On The Protective Role Of Identification With A Stigmatized Identity: Promoting Engagement And Discouraging Disengagement Coping Strategies

We examined the mechanisms by which ingroup identification impacts well-being in stigmatized groups. Studies 1-3a were conducted among gay people in Europe and North America. Among gay people, the results suggest identification with homosexuals protected well-being via a decrease in self-group distancing (Studies 1-3a, N = 1,055). Other coping strategies were associated with identification but had no relationship with well-being. Identification was positively related to engagement coping strategies (i.e., collective action, group affirmation and ingroup support), and negatively related to disengagement strategies (i.e., ingroup blaming and avoidance of discrimination). Study 3b examined these mechanisms among Black Americans (N = 203). Again, identification was positively related to engagement coping, and negatively to disengagement; however, only collective action (positively) predicted well-being. Results are discussed in terms of how the effectiveness of different strategies for coping with stigma will differ depending on features of the intergroup context, such as the level of permeability of intergroup boundaries.