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Social-Environmental Constraints on the Development of a Concealable Stigmatized Identity Predict Psychological
Andrew C Cortopassi1, Gandalf Nicolas1
1Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|March 12, 2025
Summary
For individuals with concealable stigmatized identities, a lack of visible similar others increases psychological distress. This is especially true when people struggle with positive meaning-making and identity exploration.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Psychology of Stigma
- Identity Development
Background:
- Stigmatization based on concealable characteristics, such as adverse childhood experiences, can negatively impact self-concept and lead to psychological distress.
- Developing a stigmatized identity can be a protective factor, but the concealable nature of these features can hinder this process.
- Individuals may seek guidance from others with similar stigmatized identities, but if these individuals remain concealed ('not out'), they are less visible as role models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between the visibility of similarly stigmatized others and psychological distress.
- To examine how positive meaning-making and identity exploration moderate this relationship.
- To understand the role of the social environment in identity development among stigmatized populations.
Main Methods:
- Two studies were conducted with a total of 845 participants.
- Participants reported on their experiences with stigmatization, the "outness" of similarly stigmatized others in their social environment, and their progress in meaning-making and exploration.
- Statistical analyses examined the predictive power of "outness" on distress, considering moderating factors.
Main Results:
- Lower visibility (less "outness") of similarly stigmatized others predicted increased psychological distress.
- This effect was significant only for individuals reporting low progress in positive meaning-making and exploration.
- The findings remained significant even after controlling for stigmatizing views held by non-stigmatized individuals.
Conclusions:
- The visibility and accessibility of similarly stigmatized individuals in one's social environment are crucial.
- Low group visibility can uniquely contribute to distress, particularly for those in the early stages of developing a positive and clear stigmatized identity.
- Interventions aimed at fostering identity development should consider enhancing the visibility of supportive peer groups.
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