Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine cognitive barriers to the incorporation of information about societal discrimination against groups of which the individual is a member. Information about discrimination, personal efficacy, and the control of reality was presented to comparable groups of students enrolled in courses on women. Items were phrased either in terms of the self (first-person singular) or generically (in the third person). The results showed that individuals are more aware of discrimination against others than against themselves, and are more likely to attribute personal efficacy and control to themselves than to others. It is suggested that the differential use of identical information when applied to the self vs others is a cognitive mechanism that leads people to ignore evidence about sociostructural biases that affect themselves.
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Unger, R.K., Sussman, L.E. “I and thou”: Another barrier to societal change?. Sex Roles 14, 629–636 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287693
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287693