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Abstract
An investigation of the expectations that develop over time as a consequence of living with certain identities and how violations of those expectations can have downstream consequences for outgroup members. In Study 1, a qualitative design is used to establish the existence of these identity-based expectations (IBE’s) related to gender identities. The general response patterns indicated support for the hypothesis that the responses would differ when compared between genders. Predicted themes including women being more likely to reference gender, be conscientious, anticipate a threat, and plan a defense to avoid physical or psychological harm were present in the data, and fell 4 sub-types: Gender-based Implications of a Situation, Avoiding a Negative Interaction, Navigating a Negative Interaction, and Expecting the Best. In Study 2, I tested whether experiencing a violation, versus a confirmation, of an IBE related to a high-status identity would lead to outgroup derogation. Results for Study 2 did not show a direct effect of condition on outgroup derogation, however a moderation effect between condition and social dominance orientation on Modern Racism Scale scores was present. Participants who experienced a violation of an IBE showed higher scores on the Modern Racism Scale than participants with low social dominance orientation whose IBE was confirmed. The hypothesis that affect would change for participants in the IBE violation condition were only partially supported. Finally, possible weaknesses in the study design and implementation along with implications of the results are addressed.