Why Are Attributions to Discrimination Interpersonally Costly? A Test of System- and Group-Justifying Motivations

Abstract

be achieved without considering the interpersonal consequences of these judgments. We first describe these interpersonal consequences and then integrate this research within a theoretical framework examining how system-and group-justifying beliefs moderate these consequences. Interpersonal Nature of Discrimination AttributionsIn the first investigation documenting the interpersonal consequences of discrimination attributions, Kaiser and Miller (2001) had White participants read about a Black man who received a failing test grade from a grader who was certainly, possibly, or not at all prejudiced against Blacks. Participants then learned that the target attributed his grade either to discrimination, his inadequate test answers (an internal attribution), or the test difficulty (an external attribution). Both internal and external attribution control groups were utilized because discrimination attributions are both internal (causal locus resides within one's social

If She’s a Feminist it Must Not be Discrimination: The Power of the Feminist Label on Observers’ Attributions About a Sexist Event

“…Allocating blame exclusively to the evaluator may explain why the results of the present study differed from prior research. Finally, recent research by Kaiser et al (2006) found that overall, Whites did not evaluate a Black target who claimed discrimination more negatively than a Black target who claimed unfairness. However, Whites who endorsed systemjustifying beliefs (e.g., those who indicated that the world is fair) did rate the Black target who blamed his outcome on discrimination more negatively than the Black target who blamed general unfairness.…”

“…Feminist ideology implies that the world is not a fair, just place. Kaiser et al (2006) demonstrated that the more participants endorsed American dominant ideology (i.e., Protestant work ethic, belief that the world is just and fair), the more threatened they felt when they read that an African-American made a claim of discrimination. In the present study, participants' worldviews may have been threatened when the woman was described as a feminist, and perhaps it would be even more threatening to acknowledge that such a woman actually did face discrimination.…”

“…Claims of discrimination also challenge this belief, and thus people do not like having discrimination pointed out. People who challenge the status quo often are disliked and derogated, especially by people who are high in system justifying beliefs (Kaiser et al 2006). Feminists are perceived as threatening common values, thus leading people to express dislike and disgust toward them (Cottrell and Neuberg 2005).…”

Perceived group identity of outgroup members and anticipated rejection: People think that strongly identified group members reject non‐group members

“…People generally have a need to defend their personal worldview. In particular, white people, as a high-status group, are likely to justify their worldview in terms of the status quo and to react defensively to threats against that view (Jost, 2006;Kaiser, Dyrenforth, & Hagiwara, 2006). However, strongly identified black people (a low-status group) are prone to be dissatisfied with their position and to assert the illegitimacy of the current status hierarchy.…”

How Does Ethnic Identification Impact the Recall of and Reactions to Discrimination?

“…For instance, individuals who publicly attribute negative outcomes to discrimination can be perceived more negatively, even by members of their own group. This results in stigmatized individuals being less likely to make claims of discrimination for fear of negative consequences, despite the positive effects of making such claims (e.g., Kaiser, Dyrenforth, & Hagiwara, 2006;. This makes reacting to discrimination even more difficult for targets of discrimination.…”