping Strategies Among Black Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gendered Racism and Mental Health among Young Adult U.S. Black Women: The Moderating Roles of Gendered Racial Identity Centrality and Identity Shifting

et al. 2021

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Black women are uniquely located at the intersection of two marginalized identities which puts them at risk of experiencing a combined discrimination known as gendered racism. Among Black Women, experiencing increased gendered racism is associated with higher poorer mental health which includes higher levels of anxiety and depression. To cope with these experiences of gendered racism, Black women often engage in identity shifting by adjusting one's behavior and language to conform to environmental norms. Paradoxically, having a strong sense of one's gendered racial identity has been theorized to potentially protect Black women from the detrimental effects of gendered racism. Two hundred thirty nine young adult U.S. Black women, between the ages of 18 and 35, completed an online survey to examine the role of identity shifting and gendered racial identity centrality on the established link between gendered racism and mental health outcomes, specifically anxiety and depression symptoms. The results indicated that identity shifting did not moderate the associations between gendered racism and anxiety nor depression symptoms. Separate moderation analyses indicated that gendered racial identity centrality moderated the effect of identity shifting on depression but not on anxiety symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of considering identity factors when proposing theories and clinical practices that seek to reduce mental health concerns among young adult U.S. Black women.

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Section: Mental Health Implications Of Gendered Racismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mental Health Implications Of Gendered Racismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Coping Strategies Among Black Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Coping Strategies Among Black Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Coping Strategies Among Black Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Gendered Racism and Mental Health among Young Adult U.S. Black Women: The Moderating Roles of Gendered Racial Identity Centrality and Identity Shifting

et al. 2021

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Gender, race, and space: A qualitative exploration of young Black women's perceptions of urban neighborhoods

Fike,

Mattis

2024

American J of Comm Psychol

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How people think and feel about their neighborhood impacts the way they think of themselves and their futures. These linkages are especially important to understand in the case of urban‐residing young Black women. Researchers know very little about what contributes to young Black adults' urban neighborhood perceptions and often rely on “expert” definitions of markers of neighborhood quality. These definitions and subsequent explorations of residents' neighborhood assessment have not adequately considered intersecting oppressive systems that structure urban spaces both physically and socially. Further, within‐group diversity of young Black adults based on other social identities, such as gender and class, has gone underexplored in research on residents' neighborhood assessment. We used theory from Black feminist geography and sociology to guide our thematic analysis of interviews with young Black women (N = 9) regarding their urban neighborhood quality. We sought to explore the aspects or features of the neighborhood that young Black women discussed and how social identities may play a role in young Black women's descriptions of their urban neighborhoods. We argue three themes tell an overarching story of young Black women's urban spatial critical analysis: (1) outsiders' perceptions versus our realities, (2) gendered safety, and (3) visibility of young Black women. Young Black women's narratives highlighted communal aspects of neighborhood evaluation and attention to dominant narratives regarding marginalized groups and urban spaces.

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Feeling similar, being different: Immigrant youth, multicultural identities and coping with discrimination

Miglietta,

Rizzo,

Rossi

2023

Community & Applied Soc Psy

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Most of the social psychology literature focuses on the difficulties that young people of migrant backgrounds (YMBs) living in Western countries have in negotiating multicultural identities and developing a sense of belonging to two cultures, emphasizing the negative consequences of feeling discriminated against. However, how YMBs who self‐identify as multicultural reconcile their feelings of integration with identity denial and discrimination has been less explored. The purpose of the present study was to examine, in a sample of YMBs living in Italy, how they reconcile their multicultural identities and perceptions of integration with feelings of rejection by segments of Italian society. Twenty‐five young adults (mean age: 24.5; SD = 4.1; Female (F) = 13) from different ethnic backgrounds participated in semistructured interviews. The results highlighted the protective role of bicultural identification in the identity of YMBs, expressed in the tendency to avoid recognizing oneself in the image of the ‘migrant’ and instead to promote that of a multicultural individual who is not different from other fellow citizens. This goal was achieved at the interpersonal and intrapersonal levels by adopting cognitive strategies of stigma avoidance such as personal/group discrimination discrepancy and doublethink. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

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Managing hypervisibility: An exploration of theory and research on identity shifting strategies in the workplace among Black women

Cited by 73 publications

References 66 publications

Gendered Racism and Mental Health among Young Adult U.S. Black Women: The Moderating Roles of Gendered Racial Identity Centrality and Identity Shifting

Gendered Racism and Mental Health among Young Adult U.S. Black Women: The Moderating Roles of Gendered Racial Identity Centrality and Identity Shifting

Gender, race, and space: A qualitative exploration of young Black women's perceptions of urban neighborhoods

Feeling similar, being different: Immigrant youth, multicultural identities and coping with discrimination

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