The Influence of Economic Conditions on Aspects of Stigmatization

This article reviews theoretical perspectives explaining the positive relationship between group identification and perceptions of prejudice. In particular, we focus on the prejudice distribution account, which contends that highly identified minorities report more frequent experiences with prejudice than weakly identified minorities, in part, because majority group members do in fact react more negatively toward highly identified minorities than they do toward the weakly identified. We describe evidence revealing that people accurately detect minority identification, even given minimal information. Further, majority group members use these inferences about identification to guide their attitudes and behaviors toward minorities. We discuss the implications of this research for theoretical perspectives on within-category approaches to the study of prejudice. We also discuss practical implications and offer suggestions for addressing this type of prejudice.Imagine two very different Black men. As you think about these men, you probably imagine that they vary on numerous physical and psychological attributes. For example, one man might be short, humorous, and sensitive, and the other might be tall, intellectual, and shy. One thing we suspect that you did not consider was that these men may also vary with respect to the amount of prejudice and discrimination they experience. When psychologists conceptualize prejudice and discrimination, we tend to think with broad, group-based categories. For instance, we examine racism against Blacks, sexism toward women, and homophobia toward gay men and lesbians. Our language reflects an assumption that prejudice

Section: Minority Identification Threatens Status Legitimizing Worldvmentioning

confidence: 99%

Group Identification and Prejudice: Theoretical and Empirical Advances and Implications

Kaiser

Wilkins

2010

“…It is important to keep in mind the historical and contemporary factors that contribute to members of these groups having vastly different social experiences. King, Knight, and Hebl's (this issue) work on economic threat, for example, illustrates the importance of contextual factors in understanding social stigma. King et al (this issue) found that stigmatized job applicants are selected less often for jobs than their nonstigmatized counterparts primarily during an economic downturn.…”

Section: Historical and Contemporary Views Of Social Stigmamentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Stigma and Disadvantage: Current Themes and Future Prospects

Shelton

Alegre

Son

2010

Research on social stigma and disadvantage has flourished in the past two decades. The authors highlight the theoretical and methodological advancements that have been made, such as how experience sampling procedures and neuroscience have shed light on processes associated with social stigma. Finally, the authors discuss policy implications of historical and contemporary research on social stigma and disadvantage, as well as address ideas for future research that may be useful in creating policies and programs that promote social equality.

“…Although the idea that economic threat is often at the root of prejudicial attitudes is not new in itself—in fact it dates back to the origins of realistic conflict theory (LeVine & Campbell, 1972)—no direct evidence was available demonstrating the direction of causality in this link. King et al (this issue) show that the induction of perceived economic threat can indeed increase prejudice and decrease the support for measures that help reduce social inequalities. At a practical level, the knowledge thus gained also helps understand which types of programs and measures aiming to redress social injustices are most likely to be supported or opposed in times of economic hardship.…”

Section: Prejudice In Contextmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Two articles in this volume address this issue. As an example of a relevant macrolevel contextual variable, King, Knight, and Hebl (this issue) examine how economic threat can increase stereotyping and stigmatization. Economic threat refers to a broad societal condition that can be seen to justify exclusion and disadvantage for members of certain groups.…”

Section: Prejudice In Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current Issues in the Study of Social Stigma: Some Controversies and Unresolved Issues

Barreto

Ellemers

2010

This contribution identifies some of the major themes and controversies in current research on stigma and social disadvantage, paying particular attention to the perspective of the stigmatized. We examine the social contextual and interactive nature of stigmatization that determines its impact and consequences for those who are stigmatized. We outline some areas of research where different findings seem incompatible or have remained unresolved. Specifically, we identify moderators of the consequences of social stigma for the self, of the role of identification with the stigmatized group as a source of vulnerability or of resilience, as well as of how stigma affects task performance. In this way, we provide a thematic framework outlining the different ways in which the articles in this special issue contribute to the resolution of current controversies and debates in the literature on social stigma.