Communication and Essentialism: Grounding the Shared Reality of a Social Category

Kashima, Yoshihisa; Kashima, Emiko S.; Bain, Paul G.; Lyons, Anthony; Tindale, R. Scott; Robins, Garry; Vears, Cedric; Whelan, Jennifer

doi:10.1521/soco.2010.28.3.306

Cited by 20 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…In the meantime, and as others have noted [34], reducing the negative impact of HIV-related stigma needs to be a priority. Unfortunately, eliminating the stereotypes and attitudes that underpin stigma can take time [35][36][37], so it may also be important that any resilience-building programs also address ways of tackling internalized stigma.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosocial Factors Associated with Resilience in a National Community-Based Cohort of Australian Gay Men Living with HIV

2016

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HIV-positive gay men may experience multiple sources of adversity and stress, related both to their HIV diagnosis and sexual identity. Most of these men, however, do not experience mental health problems. Little is known about factors that help them achieve resilience in the face of life challenges. This study examined psychosocial factors associated with resilience in a national community-based sample of 357 Australian HIV-positive gay men. Resilience was measured using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Higher levels of resilience were linked with experiencing low or no internalized HIV-related stigma, having no previous history of mental health problems, and a number of socioeconomic indicators. In addition to providing a more complete picture of the mental health of HIV-positive gay men, findings from this study can be used to inform strength-based approaches to mental health prevention and support.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosocial Factors Associated with Resilience in a National Community-Based Cohort of Australian Gay Men Living with HIV

2016

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“…The longer a chain of communication is, the more stereotype inconsistent content is being withered out and stereotype consistent information retained, leading to a relativelystable representational system over time (McIntyre, et al., 2004). A crucial and, in the present context, relevant effect of communication chains and networks is the tendency of communicators to perceive an increased entitativity of groups and homogeneity among their members (Kashima, Kashima, Bain, Lyons, et al., in press; Kashima, 2004). It appears that at least a part of essentialization processes happen as a by‐product of language use and stereotype maintaining communication.…”

Section: Psychological Essentialism: Whence and Whithermentioning

confidence: 99%

Construction and Deconstruction of Essence in Representating Social Groups: Identity Projects, Stereotyping, and Racism

2009

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Projecting essence onto a social category means to think, talk, and act as if the category were a discrete natural kind and as if its members were all endowed with the same immutable attributes determined by the category's essence. Essentializing may happen implicitly or on purpose in representing ingroups and outgroups. We argue that essentializing is a versatile representational tool (a) that is used to create identity in groups with chosen membership in order to make the group appear as a unitary entity, (b) that outsiders often draw on a group's essentialist self‐construal in their judgements about the groups, (c) that judgements about members of forced social categories are often informed by essentialist thinking that easily switches to discrimination and racism, and (d) that under certain historical and political conditions members of social categories and groups may contest their essentialized identity, such as parts of the feminist movement, or that they may attempt to reconstruct an essentialized identity, such as parts of the homosexual movement or the largely defunct European nobility. Besides explicit political and power interests, we see communication processes and language use as a tacit force driving essentialization of social categories.

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“…Claassen et al ., ; Lebowitz & Ahn, ; Lebowitz, Ahn & Nolen‐Hoeksema, ). In addition, when individuals were asked to discuss a social category elaborately, the mere act of communicating about a social category propagated essentialist thinking among adults (Kashima et al ., ).…”

Section: An Essentialism Perspectivementioning

confidence: 97%

An essentialism perspective on intercultural processes

Chao

Kung

2014

Asian J of Social Psycho

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Essentialist theories are the beliefs that there are immutable essences underlying observed differences between social groups (e.g. racial group, cultural group). This paper reviews the intergroup dynamics and intrapersonal processes associated with essentialism. It also explores the interplay between the two. By explicating the intricate relationship between these psychological processes, the current paper aims to advance our understanding of intergroup relations and identify their implications for the study of multiculturalism. We posit that although the commonly observed negative intergroup outcomes, such as prejudices and biases, can be the byproducts of basic cognitive processes associated with essentialist theories, the social power dynamics in a given society also play important roles in shaping the relationships between essentialism and intergroup outcomes. We then discuss the implications of this understanding to our increasingly multicultural world.

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Communication and Essentialism: Grounding the Shared Reality of a Social Category

Cited by 20 publications

References 41 publications

Psychosocial Factors Associated with Resilience in a National Community-Based Cohort of Australian Gay Men Living with HIV

Psychosocial Factors Associated with Resilience in a National Community-Based Cohort of Australian Gay Men Living with HIV

Construction and Deconstruction of Essence in Representating Social Groups: Identity Projects, Stereotyping, and Racism

An essentialism perspective on intercultural processes

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