Social Identity and Personal Identity Stereotype Threat: The Case of Affirmative Action
Abstract
Integrating insights from research examining the effect of being seen through the lens of stereotypes on academic performance and the social identity perspective, we examine the effect of perceived affirmative action admission at college entry on academic performance at the end of the first year. We propose that stereotype threat plays a crucial moderating role in determining when performance is affected. A longitudinal study of Black and Latino students at a large multiethnic university showed that perceptions of affirmative action admission negatively affected achievement among high stereotype-threatened individuals but not among low stereotype-threatened individuals. Furthermore, the results show that stereotype threat can have its effects because of concerns for the self (personal identity stereotype threat) or because of concerns for the group (social identity stereotype threat). As expected, social identity stereotype threat negatively affected the performance of individuals high in ethnic identification, whereas personal identity stereotype threat negatively affected the performance of individuals low in ethnic identification.
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Affirmative action policies have been shown to reduce the academic performance of groups suffering from social identity threat.
“such affirmative action policies have been shown to reduce the academic performance of groups that are suffering from social identity threat (Van Laar, Levin, & Sinclair, 2008).”
From Tackling Educational Inequalities with Social Psychology: Identities, Contexts, and Interventions (2021) · cites this paper as Van Laar, Levin, & Sinclair, 2008
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“These three forms of threat might also be thought of as “social identity stereotype threats” or “group threats,” in that the concerns center on how the group may be harmed by the stereotypes (see van Laar et al., 2008; Wout et al., 2008).”
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- Authors
- Laar, C. V., Levin, S., & Sinclair, S.
- Affiliations
- Leiden University (NL)
- Claremont McKenna College (US)
- University of Virginia (US)
- Corresponding author
- Laar, Colette van
- Venue
- Basic and Applied Social Psychology
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2008-12-02
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 295-310
- ISSN
- 0197-3533 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-4834
- OpenAlex
- W2059638394
- Cited by
- 49
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 6 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 6.94
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Basic and Applied Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Lirias (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Russell Sage Foundation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
- Social Sciences › Education › Higher Education Research Studies
- Keywords
- stereotype threat, social identity, personal identity, affirmative action, university admission, academic performance, ethnic identification, Black students, Hispanic students, moderating effect
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