Most White Americans believe they are not prejudiced people despite evidence suggesting that most people hold and express racial bias. How is this possible? Drawing on research from motivated cognition, I tested whether people engage in motivated reasoning when facing a threat to their unprejudiced self-image. Students in this study were randomly assigned to a control condition or a threat of prejudice condition. Afterward, they read an article connecting either introversion or extraversion to racial prejudice and explained why that relationship might be true. Finally, they answered how well introversion and extraversion traits describe themselves. Although I hypothesized that students would respond by shifting their self-concept away from the traits they believed are related to prejudice, the data only supported this prediction in the control condition. In the threat of prejudice condition, there was no support for the motivated reasoning explanation. In fact, it appears that students were more likely to acknowledge their racial bias in the threat of prejudice condition. Despite the lack of evidence for motivated reasoning, I discuss the implications of this study for maintaining an unprejudiced self-image. / 1 / Aaron James Moss

L’objectif de cette recherche est d’étudier les concepts « Image de soi » et « satisfaction professionnelle » dans les groupes d’appartenance du travail, dans une approche cognitive et conative (affect et ses effets). Il s’agit de montrer que l’Image de soi au travail est liée aux différents niveaux de satisfaction des sujets face à leur emploi. Ces niveaux de satisfaction dépendent de leur niveau d’attentes. La satisfaction professionnelle repose donc sur le sujet et non sur l’emploi lui-même. C’est pourquoi, cette notion s’insère dans un système comprenant, d’une part, les aspects de l’emploi et ses avantages et, d’autre part, l’individu et ses attentes. L’étude porte sur 63 sujets, une population relativement réduite d’un point de vue statistique mais avec laquelle nous avons pu mettre en lumière des résultats intéressants que, par prudence, nous considérerons comme valables pour ladite population seulement.À la lumière de l’analyse corrélée des divers paramètres explorés, l’étude révèle qu’il existe réellement un système d’attentes « théoriques », strictement inhérentes au sujet, et un système d’attentes diversifiées issu des différences individuelles et culturelles. La satisfaction des fonctionnaires du Ministère du Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Prévoyance Sociale du GABON est tributaire des avantages matériels que leur emploi leur procure (bureau climatisé et équipé, voiture de service, salaires et primes…), associés à des aspects extérieurs au travail (logement de standing, revenus complémentaires, reconnaissance sociale…). Tous ces éléments participent à la construction de l’image de réussite qu’ils renvoient aux autres. Et cette image est fortement tributaire de l’image que ces fonctionnaires se font d’eux-mêmes, associée à leurs attentes. À la lumière de cette étude expérimentale qui repose aussi sur une étude théorique consacrée à la psychologie du travail dans le contexte de la fonction publique et, plus spécifiquement au vécu des fonctionnaires au travail (leur représentation de leur position, directement dans la structure, mais aussi à l’extérieur, dans la société qu’ils côtoient), il apparaît que l’image de réussite requiert une image positive de soi, révélatrice d’un sentiment de satisfaction professionnelle et personnelle. Les résultats de notre expérimentation tendent à vérifier, cette dernière affirmation, étude qui appelle des recherches plus approfondies. / The objective of this research is to study the concepts of “self-Image” and “Satisfaction” in the membership of groups working in a cognitive and conative (affects and effect). It is shown that self-image at work is linked to different levels of satisfaction issues facing their jobs. These levels of satisfaction depend on their level of expectations. Job satisfaction is thus based on the subject and not on the job itself. Therefore, this concept fits into a system comprising, first, aspects of employment and benefits and, secondly, the individual and his expectations.The study covers 63 subjects, a relatively small population of a statistical point of view but with which we could highlight some interesting results that, by caution, we consider as valid only for that population.In light of the analysis correlated the different parameters explored, the study reveals that there is actually a system of expectations “theoretical” strictly inherent to the subject, and a variety of expectations from the individual and cultural differences. The satisfaction of officials of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Welfare of Gabon depends on the material benefits that their jobs provide them (room air-conditioned and equipped, car service, salaries and bonuses…), related to aspects outside the work place (luxury housing, additional income, social recognition…).All these elements contribute to building the image of success they relate to others. And this image is strongly dependent on the image that these officials are themselves associated with their expectations. In light of this experimental study is also based on a theoretical study devoted to the psychology of work in the context of public service and, more specifically to the experiences of staff at work (their representation of their position, directly in the structure, but also outside in the society around them), it appears that the image of success requires a positive self-image, revealing a sense of professional and personal satisfaction. The results of our experiments tend to verify this last statement, which calls for study of further research.