Journal Article

Identity as a resource or a demand

Jamieson, Jeremy P., Handley, Elizabeth D., Singh, Karishma K., Elliot, Andrew J.

2025

Overview

Individuals embody various social identities that can impact how they interface with the social environment. Stigma theories suggest that members of low-status or marginalized groups possess devalued social identities, and therefore, experience more stress. While social identities can lead to increased stress, individuals’ appraisals of their identities are not necessarily perceived as harmful/demanding. Rather, social identities can also be appraised as resources or sources of strength bringing opportunities and facilitating goal attainment. Using the biopsychosocial (BPS) model of challenge and threat as a conceptual foundation, this research developed a novel measure to assess individuals’ appraisals of their social identities. In Study 1 (N = 575), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) evaluated the theorized factor structure (i.e., resource and demand appraisals) and assessed the overall fit of the model. Structural equation modeling (SEM) tested for associations between the resource and demand latent factors. Individuals appraising their ethnic-racial identity as a resource exhibited improved self and intergroup outcomes, while those perceiving it as a demand reported worse self-based and intergroup outcomes, as well as more distress. Study 2 (N = 743 Black and White Americans), which was preregistered, examined group differences in appraisals of ethnic-racial identity. SEM revealed that Black participants were more likely than White participants to appraise their ethnic-racial identity as demanding, leading to worse social and intergroup outcomes. Even when Black participants perceived their ethnic-racial identity as a resource, they still reported higher levels of discrimination, intergroup anxiety, and behavioral avoidance compared to their White counterparts. Implications for theory development and application to the stress literature are discussed.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Adolescent / Adult / Analysis / Anxiety / Appraisal / Appraisals / Attainment / Avoidance behavior / Biology and Life Sciences / Biopsychosocial aspects / Black or African American - psychology / Black people / Black white differences / Care and treatment / Confirmatory factor analysis / Coping (Psychology) / Demand / Diagnosis / Discrimination / Ethnic differences / Ethnic factors / Ethnic identity / Ethnicity / Evaluation / Factor analysis / Factor Analysis, Statistical / Female / Health aspects / Hormones / Humans / Intergroup anxiety / Interpersonal conflict / Literature / Male / Marginality / Marginalized groups / Medicine and Health Sciences / Mental health / Middle Aged / Minority groups / Perceptions / Physiology / Psychological aspects / Psychological distress / Racial differences / Racial identity / Self concept / Self esteem / Social environment / Social groups / Social Identification / Social identity / Social interactions / Social Sciences / Social Stigma / Social support / Stigma / Stress / Stress (Psychology) / Stress, Psychological - psychology / Structural equation modeling / Theory formation / Well being / White / White People - psychology / Young Adult