Outsider Privileges Can Lead to Insider Disadvantages: Some Psychosocial Aspects of Ableism

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AbstractPeople with disabilities are sometimes described as an invisible minority group, one that frequently encounters ableism in the course of daily life. Ableism entails biased ideas and assumptions, as well as prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory acts, aimed at people with disabilities. This article examines how and why ableism poses distinct social and psychological privileges for outsiders (the nondisabled) and resulting disadvantages for insiders (people with disabilities). Four theories accounting for outsiders’ ableism directed at insiders are presented: just world theory, mourning, suffering and meaning, and the fundamental negative bias. The consequences of ableism for people with disabilities are then discussed, including internalized ableism, deindividuation, stigmatization and stereotyping, and the problems posed by benign ableism. I argue that sometimes ableism represents a form of outsider privilege, one allowing nondisabled people to feel, think, and act in ways that often unknowingly promote their social and psychological interests over people with disabilities. I then conclude the article by calling for efforts to better educate nondisabled people regarding guidelines for constructively engaging people with disabilities as a matter of social policy.