Stereotype Threat Experiences Across Social Groups

This chapter argues that stereotype threat theory (Steele et al., 2002) can demystify the relationship between experiences of discrimination, identity (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender), and perceptions of affirmative action (AA) and related policy (AAP). Following the failure of anti-discrimination laws in the US, the federal government instituted affirmative action policies (1964–1967), or “proactive approaches” designed to redress centuries of de jure and de facto discrimination toward historically marginalized groups. Since their inception, AAPs in education and employment have become increasingly misunderstood and controversial, while debates about their fairness, efficacy, and implementation abound. Stereotype threat theory can inform divergent understandings of AA and AAPs by delineating a framework that explains how and why concerns about being judged through the lens of negative group-based stereotypes can impact cognition and behavior for historically marginalized and privileged groups (i.e., assumed affirmative action beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries). After defining discrimination and affirmative action in the US historical context, this chapter illustrates the various stereotype threat-related concerns AAPs may raise for people from different social groups who have disparate experiences with discrimination. Next, findings from stereotype threat research and its relationship to affirmative action perceptions are reviewed to demonstrate that properly implemented and effectively communicated AAPs are critical in reducing the threat associated with them. Integrating insights from stereotype threat theory, the chapter concludes by advocating for (a) education on critical historical knowledge about discrimination and AAPs, (b) accurate and strategic AAP messaging, and (c) renewed commitments to instituting evidence-based AAPs to reduce systemic group-based discrimination.