Join us for our Social Behavioral Interest Group (SBIG) Colloquium on February 5, 2026!
Speaker: Rebecca Ponce de Leon (Columbia University)
Title: “Just Be Yourself!”: Organizations Espousing an Authenticity Ideology Repel Stigmatized Job Seekers
Abstract: Authenticity has been promoted for millennia; the modern workplace is no exception. Organizations, too, may espouse an authenticity ideology, encouraging employees to “be themselves” to achieve success. Espousing such an ideology might be intended to signal identity safety, particularly to stigmatized job seekers. Instead, however, we propose that an espoused authenticity ideology may ironically frustrate and repel
those who experience the most stigma. Across six experiments, we find that stigma in professional settings increases the tendency to view adhering to an espoused authenticity ideology—that is, engaging in authentic behavior—as risky, which prompts frustration and undermines attraction towards organizations that promote such an ideology. Further
evincing our theoretical model, organizations that provide an evidence-based identity-safety cue can promote an authenticity ideology without triggering backlash from job seekers higher in stigma. This work contributes to the literatures on authenticity and identity safety and offers practical implications for organizational messaging, particularly communications aimed at recruiting underrepresented or stigmatized employees.
The Social Behavior Interest Group consists of members of the university community who are interested in social psychological research. The SBIG supports an active program of visiting speakers. The group meets weekly to hear speakers describe their recent research. Since 1990, SBIG has brought in numerous distinguished visiting speakers. Presentations have included contemporary issues in the study of attitudes, social cognition, prejudice & stereotyping, and also applied research questions in the domains of health and consumer behavior.