The Karen phenomenon: outgroup discrimination in the context of the resource dilemma

Yansen, Dejah (2023) The Karen phenomenon: outgroup discrimination in the context of the resource dilemma. Masters thesis, Northern Arizona University.

Text Yansen_2023_karen_phenomenon_outgroup_discrimination_context_resource_.pdf - Published Version Download (1MB)

Abstract

Cooperation research underlines two types of intergroup behavior: ingroup favoritism and outgroup derogation. Favoritism and derogation are expressed through aversive racism, or the activation of implicit biases in ambiguous contexts. One such ambiguous context, the COVID-19 pandemic, introduced "Karens," White women who seek to maintain the White-dominant hierarchies of the United States. The purpose of the present study was to provide a foundation for establishing the psychological mechanisms that underlie Karens' perceived entitlement to unequal allocations of public resources. We utilized a resource dilemma to explain how negative intergroup relations result from ambiguity and a limited understanding of social identity. We employed a 2 (race: Black/White) by 2 (gender: man/woman) by 2 (rate of harvesting: equal/unequal) between-subjects design to investigate the extent to which shared group membership and harvesting behavior influence resource consumption, sanctioning, and attributions. Participants (N = 314) withdrew more resources when grouped with Black women, and when shared resources diminished quickly. Participants may have recognized their implicit bias, which may have contributed to the fact that they then rewarded Black women more than White women and men. We concluded that gender, in comparison to race, is a more salient social identity during intergroup relations.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	aversive racism; crossed categorization; implicit bias; Karens; social identity; social identity complexity
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Social and Behavioral Science > Psychological Sciences
Date Deposited:	22 Oct 2025 22:03
Last Modified:	22 Oct 2025 22:03
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/6235

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