Aimed at integrating cutting-edge psychological science into the classroom, columns about teaching Current Directions in Psychological Science offer advice and how-to guidance about teaching a particular area of research or topic in psychological science that has been the focus of an article in the APS journal Current Directions in Psychological Science.
Hoyt, C. L., & Burnette, J. L. (in press). How mindsets can mitigate or sustain prejudice. Current Directions in Psychological Science.
Psychology teachers are in a unique position to introduce students to psychological concepts important to society. Take, for example, prejudice—negative attitudes toward social groups. Initially, students may view this concept as simple: We receive negative messages about a social group (maybe from our parents), and we incorporate them into our belief systems, thus increasing our prejudice toward that group. However, in their Current Directions article, Hoyt and Burnette demonstrate that it is not that simple. Instead, our mindset about the changeability or controllability of traits that other people possess can play a big role in whether we develop prejudice toward them or not.
Typically, researchers have discussed mindset in terms of being fixed or growth-oriented in nature and have considered a growth mindset to be more adaptive (Dweck, 2006). Seeing traits like intelligence as changeable and under one’s control (a growth mindset) predicts better academic outcomes and healthier responses to setbacks (Dweck & Yeager, 2020). But what about stigmatized traits related to a social group? If we hold a growth mindset about addiction or obesity, then we might view those traits as changeable or controllable. In this way, growth mindsets are less likely to lead us to believe that groups have a social essence that defines them, and we are more likely to consider situational factors influencing behavior. As a result, we are less likely to assign individual blame, thus reducing our prejudice toward members of those groups. For example, with a growth mindset, one might consider the impact of access to healthy food on obesity and not just focus on the will power of the individual. The authors refer to this as the stigma reduction model.
As with many aspects of psychology, however, the full story is a bit more complicated. Although a growth mindset might reduce prejudice by facilitating perceptions that traits aren’t set in stone, such a mindset may simultaneously encourage blame for a group member’s situation. For example, if we view alcoholism through a growth mindset, we might ask ourselves why a person with alcoholism has not overcome their addiction and blame them for their situation. Hoyt and Burnette call this paradoxical finding about growth mindset and prejudice the double-edged sword model and have demonstrated it with a number of stigmatized groups (e.g., Hoyt et al., 2023, 2024).
Hoyt and Burnette argue that these models have important implications for public health messages aimed at reducing stigma. In the classroom, thinking about the development of prejudice in a more nuanced way shows students just how complex our belief systems are and provides an opportunity to enhance their critical-thinking skills around an issue with important social consequences.
Use one of the following activities to bring this Current Directions article into the classroom.
Activity 1: Discussion prompts
Use the following questions to stimulate class discussion. You can either use these for full class discussion or have students discuss in small groups to engage them in the material before you cover it.
- What public health messages have you encountered regarding issues that carry social stigma such as obesity, criminality, or addiction? Hint: A good place to start would be searching terms such as “public health and weight control” on YouTube or listening to the podcast “Weight For It.” Feel free to search for some recent messages online.
- Are these messages framed in terms of individual control, or do they lean toward the issue being socially determined or inherited (i.e., uncontrollable)?
- Do these messages reflect a growth mindset or a fixed mindset?
- Do you think these messages could either reduce or increase prejudice toward the population they consider?
Activity 2: Explain concepts to your partner
Hoyt and Burnette’s article introduces several important concepts. Use this activity to help students understand the concepts and apply them. In pairs, have students explain the assigned concepts to each other using both a description of the concept and a unique example. Set a timer and allow each partner one minute to explain their concept, then move to the next set. Finally, see if there are any questions and clear up any confusion that might arise. Assigned concept pairs:
- partner on the left: growth mindset; partner on the right: fixed mindset;
- partner on the left: double-edged sword model; partner on the right: stigma reduction model
Activity 3: The double-edged sword model
Hoyt and Burnette’s article demonstrates the complexity of human beliefs by describing the double-edged sword model. Help students understand the model by having them apply it. Divide the class into small groups and assign each a social group with stigmatized traits (e.g., obesity, addiction, criminality).
Ask groups to analyze their scenario using the double-edged sword model, identifying
- how a growth mindset might increase blame and prejudice;
- how a growth mindset might decrease blame and prejudice
Related content we think you’ll enjoy
-
Substance-Use Stigma Impedes Treatment in Various Ways, Scientists Say
Addiction is one of society’s most misunderstood and rebuked health conditions. That stigma discourages many people from seeking treatment for substance dependence, according to a new report published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest.
-
Back Page: Structural Stigma and the Health of Marginalized Communities
Katie Wang discusses methods to address the damaging effects of social oppression and structural stigma on marginalized communities.
-
Teaching: Applying a Growth Mindset to Mental Disorders
Although genetic profiling can provide useful information that can enhance personalized treatment plans for individuals, Ahn and Perricone (2023) argue that learning more about one’s genetic risk for mental disorders can have unintended and potentially negative consequences.
Feedback on this article? Email apsobserver@psychologicalscience.org or login to comment.
Additional References
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
Dweck, C., & Yeager, D. (2020). A growth mindset about intelligence. In G. M. Walton & A. J. Crum (Eds.), Handbook of wise interventions: How social psychology can help people change (pp. 9–35). The Guilford Press.
Hoyt, C. L., Burnette, J. L., Billingsley, J., Becker, W., & Babij, A. D. (2023). Mindsets of poverty: Implications for redistributive policy support. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy (ASAP), 23(3), 668–693. https://doi.org/10.1111/asap.12367
Hoyt, C. L., Burnette, J. L., Marston, A., Moore, M., Rosen, S., & Lavine, I. (2024). The role of health campaigns in stigma toward those with anorexia nervosa. Stigma and Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/sah0000563