Warren, M. A., Sekhon, T., & Waldrop, R. J.* (2022). Highlighting strengths in response to discrimination: Developing and testing an allyship positive psychology intervention. International Journal of Wellbeing, 12(1), 21-41. https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v12i1.1751

Recently, there has been greater interest in how positive psychology can contribute to social justice. Allyship can offer an important avenue. Research on allyship as a response to discrimination, often focuses on the effect on the perpetrator or the target. However, observers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of an allyship intervention is exponentially important because it has the capacity to inspire observers to engage in allyship in the future and consequently shift culture. As such, the tone of an allyship intervention can be particularly influential for observers. We develop and test a novel allyship positive psychology intervention in an organizational setting – highlighting female employees’ identity-relevant strengths after a discrimination episode, and examine observers’ reactions. Results show that any intervention by an ally is perceived by observers to boost women’s feelings of inclusion and vitality. However, highlighting women’s identity-based strengths is perceived as more effective than communicating a firm’s diversity policy or confronting the transgressor. Highlighting resources signals the ally’s sincerity and is expected to make the female employee feel more included and hence, more vitalized. Amongst various types of identity resources, highlighting psychological and intellectual capital of a female employee is parsimonious yet as effective as highlighting all types of resources combined, because it is perceived as more sincere. This research provides allies with a quick, actionable and non-confrontational intervention that is perceived by observers to increase the wellbeing of marginalized individuals.  

*Rachael Waldrop is a 2020 alumna from the MS Psych program at Western