Challenging the Status Quo

Intersectionality theory is increasingly seen as a valuable tool for understanding and contextualizing the complexity of individual lives. However, psychologists have generally focused on intersectionality as defining a social location rather than as an individual difference that affects social attitudes and behavior. Using secondary data analyses from three separate studies, we examined the antecedents and implications of intersectional awareness (IA), or an understanding of structural inequality from an intersectional perspective. Data from Study 1 were used to establish construct validity and test the relationship between IA and activism in a student sample. Study 2 was a limited replication of Study 1 using a non-student sample. Finally, Study 3 examined the longitudinal relationship between IA and pro-social attitudes toward out-groups as well as the intention to be politically engaged. In this third study, IA was related to basic personality traits, beliefs about the social status quo, pro-social attitudes toward out-groups, intentions to be active, and activism but was unrelated to changes in pro-social attitudes toward out-groups or intentions to be active over time. We discuss how IA can help explain why people may reject prejudicial attitudes and social inequalities as well as when they may engage in collective action.