The Price of (In)Authenticity for Black Americans: Cultural Self-Expression and Its Effects on Occupational Opportunities and Workplace Well-being Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

In this dissertation, I argue that cultural self-expression, or voluntary expression that suggests that membership in a minority group is central to a person’s identity, simultaneously poses benefits and costs to racial minorities. On the one hand, aligning external behaviors with one’s true inner self should offer psychological advantages. Even so, when racial minorities embrace their culture, White Americans may perceive them as uninterested in relating to the dominant group. If true, this may constrain racial minorities’ access to career opportunities in predominantly White settings. I test this theory using 3 forms of cultural self-expression for Black Americans: hobbies, values, and choice of physical appearance. In Study 1, a field study of Black professionals, I find partial but weak evidence that Black women experience lower authenticity at work when there is a mismatch (vs. match) between their actual and preferred choice of hairstyle (i.e., afro vs. straightened hairstyle). In Study 2A, White Americans expressed less interest in working with a Black target who had a proclivity for Black hairstyles (vs. trying new recipes), and this effect was mediated by their perception that the target was less interested in working with them. I replicate these results with similar manipulations using targets who expressed a strong affinity for Black 90s sitcoms (Study 2B) and for HBCU’s (Study 2C). These results suggest that racial minorities may face pressure to assimilate to improve their career outcomes, even at the expense of their felt authenticity.

Table of Contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1

Theory ............................................................................................................................................. 4

Self-expression and Felt Authenticity ......................................................................................... 4

Self-expression and Career Outcomes ........................................................................................ 9

Self-expression and Workplace Well-being .............................................................................. 15

Overview of Studies ...................................................................................................................... 16

Study 1 .......................................................................................................................................... 17

Measurement of Self-expression ............................................................................................... 18

Including Preference in Measurement of Self-expression ........................................................ 21

Method ...................................................................................................................................... 24

Participants ........................................................................................................................... 24

Procedure .............................................................................................................................. 26

Measures ................................................................................................................................ 27

Exploratory Measures ........................................................................................................... 31

Controls ..................................................................................................................................... 33

Results ....................................................................................................................................... 34

Hypotheses Test ..................................................................................................................... 34

Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 47

Study 2A ....................................................................................................................................... 52

Method ...................................................................................................................................... 53

Participants ........................................................................................................................... 53

Procedure .............................................................................................................................. 54

Materials & Measures ........................................................................................................... 57

Results ....................................................................................................................................... 58

Hypotheses Tests.................................................................................................................... 58

Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 60

Study 2B........................................................................................................................................ 61

Method ...................................................................................................................................... 62

Participants ........................................................................................................................... 62

Procedure .............................................................................................................................. 63

Materials & Measures ........................................................................................................... 63

Results ....................................................................................................................................... 63

Hypotheses Tests.................................................................................................................... 64

Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 65

Study 2C........................................................................................................................................ 66

Method ...................................................................................................................................... 66

Participants ........................................................................................................................... 66

Procedure .............................................................................................................................. 67

Materials & Measures ........................................................................................................... 67

Results ....................................................................................................................................... 68

Hypotheses Tests.................................................................................................................... 68

Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 69

General Discussion ....................................................................................................................... 70

Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 73

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 74

References ..................................................................................................................................... 75

About this Dissertation

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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Business
Subfield / Discipline	Organization & Management
Degree	Ph.D.
Submission	Dissertation
Language	English
Research Field	Psychology, Industrial Business Administration, Management Psychology, Social
Keyword	Racial and ethnic relations Stigma Authenticity
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Erika Hall, Emory University Melissa Williams, Emory University Walter Rucker, Emory University

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