Responding to Tokenism: Individual Action in the Face of Collective Injustice
Author(s)
Wright, Stephen C; Taylor, Donald M.
Abstract
Tokenism is defined as an intergroup context in which very few members of a disadvantaged group are accepted into positions usually reserved for members of the advantaged group, while access is systematically denied for the vast majority of disqualified disadvantaged group members. In a laboratory experiment, S. C. Wright et al (1990) found that when disadvantaged group members are denied upward mobility because of a policy of tokenism they did not respond with socially disruptive forms of collective action. Instead, they chose a more benign individual nonnormative response. The robustness of this unexpected response to tokenism was explored in 2 experiments. In Exp 1, the use of a relevant real-world in-group as the target of tokenism resulted in a pattern of responses consistent with Wright’s findings. In Exp 2, interaction with other disadvantaged group members prior to the imposition of the policy of tokenism also did not alter participants’ behavioral responses. These findings support the robustness of this pattern of response to tokenism, and strengthen concerns that tokenism may be an effective tool for reducing the likelihood of collective action directed against the discriminatory practices of the advantaged group.
