Stop Complaining! The Social Costs of Making Attributions to Discrimination

Abstract

Recent research indicates that stigmatized people may avoid claims of discrimination because such attributions are costly in terms of perceived control over outcomes and social self-esteem. The authors hypothesized that minimization of discrimination also occurs in part because negative social costs accompany attributions to discrimination. In Experiment 1, an African American who attributed a failing test grade to discrimination was perceived as a complainer and was less favorably evaluated in general than was an African American who attributed his failure to the quality of his test answers. This overall devaluation occurred regardless of the objective likelihood that discrimination occurred. Experiment 2 replicated these findings and revealed that this devaluation generally occurred only when the target made discrimination attributions, not when he made other external attributions. The social costs of making attributions to discrimination may prevent stigmatized people from confronting the discrimination they face in their daily lives.

Saying is experiencing: Affective consequences of complaining and affirmation

“…These results show also that complainers are perceived as less emotionally stable and less likeable than persons who affirm the same topics. This is in line with observations that complaining is an aversive behavior and complainers are perceived in a negative way (Kaiser & Miller, 2001;Kowalski, 2003;Kowalski & Cantrell, 1997).…”

“…East, 2000) and hypochondria (e.g. Smith, Snyder & Perkins, 1983) only a few empirical studies on complaining have been published (Alicke et al, 1992;Kaiser & Miller, 2001;Kowalski & Cantrell, 2002). Despite a comprehensive theoretical model of antecedents, functions and consequences of complaining developed by Kowalski (1996), empirical research on this topic remains scarce.…”

Hard and soft age discrimination: the dual nature of workplace discrimination

“…This can particularly refer to hard discrimination. On the other hand, according to the attribution theory, people are more likely to attribute their disadvantaged position to external factors (Weiner 1974 Ruggiero and Taylor 1995;Kaiser and Miller 2001;Schmitt et al 2014). Therefore, unemployed and inactive people could have been more sensitive for reporting age discrimination practices, especially of soft nature, than people in advantaged position.…”

Everyday Confrontation of Discrimination: The Well-Being Costs and Benefits to Women over Time

“…First, research on the social costs of confronting shows that confronters are perceived as complainers, are less well-liked and experience retaliation (e.g., Garcia, Reser, Amo, Redersdorff, & Branscombe, 2005;Kaiser & Miller, 2001. Thus, if confronting discrimination causes additional difficulties for the victim, then a decrease in well-being might also be expected.…”