When Whites' Attempts to Be Multicultural Backfire in Intergroup Interactions

Zou, Linda X.; Cheryan, Sapna

doi:10.1111/spc3.12203

Cited by 26 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 72 publications

(111 reference statements)

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“…Second, signaling that one does not endorse negative stereotypes may be seen as a type of disclaimer that actually indicates to targets the opposite (Wout, Murphy, & Barnett, 2014). A better strategy may be to avoid reducing people to a stereotype, whether negative or positive, in the first place (Zou & Cheryan, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prejudice Masquerading as Praise

Siy

Cheryan

2016

Pers Soc Psychol Bull

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Five studies demonstrate the powerful connection between being the target of a positive stereotype and expecting that one is also being ascribed negative stereotypes. In Study 1, women who heard a man state a positive stereotype were more likely to believe that he held negative stereotypes of them than women who heard no stereotype. Beliefs about being negatively stereotyped mediated the relationship between hearing a positive stereotype and believing that the stereotyper was prejudiced. Studies 2 to 4 extended these results to Asian Americans and accounted for alternative explanations (e.g., categorization threat). In Study 5, the same positive stereotype (e.g., good at math) was directed to Asian American men's racial or gender identity. Their perceptions about whether negative racial or gender stereotypes were being applied to them depended on the identity referenced by the positive stereotype. Positive stereotypes signal a latent negativity about one's group, thereby explaining why they can feel like prejudice.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prejudice Masquerading as Praise

Siy

Cheryan

2016

Pers Soc Psychol Bull

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“…The difficulty is that an identity safe cue for one minority member or group may act as a threat to others. For example, while a multiculturalist statement from a company CEO may lead some to assert their minority identity at work, for others it may evoke a distancing response, because it puts them in the "Minority Spotlight" (Kirby et al, 2020, this issue;Zou & Cheryan, 2015). This teaches us that a one-size-fits-all approach to organizational diversity interventions aimed at reducing self-group distancing tendencies among minority groups is difficult and that more research should be done on what works for whom.…”

Section: Alternative S Tr Ateg Ie S and Interventi On Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Distancing from a stigmatized social identity: State of the art and future research agenda on self‐group distancing

Veelen

Veldman

Laar

et al. 2020

Euro J Social Psych

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Despite equal rights, minority groups such as ethnic minorities, LGBTQ + people, and people with mental or physical disabilities face discrimination on a day‐to‐day basis in subtle and hard‐to‐recognize forms. As discrimination slips beneath the surface, it becomes difficult to fight the stigma using collective social identity coping mechanisms. Instead, individual mobility responses such as distancing the self from the stigmatized identity (“self‐group distancing”) become more viable as a way to improve one's individual standing. In this overview of the state of the art, we take a social identity lens to reflect on the current empirical knowledge base on self‐group distancing as a coping mechanism and provide a framework on what self‐group distancing is; when, where and why self‐group distancing likely occurs; and what its consequences are at the individual and the collective level. The contributions in this special issue provide novel insights into how these processes unfold, and serve as a basis to set a future research agenda, for example on what can be done to prevent self‐group distancing (i.e., interventions). Together, the insights highlight that while self‐group distancing may seem effective to (strategically and temporarily) alleviate discomfort or to improve one's own position, on a broader collective level and over time self‐group distancing tends to keep the current unequal social hierarchy in place.

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“…Moreover, multiculturalism can produce some unintended side effects. For example, Zou and Cheryan (2015) note that when multiculturalism is highlighted, racial minorities may feel a “minority spotlight effect,” leading them to experience a heightened sense of self-awareness, negative emotion, and discomfort (Crosby et al, 2014). Further, multiculturalism can lead racial minorities in the U.S. to feel excluded from the overarching national identity (e.g., the American identity), lowering their motivation and self-esteem (Zou and Cheryan, 2015).…”

Section: How Do Racial Minorities Respond To Diversity Ideologies?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Zou and Cheryan (2015) note that when multiculturalism is highlighted, racial minorities may feel a “minority spotlight effect,” leading them to experience a heightened sense of self-awareness, negative emotion, and discomfort (Crosby et al, 2014). Further, multiculturalism can lead racial minorities in the U.S. to feel excluded from the overarching national identity (e.g., the American identity), lowering their motivation and self-esteem (Zou and Cheryan, 2015). Consistent with this, Verkuyten (2005, 2009) showed that multiculturalism was only related to heightened self-esteem among those for whom their racial-ethnic identity is highly salient and not among those for whom their racial-ethnic identity is less salient.…”

Section: How Do Racial Minorities Respond To Diversity Ideologies?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Diversity Ideologies From the Target's Perspective: A Review and Future Directions

2019

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We present a review of the diversity ideologies literature from the target's perspective. In particular, we focus on how diversity ideologies—beliefs or organizational practices with regards to how to approach diversity—affect racial minorities' and women's self-perceptions and experiences at work. This review suggests that a diversity aware ideology (i.e., multiculturalism) is more beneficial than a diversity blind ideology (i.e., colorblindness) for racial-ethnic minorities (e.g., better performance outcomes; more psychological engagement, inclusion, and workplace satisfaction; more positive leadership self-perceptions; and reduced perceptions of bias and turnover intentions). In contrast, for women, gender-blindness is associated with more positive outcomes than gender awareness (e.g., enhanced self-confidence, pro-active behaviors and leadership emergence). Importantly, multiculturalism and gender-blindness can both produce negative side effects for racial minorities and women, respectively, which highlights the importance of developing approaches to address the shortcomings of these conventional ideologies. We discuss the implications and offer recommendations for future research.

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When Whites' Attempts to Be Multicultural Backfire in Intergroup Interactions

Cited by 26 publications

References 72 publications

Prejudice Masquerading as Praise

Prejudice Masquerading as Praise

Distancing from a stigmatized social identity: State of the art and future research agenda on self‐group distancing

Understanding Diversity Ideologies From the Target's Perspective: A Review and Future Directions

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