Courtney von Hippel

My research can be broadly defined as applied social psychology: the primary focus driving this research program is to test and extend important theories outside the laboratory. An extensive literature in social psychology has demonstrated that concern that one is the target of demeaning stereotypes (i.e., stereotype threat) can lead to acute performance deficits, yet there has been debate about its relevance in everyday life. My work has examined the real-world implications of stereotype threat, including what leads to these experiences for women in male-dominated professions, older employees, and men working in female-dominated professions, as well as the consequences when employees experience stereotype threat at work. This work, together with a recent meta-analysis on stereotype threat at work, was originally motivated by a broader interest in stigma and how it plays out in organisational settings.

This interest in stigma also extends to my recent work on affirmative action. Our meta-analysis shows that affirmative action programs tend to elicit negative reactions. We are now studying how these programs can be framed to reduce such backlash.

I also study burnout among community mental health and alcohol and other drug workers. The goal of our current ARC grant is to identify strategies to help build resilience.