Annu. Rev. Psychol. 2005. 56:393–421
doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.56.091103.070137
Copyright_c 2005 by Annual Reviews. All rights
reserved
First published online as a Review in Advance on September
14, 2004
THE SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF STIGMA
Brenda Major and Laurie T. O’Brien
Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa
Barbara, Santa Barbara,
California 93105; email: major@psych.ucsb.edu,
obrien@psych.ucsb.edu
Key Words social identity, identity threat, stress
and coping, stereotyping,
prejudice, discrimination
■ Abstract
This chapter addresses the psychological effects of social stigma. Stigma
directly affects the stigmatized via mechanisms of
discrimination, expectancy confirmation,
and automatic stereotype activation, and indirectly via
threats to personal and
social identity.We review and organize recent theory and
empirical research within an
identity threat model of stigma. This model posits that
situational cues, collective representations
of one’s stigma status, and personal beliefs and motives
shape appraisals
of the significance of stigma-relevant situations for
well-being. Identity threat results
when stigma-relevant stressors are appraised as potentially
harmful to one’s social identity
and as exceeding one’s coping resources. Identity threat
creates involuntary stress
responses and motivates attempts at threat reduction through
coping strategies. Stress
responses and coping efforts affect important outcomes such
as self-esteem, academic
achievement, and health. Identity threat perspectives help
to explain the tremendous
variability across people, groups, and situations in
responses to stigma.
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