Abstract
How do persons with a stigmatized identity learn potential responses to discrimination and harassment? Drawing on three and a half years of ethnographic data, this paper demonstrates how members of a group of Muslim American youth are socialized in locally dominant stigma management strategies through stigma management rehearsals. Stigma management rehearsals are small group interactions through which leaders and members encourage their peers to adopt normative stigma responses. I identify two rehearsal types that vary in their socializing function as well as in their temporal orientation toward stigmatizing incidents. In direct preparation rehearsals, individuals anticipating a stigmatizing encounter are quickly taught the normative response. In deep education rehearsals, stigmatizing incidents set in the past or hypothetical future are used to teach justifications underlying local responses and to allow for the private expression of publicly inappropriate responses. These findings suggest that intragroup dynamics and backstage processes are important considerations when investigating issues of stigma and stigma management.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 291-309 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Social Psychology Quarterly |
| Volume | 74 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 1 2011 |
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Keywords
- discrimination
- Muslims
- stigma
- stigma management
- temporality
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
Cite this
Spoiled group identities and backstage work : A theory of stigma management rehearsals. / O'Brien, John.
In: Social Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 74, No. 3, 01.09.2011, p. 291-309.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Spoiled group identities and backstage work
T2 - A theory of stigma management rehearsals
AU - O'Brien, John
PY - 2011/9/1
Y1 - 2011/9/1
N2 - How do persons with a stigmatized identity learn potential responses to discrimination and harassment? Drawing on three and a half years of ethnographic data, this paper demonstrates how members of a group of Muslim American youth are socialized in locally dominant stigma management strategies through stigma management rehearsals. Stigma management rehearsals are small group interactions through which leaders and members encourage their peers to adopt normative stigma responses. I identify two rehearsal types that vary in their socializing function as well as in their temporal orientation toward stigmatizing incidents. In direct preparation rehearsals, individuals anticipating a stigmatizing encounter are quickly taught the normative response. In deep education rehearsals, stigmatizing incidents set in the past or hypothetical future are used to teach justifications underlying local responses and to allow for the private expression of publicly inappropriate responses. These findings suggest that intragroup dynamics and backstage processes are important considerations when investigating issues of stigma and stigma management.
AB - How do persons with a stigmatized identity learn potential responses to discrimination and harassment? Drawing on three and a half years of ethnographic data, this paper demonstrates how members of a group of Muslim American youth are socialized in locally dominant stigma management strategies through stigma management rehearsals. Stigma management rehearsals are small group interactions through which leaders and members encourage their peers to adopt normative stigma responses. I identify two rehearsal types that vary in their socializing function as well as in their temporal orientation toward stigmatizing incidents. In direct preparation rehearsals, individuals anticipating a stigmatizing encounter are quickly taught the normative response. In deep education rehearsals, stigmatizing incidents set in the past or hypothetical future are used to teach justifications underlying local responses and to allow for the private expression of publicly inappropriate responses. These findings suggest that intragroup dynamics and backstage processes are important considerations when investigating issues of stigma and stigma management.
KW - discrimination
KW - Muslims
KW - stigma
KW - stigma management
KW - temporality
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U2 - 10.1177/0190272511415389
DO - 10.1177/0190272511415389
M3 - Article
VL - 74
SP - 291
EP - 309
JO - Social Psychology Quarterly
JF - Social Psychology Quarterly
SN - 0190-2725
IS - 3
ER -