October 2009

October 29, 11:30am – 1:00pm
School of Business, 117

 Multiple Identities: Putting your Best Self Forward

Margaret Shih
Anderson School of Management
University of California – Los Angeles

Abstract

People carry multiple social identities simultaneously.  For instance, an Asian American Woman can be simultaneously identified by her ethnicity (i.e. Asian), nationality (i.e. American) or gender (i.e. female).  Each of these identities are associated with a different set of expectations or stereotypes.  Priming different identities can make different stereotypes salient. The talk will present a series of studies examining the effects of identity primes on different outcomes.

About the Speaker

Margaret Shih is an Associate Professor in Human Resources and Organizational Behavior at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Her research focuses on the effects of diversity in organizations. In particular, she focuses on social identity and the psychological effects of stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination and stigma in organizations. Prior to joining the faculty at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, Professor Shih served on the faculty at the University of Michigan for 8 years, and also worked at the RAND Corporation. She serves on the executive committee for the International Society for Self and Identity and is a consulting editor for the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. She was also an editor for the special issue of the Journal of Social Issues. She has received fellowships and grants from the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Mental Health, Social Sciences and Humanities of Research Council of Canada, John Templeton Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  She received her PhD in Social Psychology from Harvard University.