Stigmatized people disengage self-worth from domains where they face bias

Evidence

Although some targets of prejudice enhance their striving in response to prejudice, others withdraw their efforts from domains in which they are negatively stereotyped, devalued, or unfairly treated. Withdrawal of effort is likely to be one byproduct of psychologically disengaging self-esteem from a domain (Major et al., 1998). Psychological disengagement refers to detaching self-esteem from external feedback in a domain such that feelings of self-worth are not dependent on successes or failures in that domain (Major et al., 1998). One method of disengaging self-esteem from a domain is to discount the validity of feedback received in that domain; a second method is to devalue or reduce the importance in one’s self-concept of a domain in which one is stigmatized. … Consistent with this process, African Americans’ self-esteem is affected less than that of European Americans by feedback on intelligence tests when race is salient, but not when it is not salient (Major et al., 1998). — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 966 (#exemplifies, via linked claim)

Research on compensation illustrates the use of this strategy. For example, one study found that when overweight women believed their stigma might have a negative impact on an interaction, they compensated for their obesity (and accompanying negative stereotypes) by bolstering their social skills (Miller, Rothblum, Felicio, & Brand, 1995). Further, selfaffirmation research (Steele, 1988) illustrates that when threatened in one domain, people often defend their self-esteem by bolstering themselves in another domain. For example, members of low-status groups often acknowledge their group’s inferiority on status-relevant dimensions like competence and intelligence, but compensate for it by expressing ingroup favoritism on other, status-irrelevant dimensions, such as warmth and friendliness (Ellemers & Van Rijswijk, 1997). — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 964 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: When glory-based pride fails, high identifiers shift to humanitarian self-stereotypes — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 838; Self-esteem operates implicitly through self-serving judgment biases that also buttress the self. — Anthony G. Greenwald and Mahzarin R. Banaji, Implicit Social Cognition: Attitudes,…, 152; Stigmatized groups differ sharply in whether they show lowered self-esteem (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Stigmatized individuals protect self-esteem by disengaging from feedback in negatively stereotyped domains #exemplifies (0.95) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 966
• Stigmatized people compensate for devalued attributes by overperforming elsewhere #complicates (0.72) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 964