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A social identity threat perspective on being the target of generosity from a higher status other
Affiliation
Univ ArizonaIssue Date
2019-05Keywords
Social identity threatProsocial behavior
Socioeconomic status
Self-conscious emotion
Attributions
Metadata
Show full item recordPublisher
ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCECitation
Sandstrom, G. M., Schmader, T., Croft, A., & Kwok, N. (2019). A social identity threat perspective on being the target of generosity from a higher status other. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 82, 98-114.Rights
© 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Collection Information
This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.Abstract
Both giving and receiving money have emotional benefits, but when gifts of value are made in the context of socioeconomic differences, there might also be emotional costs. Four studies (and an internal meta-analysis) tested the idea that receiving a generous gift from someone higher in perceived socioeconomic status (SES) signals social identity threat. In Study 1 (N = 218), participants on average, but especially those with relatively lower SES, reported experiencing more self-conscious negative affect when receiving a generous amount of money (vs. an even split) from a higher status giver in a dictator game. This effect was mediated by feeling pitied by the giver. Studies 2 (N = 331) and 3 (N = 426) revealed similar effects with recalled real-world experiences of receiving a generous gift from higher SES givers. Studies 3 and 4 (N = 142) revealed evidence for serial mediation, with lower relative SES predicting status awareness, status awareness predicting attributions of pity, and attributions of pity in turn predicting self-conscious negative affect. Effects were not significantly moderated by needing or requesting the money, suggesting that acts of generosity across the status divide readily signal social devaluation for those with lower perceived status. Findings have practical and conceptual implications for prosocial giving in a system of social and economic inequality.Note
24 month embargo; published online: 10 February 2019ISSN
00221031Version
Final accepted manuscriptSponsors
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [435-2013-1587]Additional Links
https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0022103118304268ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.jesp.2018.12.004