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Constructive or cruel? Positive or patronizing? Reactions to expressions of positive and negative stereotypes of the mentally ill
Author(s) -
Douglas Karen M.,
Sutton Robbie M.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
british journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.536
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8295
pISSN - 0007-1269
DOI - 10.1348/000712610x503339
Subject(s) - psychology , mentally ill , constructive , social psychology , mental illness , clinical psychology , mental health , psychiatry , process (computing) , computer science , operating system
Previous research has shown that people respond with greater sensitivity to negative stereotypical comments about a group that are made from someone outside the group in question than from someone who belongs to the group. In this paper, we investigated if the same effect occurs in response to comments made about stigmatized groups. Specifically, we examined how people react to comments made about the mentally ill. The conditions under which people accept or reject stereotypes of the mentally ill may shed light on the conditions necessary for effective anti‐discrimination campaigns. In the current study, participants responded to positive or negative stereotypes of the mentally ill voiced by either someone who has, or has not, suffered from a mental illness. Participants were more sensitive, agreed less, and evaluated the speaker less favourably when comments came from the out‐group rather than the in‐group source. The effects were strongest for negative comments, however contrary to previous research participants also responded less favourably to positive comments from the out‐group source. These reactions were mediated by the perceived constructiveness of the speaker's motives. Implications for the effectiveness of anti‐discrimination campaigns are discussed.