Managing emergent stigmatised social identities at work: a study of the antecedents, consequences, and evolution of individual coping and identity management strategies

This thesis asks what happens when individuals targeted with prejudiced behaviours push back on discrimination at work? It investigates when and how individuals resist, and what outcomes ensue for them personally and the organisation. Deploying a triangulation strategy, the multi-method approach of this thesis allowed for the investigation of the phenomenon from different and complementary perspectives. Study 1 is a qualitative, exploratory study that introduces the concept of emergent stigma, which I define as a stigmatised social identity that comes into being by acquisition and/or disclosure, and stress and coping as analytical lens for this thesis. Exploring the experience of individuals with an emergent stigma, this study gathers evidence of resistance to discrimination at work, and identifies key items in the process of stigma management in the workplace and clues to cause-and-effect relationships. Study 2 is a longitudinal, repeated cross-sectional survey that tests these relationships directly, particularly the explanatory role that coping and identity management strategies have in the process of stigma emergence. Additionally, it explores how these strategies change over time. Finally, study 3 is a laboratory experiment that examines in detail the causal links between different identity management strategies and individual and interpersonal outcomes, and the processes underlying these cause-and-effect relationships. In conclusion this thesis argues that being open about one’s stigma, intended as challenging stereotypes, assumptions, and discriminatory treatment, ultimately yields positive outcomes for individuals and organisations alike. However, openness is not just disclosure; it is an evolving, iterative learning process influenced by individual attributes and context characteristics, and constantly adapted on the basis of the feedback from the social environment.