Stereotype Threat is a Threat
By Ariana Jacobs
Stereotype threat is an increasing problem in society today; stereotype threat is proving to threaten successful performances and cause increased anxiety in marginalized individuals. Stereotype threat is truly a threat. So, what is stereotype threat? What is a stereotype?
Stereotype threat may be a word that is very familiar to you, or a totally new word. Either way, stereotype threat is the phenomenon that individuals perform more poorly than their actual ability on a certain task when a negative stereotype is made aware to the individuals when completing that task (Maloney et al., 2013). Specifically, stereotype threat affects marginalized people, such as women and minorities (Casad & Bryant, 2016).
A stereotype, on the other hand, is a fixed or over-generalized belief about a particular group of individuals (Mcleod, 2023). For example, it is a stereotype that Asians are more intelligent than all other races regarding mathematic abilities. Further, another example, as you may unfortunately know, is that it is a stereotype that Black Americans are less intelligent than white individuals. According to Maloney et al. (2013), Black Americans will perform progressively worse when they believe a test is designed to measure intelligence than when they do not. This is because Black Americans know the stereotype regarding intelligence and their race. This stereotype causes increased anxiety which, in turn, hinders Black Americans’ abilities to succeed well on an intelligence test (Maloney et al., 2013). This is an example of an environmental aspect eliciting a certain social behavior; a negative stereotype plus anxiety equals a negative outcome (stereotype threat).
The phenomenon of stereotype threat is a threat to individuals in today's society. As a society, we are supposed to be moving into a more inclusive and just place, so why is there still a threat from stereotyping? In my opinion, stereotype threat continues to happen because, as a society, we have not gotten rid of the many negative stereotypes that stigmatize certain individuals.
Not only does stereotype threat cause racial minorities deficits regarding testing, but stereotype threat also has a spillover effect. The spillover effect that stereotype threat causes affects those who are often stereotyped (marginalized individuals) (Casad & Bryant, 2016). According to Casad and Bryant (2016), experiencing stereotype threat can lead to multiple problems in attentional, physiological, cognitive, affective, and motivational mechanism processes. The spillover effect can cause deathly outcomes such as high blood pressure and vasoconstriction (Casad & Bryant, 2016). Clearly stereotype threat is harmful, so how can we minimize stereotype threat?
The answer is research. We can try to minimize stereotype threat through research and interventions that may be helpful in defeating the threat of stereotype threat. For example, Maloney et al. (2013) found through empirical research that interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy can reduce anxiety about stereotypical pressures which, in turn, could alleviate some of the stress that comes to individuals when experiencing stereotype threat. Additionally, it was found that interventions that are designed to counter the negative effects of thoughts and ruminations in working memory capacity are effective in counteracting stereotype threat. For example, a study was done on the use of expressive writing. It was shown that if a person wrote down their feelings about a test before they took it, it decreased anxieties and intrusive thoughts, which would free up some working memory resources. The increased working memory resource with decreased anxiety helped to minimize stereotype threat. Further, it was found that another way to reduce the effects of anxiety on working memory is to teach individuals to recontextualize the situation; think of the situation in a different context. Lastly, in another study, it was found that simply teaching an individual about stereotype threat and the anxiety it might produce, allowed individuals to reappraise any arousal they may have felt when in a stereotype threat situation which, therefore, protected individuals from stereotype threat (Maloney et al., 2013).
Research, specifically empirical research, has proven that stereotype threat can be minimized through teachings and interventions. Because of this, society needs to be made aware of the negative impacts of stereotype threat so that it can be diminished. Teach anyone and everyone about stereotype threat. With empirical research and your voice, stereotype threat may not be a threat in the near future. Let's make stereotype threat NOT a threat!
References
Casad, B. J., & Bryant, W. J. (2016). Addressing stereotype threat is critical to diversity and inclusion in organizational psychology. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 8-8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00008
Maloney, E. A., Schaeffer, M. W., & Beilock, S. L. (2013). Mathematics anxiety and stereotype threat: Shared mechanisms, negative consequences and promising interventions. Research in Mathematics Education, 15(2), 115-128. https://doi.org/10.1080/14794802.2013.797744
Mcleod, S. (2023). Stereotypes in psychology: Definition & examples. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/katz-braly.html