Does code switching endanger authenticity?

We all want to be seen with an open mind. We do not want stereotypes, prejudices or prejudices to distort how others perceive our abilities, skills and potential. We may want to be seen in different ways in different contexts: sometimes as guides; other times as dynamic doers, team players, peacemakers or something completely different. But regardless of the context, we always want our qualities, skills and traits to be accurately assessed. Nevertheless, women and people of color often find it difficult to be judged by stereotypes without the distorting lens.

One technique anyone can use to avoid or overcome the discriminatory consequences of stereotypes is to adapt the way we present ourselves – by changing our language patterns, posture, facial expressions, and behavior – to making it clear that stereotypes other people might use just doesn’t apply to us. This technique of varying the way we present ourselves to avoid bias is known as “impression management” and is an essential skill to succeed in the workplace. But impression management is also often criticized or belittled because it is assumed that a person pretends to be someone they are not – to behave inauthentically.

authenticity

The view that impression management is incompatible with a person’s authenticity is based in part on the mistaken assumption that it is about acting or pretending to be someone other than yourself. On the contrary – impression management involves presenting yourself in such a way that these aspects of Your character—These features of Her personality-are most prominent so it is easy to see that you are not being defined by stereotypes commonly associated with people of your social identity.

For example, women often face the goldilocks dilemma; that is, the double bond they find themselves in because of gender stereotypes and the expectations they create. So when women are viewed as conforming to traditional female stereotypes – by being helpful, caring, humble, and deferential – they are generally popular but are often not seen as capable of challenging leadership roles. When women, on the other hand, disregard female stereotypes by acting energetically, assertively and decisively – that is, in accordance with traditional male stereotypes – they are often judged to be too uncomfortable, “aggressive” and disagreeable to be effective leaders. To avoid this double bond, women can use impression management to combine with care different aspects of their character so that they exhibit both stereotypically feminine and stereotypically masculine behavior. In this way, impression management enables women to present themselves in such a way that others see them as something personable and suitable for leadership roles. In fact, research shows that women who use impression management in this way have more career success than other women and all men.

One way of thinking about impression management is to consciously present yourself as belonging to a given context – as someone who is welcomed there and expected to work effectively. Impression management therefore means simply presenting yourself in such a way that you are perceived as pleasant by the people you deal with and that your talents, abilities and potential are recognized and recognized.

People often think that authenticity requires that you be “true to your true self”. However, this is a deeply false belief. We are all far too complex and multifaceted to have a single, unified, clearly identifiable “true self”. We all have many different, often complex, aspects of our personalities. For example, it should be clear that in order to successfully switch between work in Silicon Valley and on Wall Street, we would all need to change our clothes, language, and behavior – and we could do so without compromising our authenticity.

Exchange code

Code switching is an instance of impression management that is often criticized as compromising the authenticity of a person. Code switching is the change people make to their language, appearance, and behavior, for example when they move back and forth between white and other cultural environments. Since most of our workplaces are heavily influenced by white norms, values ​​and expectations, people of color are often viewed as effective forced to change code to conform to white culture practices if you want to be professionally successful. Because of this “enforced conformity” with white culture expectations, the often necessary code switching to fit their workplace is often viewed as inconsistent with a Person of Color’s ability to maintain a sense of their personal authenticity. However, there is no consensus on this issue.

Some people, like Omari W. Keeles, Assistant Director of Diversity, Justice, and Inclusion at Northwestern University, don’t believe that code switching is incompatible with authenticity. Says Keeles, “It’s one of those things that I no longer see it as a burden. I just see something that is part of me, part of how I navigate this world. ”Others, however, like Jill, a middle-level manager I spoke to, find the code extremely difficult to find switch and maintain a sense of authenticity. As Jill told me, “Every day for work, I dress like I’m going to a meeting with the CEO. I’m always nice and nice to everyone and always smile until my cheeks hurt. I want to make sure I am not seen as an angry black woman. Every evening I fall into bed exhausted from the exertion. “

As a white woman, I am certainly not going to tell a person of color how to feel about code switching or whether to do it. However, there are some realities worth pointing out. First, the evidence available makes it clear that code switching makes color professionals more likely to be encouraged and respected in their workplaces. As George B. Ray points out in Language and Interracial Communication in the United States: Speaking in Black and White, Code switching is “a skill that offers advantages in terms of the way success is often measured in institutional and professional contexts”. These positive effects of code switching are undoubtedly due to the fact that colored people are involved Reflection of the properties of her white audience, whereby she fits in and is readily accepted.

Second, code switching is a technique that colored people use to Just avoid or overcome the negative stereotypes white people may have about them because they are not white. In this regard, code switching is no different from the impression management techniques women use to avoid or overcome the negative stereotypes of others that they simply face because they are women. So code switching is a technique that People of Color use to reassure whites that they belong and that they are valuable in a given context. As Dione Mahaffey, an Atlanta-based business psychologist puts it, “Code-switching does not use an inauthentic version of the self, it claims certain aspects of our identity in lieu of others, depending on the space or circumstances.”

Third, there are situations in which people of color have to change their self-portrayal so radically that they run the risk of undermining their sense of authenticity. A black person’s authenticity is undermined when he or she cannot defend themselves against ideas they disagree with, cannot question a majority consensus that they believe to be wrong, or provokes inappropriate comments or behavior. The question of whether code switching is benign or toxic therefore depends on whether it is a betrayal of one’s core values ​​or whether it requires behavior that contradicts core beliefs.

While a sense of personal authenticity is not necessarily linked to your looks, language, style, or your social activities together, it is definitely linked to your freedom to use your full potential, your recognized right to actively contribute ideas, and your accepted ones Right to object to others under civil law. A healthy sense of authenticity is impossible when such behaviors are constantly confronted with criticism, rejection, or disapproval. If the behavior changes necessary to fit into a particular cultural setting are also causing you fear, apprehension, or exhaustion, it is a sure sign that your authenticity is being undermined.

Whether or not code switching is a decision has to be made for themselves on a case-by-case basis … The important thing is that code switching is a completely legitimate application of impression management as long as it doesn’t compromise your authenticity. Because if you don’t have a strong sense of authenticity – the belief that your core values ​​are in line with the way you present and express yourself – your emotional wellbeing will suffer, your productivity will drop, and your personal satisfaction will plummet.