Degree Year

2024

Document Type

Thesis - Oberlin Community Only

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Psychology

Advisor(s)

Rebecca Totton

Committee Member(s)

Cindy Frantz
Phoenix Crane

Keywords

Psychology, Bystander intervention, Gender minorities, LGBTQIA+, Allyship

Abstract

Positive psychology seeks to improve wellbeing beyond the absence of distress, but interventions often do not address social environmental causes. Since belonging is a protective factor for mental health, gender minorities’ (e.g., trans, non-binary) wellbeing would benefit from allies actively working to increase environmental belonging for the community. However, some potential allies do not know how or are afraid to act. To address a gap in research on training allies to increase environmental belonging, this study tested a positive bystander intervention training. All participants (N = 109) first viewed a positive bystander training. Participants were then presented with an example scenario in one of three conditions: 1) a trans woman with an empathic joy prompt, 2) a trans woman with a control prompt, and 3) a disabled woman with a control prompt. At both time points (1 week apart) all participants wrote a response to scenarios about gender minorities and rated their bystander self-efficacy. There was an interaction between condition and Time 1 and Time 2 self-efficacy: participants in the disability control condition had higher self-efficacy at Time 2, but there were no other differences. A language analysis on pronouns, prosocial, and emotion words was also conducted using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) program. There was a marginal difference between conditions in third person pronouns. Written responses were coded for themes, including 1) Character’s Comfort, 2) Conversation and Building Community, and 3) Providing Assistance. Future research can include organizational-level scenarios and explore intersections with other identities (e.g., race).

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