Advancing System Justification Theory

Hoffarth Mark R, St. Catharines, Ontario

Investigators

Abstract

This award was provided as part of NSF's Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships program. The goal of the SPRF program is to prepare promising, early career doctoral-level scientists for scientific careers in academia, industry or private sector, and government. SPRF awards involve two years of training under the sponsorship of established scientists and encourage Postdoctoral Fellows to perform independent research. NSF seeks to promote the participation of scientists from all segments of the scientific community, including those from underrepresented groups, in its research programs and activities; the postdoctoral period is considered to be an important level of professional development in attaining this goal. Each Postdoctoral Fellow must address important scientific questions that advance their respective disciplinary fields. Many social groups are disadvantaged in society, which can have a negative impact on their lives. System Justification Theory (SJT) has been widely used to examine many forms of inequality. Sexual minorities are disadvantaged in many ways, yet there has been little research on this topic from an SJT perspective. This project examines how several attitudes and beliefs impact sexual minorities' life experiences such as "coming out", coping with discrimination, and participating in political activism. This research is scientifically important because it builds on and expands psychological and political theory by applying what we have learned in other domains to increase our understanding of the experiences of sexual minorities. This research may benefit sexual minorities, and society more broadly, in many ways. Sexual minorities currently experience high rates of mental health problems (e.g., loneliness, depression, anxiety). This research may aid in promoting mental health, well-being, and physical health among sexual minorities. In addition, this research may help improve the functioning of organizations by, for example, increasing diversity, acceptance, and group functioning in the workplace. System Justification Theory (SJT) is a political psychological theory aimed at understanding how people respond to a wide range of social inequalities and discrimination (e.g., inequality based on race, gender, social class). This theory has been used to examine how members of both advantaged and disadvantaged groups respond to inequality and discrimination. To date, relatively little research has used SJT to understand the experiences of sexual minorities. The purpose of this research is to expand the purview of system justification theory by developing and testing a theoretical account for how sexual minorities respond to heterosexism based on psychological and situational factors. First, this project involves collecting data from a diverse range of sexual minorities to understand variability in the experiences of sexual minorities based on their life experiences, beliefs, and values. Factors such as the internalization of negative stereotypes and beliefs about gays and lesbians are hypothesized to play an important role. This project also involves experimentally examining how sexual minorities respond to a range of experiences that may occur in their everyday life to understand how sexual minorities cope with and react to heterosexism and discrimination. For instance, sexual minorities may respond to negative experiences and threats to their well-being by being less open about their sexuality or engaging in political activism. This research will help determine the extent to which previous findings within a System Justification framework may apply to sexual minorities, and inform attempts to improve the functioning of our increasingly diverse society. After publication, research materials and de-identified data will be made available to other researchers on the Open Science Framework to facilitate further research on sexual minorities' experiences.