Solo status revisited: Examining racial group differences in the self-regulatory consequences of self-presenting as a racial solo

Gender moderates the self-regulatory consequences of suppressing emotional reactions to sexism

“…In the current work, we consider the influence of gender group membership, and the differential experiences with sexism it typically confers, on the cognitive costs of suppressing emotional responses to sexism. Recent research supports the premise that group memberships may influence the degree to which individuals find particular tasks depleting (Johnson & Richeson, 2008, 2009Salvatore & Shelton, 2007; see also Trawalter & Richeson, 2008, for a similar argument). Building on this idea, we wondered whether individuals who are more likely to have experience suppressing their emotional reactions to prejudice are subsequently less depleted by such acts than are individuals who are relatively unlikely to have experience suppressing their emotional reactions to prejudice.…”

“…First, whereas previous research compares the costs of managing a devalued identity relative to the situation of no identity threat (that is, a within-group comparison), the current research poses a between-group comparison: examining the costs of regulating in the face of sexism between individuals from two different groups presumed to have differential experience with such regulation. In a related investigation (Johnson & Richeson, 2009), we examined whether the depleting effect of self-presenting with racial solo status varies by racial group membership in a sample of students in a predominantly White university context. We reasoned that racial minority students are likely to have more experience selfpresenting as racial solos (i.e., as the only member of their racial group) compared with White students, and, as a result, should find such a task less depleting.…”

Going to College With a Posse: How Having High School Peers on Campus Supports College Achievement

“…People respond to subtle belonging cues in their social environments—such as the ethnic composition of their small workgroups (e.g., Binning et al, 2020), the ethnic makeup of their university (e.g., Binning & Unzueta, 2013), and the perceived inclusivity of organizational norms and structures (e.g., Greenaway & Turetsky, 2020; Murphy et al, 2007)—in the service of a fundamental need to belong (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). Establishing a sense of belonging in college is crucial for helping students reach their full academic potential (e.g., Chen et al, 2021; Strayhorn, 2012; Walton & Brady, 2019), and research has shown that solo status, defined as being the only representative of a particular social category, can have detrimental effects on learning (Sekaquaptewa & Thompson, 2002), memory (Lord & Saenz, 1985), and self-regulation (Johnson & Richeson, 2009). As such, our core thesis is that HSPP uniquely predicts student outcomes above and beyond the demographic variables associated with HSPP.…”

Taboo 18:1 - Full Issue

“…My resilience blossomed during my years in the private sector as I navigated epistemic injustice and oppression in multiple forms as a solo status employee, while working my way up the corporate ladder toward the glass ceiling, which is typically lowered for Black women in most corporations. The myriad challenges are well documented in the literature (e.g., Johnson & Richeson, 2009;Roberson, Deitch, Brief, & Block, 2003;Sekaquaptewa & Thompson, 2003;Sekaquaptewa et al, 2007). I left private industry to make a difference in the world for other Black children like me.…”