Watch What You Say: The Double-Edged Effects of the Political Correctness Phenomenon

Abstract

This paper explores the effects of politically correct and incorrect behavior on perceptions of the actor and whether the actor’s ethnic background plays a role in intensifying the main effects. The phenomenon is studied in two experimental studies in which we found that politically correct behavior does influence power, legitimacy, and trustworthiness of the actor positively. In the second study, we found that the politically correct (and incorrect) behavior’s effect on others-rated perception is influenced by the actor’s ethnic background, with opposite effects depending on whether the actor is from a minority group. The two studies reflected the “hypocrisy” behind how people form perceptions of actors, and that these perceptions were affected by the ethnic background of the actors. We also add to our understanding of how expectancy state theory manifest in the workplace, through political language and behavior and discuss how this exacerbates our inherent bias in impression formation.