From self to ingroup reclaiming of homophobic epithets: A replication and extension of Galinsky et al.'s (2013) model of reappropriation

Reappropriation of derogatory group labels by minority members is a coping strategy against stigmatization. The aim of this research is twofold. First, we intend to replicate Galinsky et al.'s findings (2013), suggesting that self-labelling (i.e., the self-referential use of a derogatory group label), compared to outgroup-labelling (i.e., the use of a derogatory group label by an outgroup member), enhances self-power and positively reframes the label. Second, we test whether ingroup-labelling (i.e., the use of a derogatory group label by an ingroup member towards another ingroup member), likewise self-labelling, is effective to reclaim derogatory group labels or, likewise outgroup-labelling, reenacts stigmatization. Gay men were randomly assigned to one of three conditions, namely, self-labelling, ingroup-labelling, or outgroup-labelling, in Study 1 (N = 158) and randomly presented all condition in Study 2 (N = 99). Results showed that participants in the ingroup-labelling condition, similarly to those in the self-labelling condition, reported enhanced self-power and appraised the label as less negative in comparison to participants in the outgroup-labelling condition. Our results replicate the findings of Galinsky et al.'s (2013) on self-labelling, and they are the first to suggest that ingroup-labelling is also effective at counteracting stigmatizing labels.