When does it hurt? Intergroup permeability moderates the link between discrimination and self-esteem
Corresponding Author
David Bourguignon
Laboratoire PeRSeUS (EA 7312), Université de Lorraine (Metz), France
Correspondence to: David Bourguignon, Lorraine University in Metz, Laboratoire PERSEUS, UFR Sciences humaines et arts, Ile du Saulcy, B.P. 30309, 570006 Metz cedex 1, France.
E-mail: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorVincent Y. Yzerbyt
Centre for the Study of Social Behavior, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
Search for more papers by this authorCatia P. Teixeira
Centre for the Study of Social Behavior, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
National Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.-FNRS), Belgium
Search for more papers by this authorGinette Herman
Centre for the Study of Social Behavior, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
David Bourguignon
Laboratoire PeRSeUS (EA 7312), Université de Lorraine (Metz), France
Correspondence to: David Bourguignon, Lorraine University in Metz, Laboratoire PERSEUS, UFR Sciences humaines et arts, Ile du Saulcy, B.P. 30309, 570006 Metz cedex 1, France.
E-mail: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorVincent Y. Yzerbyt
Centre for the Study of Social Behavior, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
Search for more papers by this authorCatia P. Teixeira
Centre for the Study of Social Behavior, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
National Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.-FNRS), Belgium
Search for more papers by this authorGinette Herman
Centre for the Study of Social Behavior, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Research shows that personal discrimination and group discrimination have distinct effects on personal self-esteem. Specifically, whereas personal discrimination negatively impacts self-esteem, group discrimination increases it. We suggest that this pattern is dependent on the socio-structural context in which individuals experience discrimination. To test this hypothesis, we manipulate intergroup permeability and examine its impact on the link between personal/group discrimination and personal self-esteem. Results show that a control condition replicates previous research, that is, a positive association between group discrimination and self-esteem and a negative association for personal discrimination. The positive association of group discrimination disappeared in a permeable context and reversed when the context was presented as impermeable. Moreover, the deleterious effect of personal discrimination on self-esteem vanished in impermeable contexts. Results are discussed in light of the literature on stigmatization. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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