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

Wakefield, J.R.H. ORCID: 0000-0001-9155-9683, Hopkins, N. and Greenwood, R.M., 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

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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:
NumberType
10.1002/casp.2126DOI
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

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