The Minority Spotlight Effect

Crosby, Jennifer Randall; King, Madeline; Savitsky, Kenneth

doi:10.1177/1948550614527625

Cited by 28 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 15 publications

(16 reference statements)

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“…We see this for example in assertiveness training and negotiation workshops for women and ethnic minority groups to help them advance their careers ("fix the women"). There is accumulating evidence that interventions that take a "targeted approach" to try to help minority members improve their status positions are not only often ineffective, they can even result in backlash (Crosby, King, & Savitsky, 2014;Unzueta, Gutiérrez, & Ghavami, 2010). For example, women (but not men) who display such more assertive behaviour during salary or promotion negotiations are penalized, because they are considered "unkind" and "bossy"-with negative consequences for their propensity to get promoted or to obtain a pay rise (Bowles, Babcock, & Lai, 2007).…”

Section: Alternative S Tr Ateg Ie S and Interventi On Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Distancing from a stigmatized social identity: State of the art and future research agenda on self‐group distancing

Veelen

Veldman

Laar

et al. 2020

Euro J Social Psych

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Despite equal rights, minority groups such as ethnic minorities, LGBTQ + people, and people with mental or physical disabilities face discrimination on a day‐to‐day basis in subtle and hard‐to‐recognize forms. As discrimination slips beneath the surface, it becomes difficult to fight the stigma using collective social identity coping mechanisms. Instead, individual mobility responses such as distancing the self from the stigmatized identity (“self‐group distancing”) become more viable as a way to improve one's individual standing. In this overview of the state of the art, we take a social identity lens to reflect on the current empirical knowledge base on self‐group distancing as a coping mechanism and provide a framework on what self‐group distancing is; when, where and why self‐group distancing likely occurs; and what its consequences are at the individual and the collective level. The contributions in this special issue provide novel insights into how these processes unfold, and serve as a basis to set a future research agenda, for example on what can be done to prevent self‐group distancing (i.e., interventions). Together, the insights highlight that while self‐group distancing may seem effective to (strategically and temporarily) alleviate discomfort or to improve one's own position, on a broader collective level and over time self‐group distancing tends to keep the current unequal social hierarchy in place.

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Section: Alternative S Tr Ateg Ie S and Interventi On Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Distancing from a stigmatized social identity: State of the art and future research agenda on self‐group distancing

Veelen

Veldman

Laar

et al. 2020

Euro J Social Psych

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“…Furthermore, people of color's feelings of discomfort and burden are heightened by solo status (Crosby et al, ). Those who find themselves the sole person of color in a given setting are vulnerable to the negative emotional and performance‐based outcomes associated with feeling chronically distinctive (Niemann & Dovidio, ; Sekaquaptewa & Thompson, ; Sekaquaptewa, Waldman, & Thompson, ).…”

Section: The Minority Spotlight Effectmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, rather than "typecasting" people of color into distinctive but limited roles (Kanter, 1977;Niemann & Dovidio, 1998), Whites should work to include people of color and integrate their viewpoints in discussions that are not just related to race. Furthermore, people of color's feelings of discomfort and burden are heightened by solo status (Crosby et al, 2014). Those who find themselves the sole person of color in a given setting are vulnerable to the negative emotional and performance-based outcomes associated with feeling chronically distinctive (Niemann & Dovidio, 1998;Sekaquaptewa & Thompson, 2002;Sekaquaptewa, Waldman, & Thompson, 2007).…”

Section: The Minority Spotlight Effectmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, from the perspective of people of color, this manner of attention can lead to the minority spotlight effect , in which people of color feel uncomfortably singled out when their group membership is made salient (Crosby et al, ). In a within‐subjects study, Black students imagined their group membership being non‐salient in a classroom (i.e.…”

Section: The Minority Spotlight Effectmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We explore three reasons that Whites' attempts to enact multiculturalism can backfire in intergroup interactions. Whites' attempts to acknowledge racial and ethnic differences can lead to the minority spotlight effect , making people of color feel uncomfortably aware of their group identity (Crosby, King, & Savitsky, ). Whites' attempts to express appreciation of racial and ethnic differences can manifest as positive stereotyping , making people of color feel that certain attributes are being imposed onto themselves and their group (Siy & Cheryan, ).…”

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confidence: 99%

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When Whites' Attempts to Be Multicultural Backfire in Intergroup Interactions

Zou

Cheryan

2015

Social & Personality Psych

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Whites' attempts to enact multicultural ideals in intergroup interactions can sometimes have negative interpersonal consequences. This paper reviews the instances when Whites' efforts to acknowledge, appreciate, and learn about racial and ethnic differences can make people of color's group identity uncomfortably salient (minority spotlight effect), make people of color feel that certain attributes are being imposed onto their group identity (positive stereotyping), or make people of color feel precluded from another group identity (identity denial). Each of these situations introduces a hurtful discrepancy between how people of color are seen by others and how they wish to be seen. Suggestions for how to "do" multiculturalism in ways that avoid creating this discrepancy are discussed.

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An examination of diversity rationales: How instrumental and moral diversity rationales create minority spotlight

Chaney

2022

Euro J Social Psych

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Past research has demonstrated that organizations rationalize their commitment to diversity for instrumental or moral reasons that are differentially preferred by marginalized and privileged groups. Across four studies, the present research contends that privileged group members view instrumental diversity contexts as affording them educational opportunities and view moral diversity contexts as expecting them to afford (meta-affordances) marginalized group members inclusion, both resulting in a minority spotlight. Moreover, marginalized group members view these diversity rationales through an inverse lens with moral diversity contexts affording them inclusion and instrumental diversity contexts resulting in education meta-affordances and anticipated minority spotlight. The present findings advance research on implications of diversity rationales, particularly their effect on the attention privileged groups pay to marginalized groups, and marginalized groups' (accurate) anticipation of this attention.

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The Minority Spotlight Effect

Cited by 28 publications

References 15 publications

Distancing from a stigmatized social identity: State of the art and future research agenda on self‐group distancing

Distancing from a stigmatized social identity: State of the art and future research agenda on self‐group distancing

When Whites' Attempts to Be Multicultural Backfire in Intergroup Interactions

An examination of diversity rationales: How instrumental and moral diversity rationales create minority spotlight

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