Page 272 - Discrimination at Work The Psychological and Organizational Bases

10. WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION
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limitations. Likewise, organization might select supervisors who can form
effective working relationships with employees with disabilities rather
than those who empathize with their subordinates' problems (Colella &
Varma, 2001). Given that little research has examined strategies for over­
coming empathy and pity as emotional responses to coworkers and dis­
abilities, additional research is needed on the topic.
Anxiety As noted previously, observers often experience anxiety and
discomfort when interacting with persons with disabilities (Stone &
Colella, 1996). Furthermore, anxiety is often considered an existential emo­
tion because it is based on personal security, concerns about life and death,
or quality of life (Lazarus et al., 1980). For example, encounters with in­
dividuals with cancer may remind us of our own vulnerability or the
inevitability of death, and encounters with individuals with AIDS may
evoke danger because it is potentially contagious (Vest et al., 1995). Fur­
thermore, anxiety may stem from uncertainty or the inability to predict an-
other's behavior (Stone & Colella, 1996). As a result, observers often react
quite negatively to persons with mental illness or neurological problems
(e.g., epilepsy) because the observers are unable to predict the person's
behavior and fear they will experience harm. Given that some disabili­
ties evoke feelings of anxiety in others, it is likely that the higher others'
anxiety levels, the more the person with the disability will relegated to
experience unfair discrimination in the workplace. To our knowledge, no
research has directly assessed this proposition, and additional research is
needed.
Interestingly, the cognitive appraisal view of emotions (Lazarus &
Lazarus, 1994) suggests two important strategies that might be used to
overcome anxiety associated with disabilities, including emotion-centered
and problem-solving coping. Emotion-centered coping often involves
avoiding or distancing oneself from the person, but also involves reap­
praising the encounter in less threatening ways. For example, although
one may experience anxiety when interacting with a person with cancer,
the same person may reappraise the situation by noting that individuals
are less likely to die from cancer today than in years past. Problem-solving
coping typically involves changing others thoughts and actions and may
use training or knowledge gathering as a means of reducing the anxiety as­
sociated with disabilities. For instance, training or knowledge about AIDS
may reduce the anxiety of interacting with a coworker with AIDS. Al­
though these two strategies seem plausible, to our knowledge, no research
has directly examined the degree to which emotion-centered or problem-
centered coping reduce feelings of anxiety associated with working with
people with disabilities. Thus, additional research is needed to assess the
effectiveness of these strategies.