This abstract is summarized by IPR from the original article published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.
Dr. Christian N. Thoroughgood and colleagues examined how employees with stigmatized identities are able to “weather the storm” of prejudicial experiences at work. Participants’ trait mindfulness and paranoid cognition were analyzed for their influence on response to workplace discrimination.
Researchers surveyed 105 transgender individuals over the course of two weeks.
Key findings include:
– 47% of participants experienced at least some discriminatory behavior on a daily basis at work.
– Perceived discrimination during the workday was positively correlated with emotional exhaustion and paranoid cognition the next morning at work.
– Participants who scored high on mindfulness experienced less paranoid cognition and emotional exhaustion.
– Trait mindfulness may serve to interrupt the link between employees’ perceptions of discrimination and their reactivity to such experiences the next day at work.
Read the full article to learn about the psychological impact of workplace discrimination and how employees cognitively deal with discriminatory behavior.
Citation:
Thoroughgood, C. N., Sawyer, K. B., & Webster, J. R. (2020). Finding calm in the storm: A daily investigation of how trait mindfulness buffers against paranoid cognition and emotional exhaustion following perceived discrimination at work. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 159, 49-63. doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2019.02.004
