Mollie A. Price-Blackshear, B. Ann Bettencourt

Reducing Prejudice Through Self-Affirmation: Exploring the Mediating Role of Intergroup Anxiety

Introduction

Reducing prejudice through self-affirmation: exploring the mediating role of intergroup anxiety. Explore how self-affirmation reduces prejudice toward stigmatized groups (e.g., Muslims, African Americans) and the mediating role of intergroup anxiety. Improves outgroup attitudes.

Abstract

Self-affirmation reduces self-threats in many domains. Our studies examined whether self-affirmation reduced outgroup prejudice toward stigmatized groups (i.e., Muslims, Atheists, African Americans) and whether intergroup anxiety would mediate this relationship. At times, self-affirmation led to lower prejudice. Covariates (i.e., political ideology, religion, motivation to control prejudice, gender) were examined in our analyses. Intergroup anxiety was an inconsistent mediator. Our results were partially replicated using a neutral control. The results of the current studies suggest that self-affirmation can indeed improve attitudes toward religious and racial outgroup members. Our work extends prior self-affirmation and prejudice reduction literature by exploring mediating influences of intergroup anxiety and using a neutral control condition.

Review

This manuscript addresses a highly relevant and impactful topic: the potential of self-affirmation to reduce prejudice towards stigmatized groups. The authors thoughtfully investigate this by examining attitudes towards Muslims, Atheists, and African Americans, while also exploring intergroup anxiety as a potential mediating mechanism. The finding that self-affirmation can indeed lead to lower prejudice, at least under certain conditions, is a valuable addition to the literature on prejudice reduction and provides further evidence for the utility of self-affirmation interventions. A key strength of this research lies in its theoretical scope and methodological considerations. The explicit examination of intergroup anxiety as a mediator extends prior work by delving into the psychological pathways through which self-affirmation might operate in an intergroup context. The inclusion of a diverse range of stigmatized groups enhances the generalizability of the findings, and the rigorous control for covariates such as political ideology, religion, motivation to control prejudice, and gender speaks to a careful approach to analysis. Furthermore, the use of a neutral control condition and the effort to partially replicate results demonstrate a commitment to robust scientific inquiry. However, the abstract highlights some areas that suggest further exploration would be beneficial. The observation that self-affirmation reduced prejudice "at times" and that intergroup anxiety was an "inconsistent mediator" points to a complex interplay of factors that warrant deeper investigation. Future research could productively explore the specific conditions, individual differences, or types of self-affirmation that reliably predict prejudice reduction and consistently engage intergroup anxiety as a mediator. Understanding the nuances behind these inconsistencies would not only strengthen the theoretical model but also refine the practical application of self-affirmation techniques for maximum impact in prejudice reduction efforts.

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