Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026
08:24
The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
Published on: August 25, 2023
Emulation versus envy: Jewish managerial stereotypes in China.
1School of Management and Governance, University of New South Wales.
The American Psychologist
|June 4, 2026
Summary
In China, Jewish financial success is viewed positively, not as a trigger for antisemitism. Chinese participants saw Jewish managers as models for both profit and ethical behavior, indicating emulation rather than envy.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Cultural Psychology
- Economic Sociology
Background:
- Antisemitism is often linked to perceptions of Jewish financial success.
- Cultural context significantly influences intergroup perceptions and stereotypes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the perception of Jewish financial success elicits antisemitism in China.
- To explore how Chinese cultural context shapes attitudes towards Jewish economic behavior.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative analysis of Chinese popular discourse on Jewish businesses.
- Quantitative survey of Chinese white-collar workers' perceptions of managerial behavior.
- Investment-scenario experiment examining participants' evaluations of businesses with Jewish-attributed managerial traits.
Main Results:
- Chinese popular discourse and survey data indicated Jewish managers were viewed as models for both instrumental success and ethical conduct.
- Participants rated behaviors perceived as Jewish as more profitable and ethical compared to those perceived as Chinese.
- Experimental results showed that perceived "Jewishness" in managerial behavior positively mediated perceptions of profitability and ethics.
Conclusions:
- The perception of Jewish financial success in China does not trigger antisemitism; instead, it is associated with emulation.
- Cultural context plays a crucial role in shaping whether Jewish economic success is perceived as a source of envy or admiration.
- Findings challenge universal assumptions about the link between Jewish economic success and negative stereotypes.
Related Concept Videos
02:09Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
When we hold a stereotype about a person, we have expectations that he or she will fulfill that stereotype. A self-fulfilling prophecy is an expectation held by a person that alters his or her behavior in a way that tends to make it true. When we hold stereotypes about a person, we tend to treat the person according to our expectations. This treatment can influence the person to act according to our stereotypic expectations, thus confirming our stereotypic beliefs. Research by Rosenthal and...
02:16Stereotype Content Model
The Stereotype Content Model (SCM) was first proposed by Susan Fiske and her colleagues (Fiske, Cuddy, Glick & Xu, 2002; see also Fiske, 2012 and Fiske, 2017). The SCM specifies that when someone encounters a new group, they will stereotype them based on two metrics: warmth—or that group’s perceived intent, and how likely they are to provide help or inflict harm—and competence—or their ability to carry out that objective. Depending on the warmth-competence categorization, a person will feel...
01:27Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Adolescents from ethnic minority backgrounds face a multifaceted journey in forming their identities, shaped by the intersections of cultural expectations and personal exploration. For these adolescents, identity formation involves not only typical developmental challenges but also navigating the perceptions and attitudes of the majority culture. As they grow, adolescents in ethnic minority groups often become increasingly aware of stereotypes, social biases, and discrimination, all of which...
02:55Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Humans are very diverse and although we share many similarities, we also have many differences. The social groups we belong to help form our identities (Tajfel, 1974). These differences may be difficult for some people to reconcile, which may lead to prejudice toward people who are different. Prejudice is a negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based solely on one’s membership in a particular social group (Allport, 1954; Brown, 2010). Prejudice is common against people who are...
01:31Confirmation Biases
The confirmation bias is the tendency to focus on information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore information that is inconsistent with our expectations. For example, if you think that your professor is not very nice, you notice all of the instances of rude behavior exhibited by the professor while ignoring the countless pleasant interactions he is involved in on a daily basis. Have you ever fallen prey to the confirmation bias, either as the source or target of such bias?
02:13The Representativeness Heuristic
The representative heuristic describes a biased way of thinking, in which you unintentionally stereotype someone or something. For example, you may assume that your professors spend their free time reading books and engaging in intellectual conversation, because the idea of them spending their time playing volleyball or visiting an amusement park does not fit in with your stereotypes of professors.