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Authentic allyship: Feeling authentic increases allyship behavior via greater psychological standing.
Olivia Anne Foster-Gimbel1, Julianna Pillemer2, L Taylor Phillips2
1Department of Management and Global Business, Rutgers Business School, Rutgers University.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
|October 23, 2025
Summary
Authenticity concerns can deter individuals from allyship. Affirming an ally's authenticity increases their engagement by boosting their sense of legitimacy and self-relevance.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Social Justice
- Intergroup Relations
Background:
- Allyship is crucial for social equity, but concerns about performative or inauthentic allyship are prevalent.
- Authenticity, the alignment of internal beliefs and external actions, is vital for effective allyship.
- Potential allies may hesitate to act due to concerns about their authenticity and "true" self.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how potential allies perceive their authenticity and its impact on allyship engagement.
- To test if affirming allies' felt authenticity increases their engagement through enhanced psychological standing.
- To explore the mechanisms linking authenticity, psychological standing, and allyship behavior.
Main Methods:
- Eight studies were conducted with a total of 5,515 participants.
- Methods included a pilot field study and six experiments examining authenticity, psychological standing, and allyship.
- Interventions focused on affirming allies' authenticity to measure changes in engagement.
Main Results:
- Felt authenticity as an ally correlated with greater allyship engagement, particularly after significant social events.
- Experimental increases in felt authenticity led to higher allyship intentions and behaviors.
- Authenticity enhanced allyship engagement by increasing psychological standing, self-relevance, and perceived alignment with moral values.
Conclusions:
- Felt authenticity is a significant predictor of allyship engagement.
- Affirming ally authenticity can be a viable strategy to increase participation in social equity efforts.
- Interventions to affirm authenticity can foster greater psychological standing and encourage meaningful allyship.
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