Affordance Management Theory and Stigma Toward Schizophrenia

Humans have fundamental needs, and they evaluate social groups based on their stereotypical impact on goals related to those needs. According to affordance management theory, when people perceive members of social groups as a threat to fundamental goals, prejudicial emotions, and discriminatory behaviors emerge. The purpose of the current research was to investigate affordance management theory as an explanation for schizophrenia stigma. Study 1 (N = 149) examined the perceived relation of schizophrenia to fundamental needs and showed that people perceive schizophrenia as a greater threat to the goal of self-protection than goals related to other fundamental needs. Study 2 (N = 312) experimentally manipulated if a fictional target had schizophrenia or physical illnesses and showed that participants perceived the greatest threat to self-protection and child-protection goals in the schizophrenia condition. In Study 3 (N = 149), participants imagined a person with schizophrenia threatening fundamental goals. Ratings of threat, attention, and fear were higher for self-protection and child-protection goals than other fundamental goals. Study 4 (N = 413) experimentally manipulated if an attractive acquaintance had schizophrenia. Participants perceived the person with schizophrenia as an increased threat to self-protection but not affiliation or mate-seeking goals. They also reported increased fear and avoidance in the schizophrenia condition. Overall, the results of the studies supported affordance management theory's predictions about the relation of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. Affordance management theory may prove useful understanding variations in the stigmatization of mental illness.