Attributing rejection to discrimination can damage self-esteem rather than protect it
Evidence
On the one hand, attribution to discrimination can be seen as an “external” causality, in that this type of explanation can be made independent of, or even as opposed to, the actor’s personal attributes. Indeed, claiming discrimination for a negative outcome, rather than blaming the self, may alleviate the potential damage to self-esteem (Crocker & Major, 1989). On the other hand, attribution to discrimination is likely to heighten the awareness on the part of the rejected person concerning the fact that he or she belongs to a stigmatized group. Arguably, such category-based self-concept may imply an “internal” causality. Indeed, a study by Schmitt and Branscombe (2002) demonstrated that the locus of causality with regard to discrimination can be perceived as both internal and external at the same time. As a consequence, attribution to discrimination may not necessarily be a remedy to damaged self-esteem but may instead hurt self-esteem even more than other kinds of attributions (Schmitt & Branscombe, 2002, Study 2). — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 129
Categorization
- XREF: Connects to self-serving attribution biases and the broader literature on defensive attributions in social psychology. — connects to: Affiliation and rejection behaviors function as second-order boosts to self-esteem. — Anthony G. Greenwald and Mahzarin R. Banaji, Implicit Social Cognition: Attitudes,…, 162
- SEED: Angles toward an essay on how victimhood narratives that should be empowering can paradoxically reinforce stigma consciousness.