| This work examined if stigmatized targets will embrace negative in-group stereotypes in order to protect their self-esteem from the threat of stereotypic failures. All studies focused on the stereotype that women have lower math ability than men. In Study 1, women who failed a math test showed buffered self-esteem if they were first given the opportunity to endorse this stereotype. Study 2 replicated this effect and showed that women, but not men, increased their endorsement of this stereotype following math failure. Study 3 showed that the tendency to embrace this stereotype in response to failure was most pronounced among women with high trait self-esteem. Study 4 extended these findings by demonstrating the negative consequences of this strategy: decreased motivation to improve one's abilities and domain disengagement. Specifically, women given the opportunity to use this strategy spent less time on a math tutorial in preparation for an upcoming math test and reported less engagement in the math domain. Together, these findings suggest that stigmatized individuals embrace negative stereotypes in order to protect their self-esteem in the face of stereotypic failures, and that doing so results in both benefits and costs to the individual. |
