Morton Thomas A, Postmes Tom
School of Psychology, University of Exeter, United Kingdom.
Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2009 May;35(5):656-68. doi: 10.1177/0146167208331254. Epub 2009 Feb 18.
There is considerable interest in how essentialist beliefs support prejudice and discrimination against minorities. Less attention has been given to essentialism within minority groups. The authors argue that minorities might use essentialism to counter the denial of their identity by the majority (e.g., marginalization) but that essentialism might be less appealing when minority identity is recognized but devalued (e.g., discrimination). In Study 1, gay, lesbian, and bisexual participants contemplated treatment that either devalued or denied their identity. Minority identification was related to stronger endorsement of beliefs about the immutability of sexuality in the context of identity denial but not in the context of identity devaluation. Study 2 replicated this pattern and showed that endorsement of immutability beliefs was mediated through the perceived possibility for social change and was in turn related to feelings of self-efficacy. The results are discussed in relation to current perspectives on essentialism.
本质主义信念如何助长对少数群体的偏见和歧视引发了广泛关注。而少数群体内部的本质主义却较少受到关注。作者认为，少数群体可能会利用本质主义来对抗多数群体对其身份的否定（例如边缘化），但当少数群体身份得到认可却被贬低时（例如歧视），本质主义可能就不那么有吸引力了。在研究1中，男同性恋、女同性恋和双性恋参与者思考了贬低或否定其身份的对待方式。在身份被否定的情况下，少数群体认同与对性取向不可改变信念的更强认同相关，但在身份被贬低的情况下则不然。研究2重复了这一模式，并表明对不可改变信念的认同是通过感知到的社会变革可能性来介导的，进而与自我效能感相关。研究结果结合当前关于本质主义的观点进行了讨论。
