Stigma management through a threat-specific lens: when do targets anticipate and seek to manage the prejudice they face?

When do people seek to manage being stigmatized by others? Rather than anticipating general negativity, members of stigmatized groups anticipate that others view their group as posing a specific threat (e.g., of violence or disease). For example, when motivated to make a positive impression and when thinking about the stereotypes of their group, Black men prioritize smiling (a threat-reducing strategy) so that others may see them as less physically violent. I predicted that stigmatized targets use such self-presentational strategies selectively: first, with people vulnerable to the specific threat the target is stereotyped to pose, and second, in environments that make the target’s threat salient. In Study 1, Black and White men read about a hypothetical interaction with a stranger and then ranked self-presentational strategies based on how important they thought the strategies were for making a good impression. Results indicated that neither environmental threat nor partner vulnerability influenced the rank of smiling. However, in Study 2, Black men made aware of stereotypes people hold of African Americans in general trended toward prioritizing smiling more in a threatening (compared to a nonthreatening) environment or with a vulnerable (compared to a non-vulnerable) partner. Although further work is needed to replicate this effect, this finding suggests that targets may strategically use threat-reducing behaviors with specific people and in certain environments.