Meta-stereotypes, social image and help seeking: dependency-related meta-stereotypes reduce help-seeking behaviour

Wakefield, JRH ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9155-9683, Hopkins, N and Greenwood, RM, 2013. Meta-stereotypes, social image and help seeking: dependency-related meta-stereotypes reduce help-seeking behaviour. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 23 (5), pp. 363-372. ISSN 1099-1298

Preview

Text 220484_2566.pdf Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

People who need help can be reluctant to seek it. This can be due to social image concerns. Here, we investigate if these concerns may be prompted by a salient negative meta-stereotype: the belief that one’s group is judged negatively by another group. Specifically, we researched group members’ help-seeking behaviour in the context of a dependency-related meta-stereotype. In a two-condition study (N = 45), we manipulated participants’ belief that their national group was judged dependent by a significant out-group. We then examined their subsequent help-seeking behaviour on a real-world task. Participants whose social identity as a group member was salient showed greater reluctance to seek help when the meta-stereotype was made prominent compared with when it was not. This suggests that, in a context where social image and social identity concerns are relevant, group members are willing to sacrifice the possibility of accessing needed help in order to avoid confirming a negative stereotype of their group. The implications of these results for helping transactions and community development are discussed.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology
Creators:	Wakefield, J.R.H., Hopkins, N. and Greenwood, R.M.
Publisher:	John Wiley
Place of Publication:	Chichester
Date:	2013
Volume:	23
Number:	5
ISSN:	1099-1298
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1002/casp.2126 DOI
Rights:	Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	EPrints Services
Date Added:	09 Oct 2015 10:18
Last Modified:	09 Jun 2017 13:25
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/10779

Actions (login required)

Edit View

Statistics

Views

Downloads