Which Identities Are Concealable? Individual Differences in Concealability

Abstract

Concealment is a common and consequential identity management strategy. But which identities are concealable? In three studies ( n = 468; obs = 4,068), we find substantial individual differences in which identities people experience as concealable. These individual differences in concealability manifest as Person × Identity interactions, such that people experience varying levels of concealability for each of their individual identities. In two additional studies ( n = 465; obs = 3,784), we find that these individual differences predict the frequency and efficacy of concealment. We conclude that it is inaccurate to label entire categories of identities as either concealable or conspicuous and urge intergroup researchers to consider people’s unique experiences of concealability. Pre-registrations for Studies 1 to 4 and open materials, code, and data for all studies are available on the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/m95qu/ .