Less pain and more to gain

Why high-status group members blame their failure on discrimination

Bibliographic Data

ID6205850
AuthorsKaren M Ruggiero (Harvard University, corresponding author), David M Marx (0000-0001-8141-7569)
Year1999
Volume77
Issue4
Pages774-784
Publication date1999-10-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/0022-3514.77.4.774
PMID10531671
OpenAlexW1996229531, W4233681721
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited2

Members of high-status groups are more likely than members of low-status groups to blame their failure on discrimination and are less likely to blame it on themselves. This tendency was demonstrated in 3 experiments comparing men and women, White and Black students, and members of experimentally created high- and low-status groups. Results also showed that when making an attribution to discrimination, high-status group members were less likely to experience a threat to their social state self-esteem, performance perceived control, and social perceived control and were more likely to protect their performance state self-esteem. These findings help to explain why high-status group members are more willing to blame their failure on discrimination by showing that it is less harmful for them than for low-status group members.

Attribution · Blame · Developmental psychology · Group (periodic table) · Political science · Social status · Clinical Psychology · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Labor Movements and Unions · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology

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