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It's Not My Fault: When and Why Attributions to Prejudice Protect Self-Esteem

University of California, Santa Barbara

Cheryl R. Kaiser

University of California, Santa Barbara

Shannon K. McCoy

University of California, Santa Barbara

This study tested the hypothesis that awareness of the possibility of being a target of discrimination can provide individuals with a means of self-esteem protection when they are faced with negative outcomes. Men and women contemplated being rejected from a course due to sexism, personal deservingness, or an exclusively external cause. Regardless of gender, participants in the sexism condition blamed themselves less, attributed the rejection less to internal causes, and anticipated feeling less depressed than those in the personal deservingness condition. Furthermore, the more participants discounted the rejection—blamed it more on discrimination than themselves—the less depressed emotions they anticipated feeling. Discounting did not buffer participants from feeling hostility or anxiety. These findings advance our understanding of when and why attributions to prejudice protect emotional well-being.

Key Words: attribution • discrimination • prejudice • self-esteem • stigma

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