Social Stigma and Assumptive Help Revisited:
A Look at Gender and Stigma Relevant Conditions
Christian M. End
Miami University
Abstract
This present study is designed to replicate a study performed by Schneider, M.E., Major, B., Luhtanen, R., & Crocker, J. (1996). The first change in design is a result of a perceived weakness in regards to the design of not fully crossing race of helper with race of recipient. A weakness that Schneider et al. (1996) acknowledged. They suggested that the results of their study would have been better supported if it could have been demonstrated that a greater decrease in self-esteem occurred when the nonstigmatized donor helped a stigmatized individual, compared to possible self-esteem decrease when a stigmatized individual helped a nonstigmatized individual.
In the present study gender of subject and helper will be substituted for Schneider et al.'s (1996) race of subject. In this study females will be the stigmatized group, with males serving as the nonstigmatized group. Females were reported to be a stigmatized group according to Crocker and Major (1989). One hypothesis to be tested consistent with the reviewed literature is that women, being the stigmatized group will report lower levels of self-esteem when the gender of the helper is male in comparison to female.
The present design will fully cross gender of helper with gender of recipient to prevent the possibility that effects were due to gender similarity or dissimilarity of the help giver to the recipient, compared to the possibility that the effects were due to stereotype vulnerability. I hypothesize that males will report lower levels of self-esteem when helped by a female due to dissimilarity of gender, but the greatest decrease in self-esteem will occur when females are helped by males, consistent with the stereotype vulnerability that accompanies stigmas (Schneider et al., 1996) .
This present study will also attempt to have a stigma relevant task and a nonstigma relevant task. Research shows that people of a stigmatized group are aware of the negative stereotypes attributed to membership in that group (Jones et al., 1984). One hypothesis will be that when a stigmatized recipient is receiving help from a nonstigmatized individual in regards to a task that is central to the recipient's stigma, the recipient will report greater decrease in self-esteem compared to receiving help on a task that is not central to an individual's stigma.
Finally, the real world
applications of this findings will be discussed, as well as some possible
alternative outcomes. Areas of future research are discussed as
well.
References
Crocker, J., & Major B.
(1989). Social stigma and self esteem: The self protective properties
of stigma. Psychological Review, 96,
608-630.
Jones, E.E., Farina, A.,
Hastrof, A.H., Markus, H., Miller, D.T., & Scott, R.A.
(1984). Social stigma: The psychology of
marked relationships. New York: W.H.
Freeman.
Schneider, M.E., Major, B.,
Luhtanen, R., & Crocker, J. (1996). Social stigma and the potential
costs of assumptive help. Personality and
Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 201-209.
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