Numbing the perception of stigma: system justification decreases psychological distress by reducing perceived stigma among gay men and lesbians

• Autores: Joaquín Bahamondes, Fabiola Gómez, Jaime Barrientos, José Manuel Cárdenas Castro, Mónica Guzmán González
• Localización: International Journal of Social Psychology, Revista de Psicología Social, ISSN-e 1579-3680, ISSN 0213-4748, Vol. 35, Nº 2, 2020, págs. 282-309
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1080/02134748.2020.1721052
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Adormeciendo la percepción del estigma: la justificación del sistema disminuye el malestar psicológico mediante la reducción del estigma percibido entre gays y lesbianas
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• Dialnet Métricas: 3 Citas
• Resumen
  • español

    La teoría de la justificación del sistema propone que percibir la sociedad como justa y legítima provee de beneficios paliativos a las personas que adoptan dichas creencias. A pesar de evidencias mixtas entre grupos socialmente desfavorecidos, la evidencia reciente demuestra que los miembros de grupos desfavorecidos minimizan la percepción de discriminación para obtener beneficios paliativos. Comprobamos esta hipótesis en una muestra de gays y lesbianas en Chile (N = 467). En particular, analizamos los efectos de la justificación del sistema en el malestar psicológico y el papel mediador del estigma sexual percibido. Como esperábamos, la justificación del sistema mantenía una relación negativa con el malestar psicológico a través de la reducción de las percepciones de estigma sexual respecto al endogrupo. Nuestro estudio corrobora los resultados de estudios anteriores y revela un mecanismo paliativo de las creencias que justifican el sistema mediante el cual la minimización de las percepciones del endogrupo como objeto de estigma sexual ofrece beneficios paliativos orientados al bienestar de las minorías sexuales. Se discuten las implicaciones para el estatus y el bienestar de las minorías sexuales y su contribución inadvertida a la heteronormatividad.

  • English

    System justification theory posits that perceiving society as fair and legitimate provides palliative benefits to people who endorse such beliefs. Despite mixed evidence among socially disadvantaged groups, recent evidence shows that members of disadvantaged groups minimize perceptions of discrimination in order to reap palliative benefits. We tested this hypothesis in a sample of gay men and lesbians in Chile (N = 467). Specifically, we examined the effects of system justification on psychological distress, and the mediating role of perceived sexual stigma. As expected, system justification was negatively associated with psychological distress via minimizing perceptions of sexual stigma towards the in-group. Our study replicates previous results, and unveils a soporific mechanism of system-justifying beliefs: that of providing palliative benefits to sexual minorities’ well-being by minimizing perceptions of their in-group as target of sexual stigma. Considerations for the well-being and status of sexual minorities and their unwitting compliance with heteronormativity are further discussed

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