Stereotype Threat on Africa American Gay Males in Corporate America - Research Proposal Example

The effect of Stereotype Threat on African American Gay Males in Corporate America Project The effects of the Stereotype Threat on Africa American Gay Males in Corporate America. Introduction People are usually faced with life dilemmas that require proficient decision-making. One of the challenging situations in the human life is that of career choice. Career choice decisions may be influenced by personal desires, peers, parents and the corporate society. Career choice for gays is a complicated undertaking since they are not generally accepted by the society. Stereotype threat is one of the most challenging factors that has been facing the gay community in corporate America. Andersen & Taylor (2009) states that stereotype threat can be described as the situation of feeling at risk to exposes once character concerning a particular social group. Apparently, stereotype threat is really a difficult problem for the gay people to address since they comprise a despicable social group. As a result career choice for the gay people is significantly influenced by stereotype threat. Background of the study This study aims at evaluating the various effects of the stereotype threat on African American gay males in the corporate America. Millon & Lerner (2003) states that the topic about the guy community has elicited heightened debate across the world. In this regard, it is imperative to conduct an assessment of the economic, socio-cultural and political effects of stereotype threat on the African American gay males. It is worth noting that being gay influences an individual’s career choice and occupation in the corporate American society. The entire coverage of the study will be an examination of stereotype threat to understand its effects on the African American gay males in corporate America. Objective of the study General objective To investigate the effects of stereotype threat on Africa American gay males in corporate America. Specific objectives To understand the role of stereotype threat in the dilemma facing the African American gays in corporate America. To determine the impacts of stereotype threats on the career choice of the African-American gay community. To find out employees perception regarding working with the African American gay males in the corporate world. To find out whether stereotype threat controls decision making by the African American gay males in the corporate America. Problem Statement Racial and gender discrimination of the African American community has been in existence for many years. Apparently, racial and gender discrimination of the black population can be seen in the social, political and economic aspects of life. Essentially, discrimination results in low self-esteem and hatred between different races and gender. It is worth recognizing that discrimination is sometimes associated with stereotype threat. Research has shown that stereotype threat has unlimited consequences to the African American gay men in the workplace (Meyer & Northridge, 2007). In this regard, it is necessary to conduct a study to identify the impacts of stereotype threat among the minority social groups such as the American African gay men. Significance of the study The research is very crucial as it gives an insight of the impacts of stereotype threat to minority social groups in the society. In addition, the research gives a limelight of the various challenges that African American gay males experience in the various places of work in America. In essence, the research enlightens an individual’s mind on matters of minority social groups and career choice. Basically, career choice is influenced by a number of factors top among them being salaries, personal satisfaction, and social class. Generally, carrying out this study will give a deep understanding of the influence of stereotype threat in the workplace environment and performance. Research questions Does stereotype threat have any notable impact on the career decision making of gay black men? Does racially based stereotype threat have more influence on career decision-making of the African American gays than the gender preference based stereotype threat? What factors do gay black men consider when choosing their lifetime careers? Why is it important to understanding the effects of stereotype threat on the gay black men in the various places of work? Hypothesis Null hypothesis Stereotype threat has negative effects on the Africa American Gay Males in the workplace. Alternative hypothesis Stereotype threat has no negative effects on the African American gay males in the workplace. Literature review The issue of stereotype threat among the minority social groups such as gays and the lesbians has raised concern among various organizations in the US (Andersen & Taylor, 2008). Despite the fact that being gay is legal in the US, the society has not generally accepted this social group. In this regard, members of the gay social group do not feel free to interact with the society due rejection and the negative impression the community has towards them. In this regard, there are several effects of stereotype threats in the workplace as discussed below. Reduced performance Poor results are one of the common effects of stereotype threat in the workplace (Howard, 2014). Several studies have revealed that the African American gay men display poor performance in their places of work due to self and public victimization. In essence, stereotype threat results in psychological distress, anxiety, cognitive incapacitation and other challenges. In this regard, the victim experiences hard time in the workplace thereby producing poor results. An individual’s performance is usually determined by the surrounding environment and psychological factors. Apparently, when the working environment is unconducive, and the worker is experiencing some psychological problems, the end result can only be negative. Ironic effects Stereotype threat has been found to contribute to ironic effects in the workplace among the African American male gays. In essence, stereotype threat results in behavioral reactions that digress from the individual’s intentions. Racially based stereotype appears to bear significant influence in creating ironic effects than the gender-based stereotype. The white race discriminates other races especially the African Americans (Weiten, 2009). Research has shown that racial segregation is among the major causes of poor relations between the white Americans and the African Americans. In essence, the white population considers the African Americans as an inferior race that should not have equal freedom and rights with them. In this regard, it can be observed that racial discrimination causes the African American gay men act with distress in their places of work. Altered professional identities Belgrave & Allison (2009) argue that the psychological distress and unsecured working environment caused by stereotype threat leads to the digression of professional identities and halt the aspirations for career advancement. Recent studies show that the African American gay males display high levels of altered professional identities and aspirations for future success in the career path. It is quite apparent that the quilt caused by stereotype threat hinders the gay black males from recognizing their careers. As a result, the African American gay males disregard professional identities since they are dissatisfied with the treatment they receive in the workplace. Disengagement Disengagement occurs when stereotype threat pushes people to separate themselves from corporate responsibilities by arguing that corporate tasks are not self-worth. In this regard, it can be observed that stereotype threat hinders the full participation of the African American gay males in pursuing corporate responsibilities (Whitley & Kite, 2010). In the absence of stereotype threat, the contribution of the African American gay males can be of great significance in the workplace. Essentially, disengagement leads to loss of self-identity and moral ground. As a result, an individual develops a negative attitude towards other social groups. In this regard, the social relationship in the workplace diminishes and eventually creates enmity among the workers. Research has shown that the relationship between the African American gay males and other social groups is usually bad thereby resulting to unconducive work environment. The African American gays always feel inferior in front of other social groups in the workplace. This leads to self-stigmatization and self-denial thereby leading to segregation in the places of work. Self-handicapping The African American gay males tend to develop a defensive strategy in the workplace due to stereotype threat. In case of failure in performance, this social group tends to blame other barriers other than their inability to perform. On the other hand, success is attributed to personal capability with little attention to factors that contributed to the success. Previous research have shown that self-handicapping is a major contributor to the poor performance since people do not take adequate time for preparations. Methodology Both the primary and secondary sources of data will be used for this data. The secondary sources to be used include past studies, the internet, magazines, government reports and periodicals. The primary data will be collected by means of qualitative and quantitative research techniques. The qualitative technique will be adopted to collect data that is unquantifiable. Such data include the perception of the African American gay males on stereotype threat, personal feelings, challenges experienced in the workplace and any others. The qualitative technique will employ both descriptive and cross-sectional designs. The instrument to be used for collecting the qualitative data include interviews, questionnaires, and observations (Seidman, 2013). The questionnaires to be used will be both closed, and open-ended questions. Closed-ended questionnaires are for collecting specific information, and the open-ended question are for collecting general information. For an effective interview, the study will employ various sampling techniques to enhance efficiency and appropriate use of time (Stake, 2010).The research will involve stratifying the research population into various subgroups and picking at most to people from each subgroup. The information gathered from the interview will then be combined to prepare a final copy of all the interview results. The quantitative research design technique will involve collection of data that has visible characteristics. In essence, it will involve activities such as counting and measuring the number of African American males employed in various industries. Apparently, the quantitative analysis should never be ignored in any research since it is a resourceful research tool (Balnaves & Caputi, 2001). In this research, quantitative analysis will be based on verifiable data such as the number of African Americans in the executive posts in various employment bodies. Once the data collection process is over, the recorded information will be recorded in tables and charts. Presentation of collected data in tables and charts facilitates easy interpretation and understanding of the issue being researched. It is imperative to identify that ethics in research is a very crucial component. In this regard, the area various ethical considerations that should be made during the entire process. Some of the ethical consideration for the study include; obtaining participants’ consent, presenting true findings, operating within the legal frameworks and many others. The consent of the research participants such as the interviewers should be sought before commencing research. It would sound awkward to start interviewing without informing them in advance. Some people might be very busy and visiting them abruptly might adversely affect the smooth running of operations in their places of work. Obtaining the participants’ consent facilitates smooth interviewing and reception of accurate information. Data presentation is a crucial activity in any research (Black, 1999). In this regard, the data being presented should be the actual data collected during the research. Some people tend to alert the research findings at the presentation stage to please the users of the study findings or financiers. Such an act is informal and unethical since it leads to deceptive conclusions. Researchers should never ignore the legal provisions during studies. Some researchers are prohibited by law and might land the researcher to jail. In addition, some research practices might be against the law and, therefore, result in adverse legal repercussions. It is usually, advisable to seek legal guidance before commencing the research. There are various administrative bodies when one can get legal advice concerning research. Conclusion The emergence of various social groups in the world has led to diversified living style. The relationship and performance of employees in the various organizations are largely influenced by the social groups. Stereotype threat has been an influential factor in career choice and performance of the African American gay men in the workplace. The entire study revolves around the impacts of stereotype threat in the workplace. References: Top of Form Andersen, M. L., & Taylor, H. F. (2008). Sociology: Understanding a diverse society. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Andersen, M. L., & Taylor, H. F. (2009). Sociology: The essentials. Belmont, CA: Thomson Higher Education. Balnaves, M., & Caputi, P. (2001). Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods: An Investigative Approach. London: Sage Publications. Belgrave, F. Z., & Allison, K. W. (2009). African American psychology: From Africa to America. Los Angeles: Sage. Black, T. R. (1999). Doing quantitative research in the social sciences: An integrated approach to research design, measurement and statistics. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE.Bottom of Form Howard, T. C. (2014). Black male (d): Peril and promise in the education of African American males. New York: Teachers College Press. Meyer, I. H., & Northridge, M. E. (2007). The health of sexual minorities: Public health perspectives on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations. (Springer e-books.) New York: Springer. Millon, T., & Lerner, M. J. (2003). Handbook of psychology: 5. New York: Wiley. Seidman, I. (2013). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. New York: Teachers College Press. Stake, R. E. (2010). Qualitative research: Studying how things work. New York: Guilford Press. Weiten, W. (2009). Psychology applied to modern life: Adjustment in the 21st century. Australia: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Whitley, B. E., & Kite, M. E. (2010). The psychology of prejudice and discrimination. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Read More