Hidden Costs of Hiding Stigma: Ironic Interpersonal Consequences of Concealing a Stigmatized Identity in Social Interactions

PublishedArticleCopyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.People who possess a concealable stigmatized identity (e.g., minority sexual orientation; history of mental illness) often choose to hide this identity from others in order to avoid stigmatization and bias. Despite the potential benefits of this identity management strategy, we propose that instead of increasing acceptance, hiding a stigmatized identity can result in a lowered sense of belonging and even actual social rejection. Across three experimental studies, we show that hiding (vs. revealing) a stigmatized identity during a social interaction reduces feelings of belonging (Studies 1-3), an effect that is mediated by feelings of inauthenticity and reduced self-disclosure (Study 2). Furthermore, we demonstrate that the detrimental interpersonal effects of hiding (vs. revealing) a stigmatized identity are detected by external observers (Study 2) and non-stigmatized interaction partners (Study 3). Implications for understanding the predicament of people living with stigmatized social identities are discussed

How place shapes the aspirations of hope: the allegory of the privileged and the underprivileged

We articulate a holistic understanding of hope, going beyond the common conceptualization of hope in terms of positive affect and cognition by considering what hope means for the underprivileged. In the recognition that hope is always situated in a particular place, we explore the perspective of the privileged and the underprivileged, clarifying how spatial contexts shape their goals for the future and their agency toward attaining these goals. Where some people experience precarity due to their disability, race, gender, sexuality, and social class, others enjoy enhanced agency due to their privilege. In our analysis, this loss of agency does not mean the underprivileged are hopeless; instead, it suggests that hope can incorporate negative affect and cognition. In our view, a spatial understanding acknowledges the power of hope in discouraging situations, and it points to practical measures through which hope can be cultivated by marginalized communities

Intention Seekers: Conspiracist Ideation and Biased Attributions of Intentionality

Conspiracist beliefs are widespread and potentially hazardous. A growing body of research suggests that cognitive biases may play a role in endorsement of conspiracy theories. The current research examines the novel hypothesis that individuals who are biased towards inferring intentional explanations for ambiguous actions are more likely to endorse conspiracy theories, which portray events as the exclusive product of intentional agency. Study 1 replicated a previously observed relationship between conspiracist ideation and individual differences in anthropomorphisation. Studies 2 and 3 report a relationship between conspiracism and inferences of intentionality for imagined ambiguous events. Additionally, Study 3 again found conspiracist ideation to be predicted by individual differences in anthropomorphism. Contrary to expectations, however, the relationship was not mediated by the intentionality bias. The findings are discussed in terms of a domain-general intentionality bias making conspiracy theories appear particularly plausible. Alternative explanations are suggested for the association between conspiracism and anthropomorphism

Religious affiliation reduces the impact of existential anxiety on intergroup attitudes

Reminders of death are known to increase prejudice. However, being religious may be an effective buffer against this effect. Supporting this hypothesis, two studies showed that death reminders increased prejudice only for non-religious participants

Individual and situational predictors of religious prejudice: Impact of religion, social dominance orientation, intergroup contact, and mortality salience

In this paper, we investigate both individual difference (strength of religious attitude, social dominance orientation, and intergroup contact) and situational (mortality salience) variables as predictors of prejudice against Muslims. Among religious participants, strength of religious attitude predicted prejudice, as did SDO. Among non-religious participants, SDO positively, and intergroup contact negatively, predicted prejudice. We also found that non-religious participants were more vulnerable than religious participants to the effects of mortality salience, indicating that mere religious affiliation can be an effective buffer against existential threat. We discuss these findings in terms of individual differences as predictors of prejudice and aspects of religion as buffers against existential threat, and note limitations of the study and priorities for future research

The functional nature of conspiracy beliefs: Examining the underpinnings of belief in the Da Vinci Code conspiracy

Focusing on a contemporary conspiracy theory popularized in the novel The Da Vinci Code (Brown, 2002), we examined the underlying psychological factors and individual differences that may predict belief in conspiracy theories, and assessed such beliefs' resistance to counterevidence. Our results suggest that belief in the Da Vinci Code conspiracy may be associated with coping with existential threat and death-related anxiety. In addition, the extent to which participants believed in the conspiracy was associated with the endorsement of congruent (New Age spiritual) and competing (Christian religious) beliefs, in opposite directions. Finally, exposure to counterevidence resulted in belief reduction, specifically among more religious participants (i.e. among those endorsing a competing belief system). We suggest that belief in modern conspiracy theories may help individuals attain or maintain a sense of meaning, control, and security. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd

Entitativity and prejudice: Examining their relationship and the moderating effect of attitude certainty

Previous research suggests that perceived entitativity, which represents the degree to which groups are perceived to possess unity, coherence, and organization, predicts intergroup stereotyping and bias. The present research yielded complementary evidence that prejudice (toward Muslims in Study I and toward South Asians in Study 2) can also predict groups' perceived entitativity. In particular, Study I found that the relationships of two predictors, intergroup contact and social dominance orientation, with perceived entitativity were mediated by prejudice. Study 2 demonstrated. as predicted, that this set of relationships occurred primarily for intergroup attitudes of relatively high certainty. Neither study found support for models in which entitativity mediated the relationships of the predictors with prejudice. Conceptual and analytical factors that may account for evidence of the potential bi-directionality of the bias-entitativity relationship are considered. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.</p