Iyer, A. orcid.org/0000-0001-7788-6709 and Achia, T. (2021) Mobilized or marginalized? Understanding low-status groups' responses to social justice efforts led by high-status groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 120 (5). pp. 1287-1316. ISSN 0022-3514
Abstract
Members of high-status groups (e.g., men) often lead social justice efforts that seek to benefit low-status groups (e.g., women), but little is known about how observers respond to such instances of visible and influential solidarity. We presented information about a non-profit organization seeking to address gender (Study 1, N = 198) or racial (Study 2, N = 216) inequality, in which the leadership team was manipulated to include a numerical majority of either high-status group members or low-status group members. Members of low-status groups who read about the majority high-status leadership team reported lower levels of collective action intentions, compared to those who read about the majority low-status leadership team. Mediation analyses (Studies 1 and 2) and an experimental-causal-chain design (Study 3, N = 405) showed that lower collective action intentions in response to the majority high-status leadership team were mediated by participants’ perception of a specific problem presented by high-status group leaders (lower awareness of inequality) and lower levels of hope. Study 4 (N = 555) demonstrated that low-status group members responded more negatively to a majority high-status leadership team in an organization seeking to benefit their low-status ingroup (solidarity context), compared to organizations seeking to benefit other groups (non-solidarity contexts). Results provide the first evidence that the presence of influential high-status group leaders can discourage members of low-status groups from joining a social justice effort that seeks to benefit their ingroup, and that these negative responses extend beyond preferences predicted by frameworks of ingroup bias and role congruity.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2020 APA. This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | solidarity; allies; collective action; inequality; non-profit organizations |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Psychology (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number ECONOMIC & SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCIL ES/R010242/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 25 Jun 2020 15:51 |
Last Modified: | 19 Jan 2022 13:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Psychological Association |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1037/pspi0000325 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:162460 |