[7] Invisible stigmas are defined as "characteristics of a person that are socially devalued but are not readily apparent to others",[6] such as having a stigmatized sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, LGBT association, early pregnancy, disease, illness, etc.
Invisible social identities invoke some distinct issues that cannot be easily collapsed under traditional organizational diversity research that focuses on visible differences.
[8] Individuals possessing invisible stigmas can choose either passing or revealing strategies in order to manage their identities when interacting with others.
Those who pass must be constantly aware of social cues in order to avoid accidentally disclosing information about their hidden identity, a worry that most individuals from dominant groups do not share.
[10] The fabrication strategy involves purposefully presenting false information about oneself in order to hide one's invisible stigma.
[11] The concealment strategy involves taking preventative measures to keep others from discovering personal characteristics for fear that may reveal an individual's invisible stigma.
Rather, people who use this strategy tend to drop hints and send signals to their coworkers without having to completely reveal their invisible stigma.
[14][15] Researchers have suggested that this strategy helps stigmatized individuals strike a balance between the desire to reveal their stigma and dealing with the consequences that may result from their disclosure.
[16][17] Diversity climate is a term coined by Tsui and Gutek[18] referring to social norms of acceptance or discrimination established within a workplace environment.
Research has shown that accepting work environments promote more open communication (i.e., revealing) among their employees with invisible stigmas.
[25] It's also important to note that, in the case of disability status, stigmatized individuals may actually be required to reveal their stigma in order to receive certain workplace benefits.
Self-monitoring can be defined as the act of controlling and managing the impression one puts forward to ensure that social roles and expectations are being met.
[33][34] The main issue that can arise from passing is that the individual feels as though they are not being true to themselves, which can create an inner sense of turmoil and lead to psychological strain for the person hiding their identity.
[2][9] Additionally, fears associated with revealing one's invisible stigma (among those who are currently passing) have been shown to lead to a myriad of negative workplace consequences, including lowered job satisfaction, less organizational commitment, and higher turnover intentions.
In summary, the model highlights the impact of five main components in this process— the antecedent goals, the disclosure event itself, the mediating processes, the outcomes, and the feedback loop.
[37] It can range from explicitly talking about invisible stigmas with the interaction partner to first "testing the waters" by introducing the topic indirectly before fully disclosing.
On one hand, individuals with avoidance-focused goals disclose less frequently because they tend to focus on avoiding the possibility of social rejection and conflict.
On the other hand, individuals with approach-focused goals tend to focus on the possibility of gaining social support, therefore use more direct communication strategies.
Through alleviation of inhibition mechanism, in which people are offered the opportunity to express previously suppressed emotions and thoughts, the DPM states that these individuals may actually be most likely to benefit from disclosure.
Specifically, in terms of predicting positive outcomes, goals may not play as a significant role in Changes in Social Information as in the other two processes.
Individuals with avoidance-focused goals engage in self-regulatory efforts that weaken their ability collecting positive responses from their confidants, which also increases their chances of social rejection.
This group of people may be best served by other methods of disclosure, such as by disclosing in expressive writing or therapeutic settings where they are protected from receiving social rejection.
[50] Acknowledging has been proposed to be effective in cases where it increases perceptions of adjustment within the stigmatized individual[47] and reduces the suppression of negative stigma-related thoughts on the part of the perceivers.
[52] Similarly, when job applicants with visible stigmas provide individuating information to hiring managers, they are able to partially reduce the amount of interpersonal discrimination that they face .
[7] Lastly, some individuals with visible stigmas choose to use the compensatory strategy of increased positivity in order to manage their identities.
When an organization voluntarily adopts policies that demonstrate an accepting and non-judgmental environment, a person can seek support for their stigma (e.g., domestic partner benefits).
Training employees, managers, and supervisors through diversity workshops serves to better educate everyone on the misconceptions surrounding LGBT workers, and should be used to address other stigmas as well.
[54] When affirmative policies and practices are up-front and seem sincere, stigmatized groups face less discrimination,[54] which should lead to higher employee morale, and greater workplace productivity.
Lastly, there is an opportunity for researchers to study how organizations can change when employees decide to reveal vs. conceal their invisible stigmas.
Disclosure interactions that are met with positivity and acceptance could lead future employees to feel open and free to express their potentially stigmatized characteristics with less fear of judgment.