Be Too Kind to a Woman, She’ll Feel Incompetent: Benevolent Sexism Shifts Self-construal and Autobiographical Memories Toward Incompetence

Dumont, Muriel; Sarlet, Marie; Dardenne, Benoît

doi:10.1007/s11199-008-9582-4

Article (Scientific journals)

Be Too Kind to a Woman, She’ll Feel Incompetent: Benevolent Sexism Shifts Self-construal and Autobiographical Memories Toward Incompetence

Dumont, Muriel; Sarlet, Marie; Dardenne, Benoît

2010 • In Sex Roles, 62, p. 545-553

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

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https://hdl.handle.net/2268/6934

DOI
10.1007/s11199-008-9582-4

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Keywords :

Sexism; Self-construal; Incompetence; Autobiographical memory; Performance

Abstract :

[en] The present study investigated how benevolent (BS) and hostile sexism (HS) shift women’s self-construal and autobiographical memory. Belgian undergraduates (only women, N=45, mean age=21.8) were confronted either by BS, HS or neutral comments in the context of a job interview. After performing a cognitive task, participants reported the intrusive thoughts that came to their mind during the task. Later, autobiographical memory for self-incompetence was assessed. Performance response latencies were slower after BS than HS. Also, BS generated more disturbing mental intrusions related to the idea of being incompetent than HS. Autobiographical memory similarly indicated greater access for incompetence after BS. Although HS was more aggressive in tone, it did not shift women’s self-construal and autobiographical memories toward incompetence.

Disciplines :

Theoretical & cognitive psychology
Social, industrial & organizational psychology

Author, co-author :

Dumont, Muriel ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Interface Entreprises-Université

Sarlet, Marie ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cognitives > Psychologie sociale

Dardenne, Benoît ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cognitives > Psychologie sociale

Language :

English

Title :

Be Too Kind to a Woman, She’ll Feel Incompetent: Benevolent Sexism Shifts Self-construal and Autobiographical Memories Toward Incompetence

Publication date :

2010

Journal title :

Sex Roles

ISSN :

0360-0025

eISSN :

1573-2762

Publisher :

Springer Science & Business Media B.V.

Volume :

Pages :

545-553

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Funders :

This research was supported by an incentive grant I-06/07 to Benoit Dardenne and by a grant SFR 2007 to Marie Sarlet, both from the University of Liège.

Available on ORBi :

since 25 February 2009

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