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Being Subject to Stereotype-Driven Discrimination and Stereotype Threat

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Abstract

This chapter completes the conceptualization of the outsider problem by focusing on negative stereotypes. That is, the unfavorable beliefs, associations, or oversimplified generalizations that people make about the traits, or social roles, of other groups of people. Stereotypes are a form of error- and bias-prone mental short-cut, or heuristic, that people automatically or unconsciously use to cope with an uncertain and complex world. This means that even stakeholders (i.e., investors, suppliers or customers) without sinister motives can unconsciously make biased or discriminatory decisions that hurt minority entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, these entrepreneurs are also susceptible to stereotype threat: they are likely to underperform at certain tasks when they are stereotyped as incompetent at them. As a result, they inadvertently hold themselves back by confirming such stereotypes.

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Notes

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Morgan, H.M. (2020). Being Subject to Stereotype-Driven Discrimination and Stereotype Threat. In: Underdog Entrepreneurs. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20408-2_4

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