Peitz Linus, Whitehouse Harvey, Newson Martha
University of Greenwich, London, UK.
University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.
Br J Soc Psychol. 2025 Jul;64(3):e12886. doi: 10.1111/bjso.12886.
The stigma of incarceration contributes to the global reoffending crisis and remains a barrier to reintegration into receiving communities. Recent research suggests that the key to solving this problem may lie in shared transformative experiences. We tested whether the salience of such experiences can overcome stigma among members of receiving communities when they act as gatekeepers for formerly incarcerated persons seeking employment. Across four experimental studies with seven samples of US and UK nationals (N = 2091), we examined the conditions under which transformative experiences can lead to identity fusion, a powerful form of social bonding and contribute to hiring and optimism about reintegration among prospective employers. In six of seven samples, those who reported stronger transformative experiences of their own were more fused to a job applicant, which was linked to positive attitudes towards them and willingness to hire them. Effects of formerly incarcerated persons' experiences varied between national samples and experience contexts: American citizens were more receptive to experiences in prison, while British citizens were more influenced by sports experiences. These findings highlight the potency of transformative experiences to forge connective bridges to stigmatized groups, despite cultural differences in perceptions of relevant social cues about formerly incarcerated people.
监禁的污名化加剧了全球再次犯罪危机，并且仍然是重新融入接纳社区的障碍。最近的研究表明，解决这个问题的关键可能在于共享的变革性经历。我们测试了，当接纳社区的成员作为寻求就业的曾经入狱者的把关人时，此类经历的显著性是否能够克服他们之间的污名化。通过对美国和英国国民的七个样本进行的四项实验研究（N = 2091），我们研究了变革性经历在何种条件下能够导致身份融合，这是一种强大的社会联结形式，并有助于潜在雇主的招聘以及对重新融入的乐观态度。在七个样本中的六个样本中，那些报告自己有更强变革性经历的人，与求职者的身份融合度更高，这与对他们的积极态度以及雇佣他们的意愿相关联。曾经入狱者的经历的影响在不同国家样本和经历背景之间有所不同：美国公民对接纳社区中的监狱经历更能接受，而英国公民则更容易受到体育经历的影响。这些发现凸显了变革性经历在与被污名化群体建立联结桥梁方面的效力，尽管在对曾经入狱者相关社会线索的认知上存在文化差异。
