Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 169 (2022) 104114 Available online 22 January 2022 0749-5978/© 2021 Published by Elsevier Inc. Self-views of disadvantage and success impact perceptions of privilege among White men ☆ Sean Fath a, * , Anyi Ma b , Ashleigh Shelby Rosette c a ILR School, Cornell University, 133 Statler Drive, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States b Freeman School of Business, Tulane University, 7 McAlister Drive, New Orleans, LA 70118, United States c The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, 100 Fuqua Drive, Durham, NC 27708, United States A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: Privilege perceptions Social categorization Self-image Intergroup relations ABSTRACT When presented with evidence of their advantages, the privileged often either deny that their social system has accorded them any gains or that social inequity exists altogether. In this research, we draw on two literatures related to self-perception—multiple social categorization and self-image threat—to propose factors that may increase the racial privilege perceptions of White men, a group often in positions of power in the workplace. Across ten studies (N = 5,124) in a workplace context, we fnd that White men who self-report (Studies 1c, 2a-d, 3) or recall (Studies 1a-b, 4) experience(s) of disadvantage based on a social category (e.g., physical disability) perceive greater White privilege than those without exposure to such disadvantage. Additionally, we fnd mixed evidence that greater self-reported success at work corresponds to increased perceptions of privilege for White men who have experienced social category-based disadvantage. We discuss these fndings, their implications, and future directions. “White people’s lack of consciousness about their racial identities has grave consequences in that it not only denies White people the ex- istence of seeing themselves as benefting from racism, but in doing so, frees them from taking responsibility for eradicating it.” – Alice McIn- tyre (1997) “While I do not have the experience of ever having been discrimi- nated against because of the color of my skin, I do have the experience of sometimes feeling like a stranger in my own country… Standing here wearing this wedding ring in a way that couldn’t have happened two elections ago lets me know just how deep my obligation is to help those whose rights are on the line every day.” – Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, speaking about his experience as a White, gay man in America (Alter & Villa, 2019) Along economic and social lines, racial inequity has persisted for centuries in the United States (Margo, 2016). For White Americans, this legacy translates into unearned economic and social advantages not shared by racial minorities (i.e., White privilege). For instance, pre- dominantly White school districts across the United States receive $23 billion more in funding than predominantly non-White school districts (EdBuild, 2019), even though they serve the same number of students. White people seeking housing are shown more options than equally qualifed racial minorities, Whites in the market for a new car are quoted signifcantly lower prices at car dealerships (Pager & Shepherd, 2008), and average earnings are 26.7% higher for White people than for Black people in the U.S. workplace (Vega, 2016). White men, specifcally, receive around twice as many call-backs when seeking employment as equally qualifed Black and Hispanic men (Pager, Bonikowski, & West- ern, 2009; Bertrand & Mullainathan, 2004). Further, when occupying executive roles, White men have more behavioral freedom than racial minorities (Westphal & Stern, 2007), are less likely to be blamed for poor performance (Park & Westphal, 2013), and less likely to incur decreased perceptions of competence by superiors for championing important social causes and issues (Hekman, Johnson, Foo, & Yang, 2017). Evidence of the privilege of Whiteness is widely available—for Whites generally and White men especially. However, Whites often reject notions of privilege or advantage. When confronted with facts about racial inequity, White people tend to seek to distance themselves from their racial category, justify existing racial inequities, or deny that White privilege exists altogether (Baker & Fausset, 2015; Knowles, Lowery, Chow, & Unzueta, 2014; Lowery, ☆ This article is part of the special issue ‘New advances in self-narratives in, across, and beyond organizations; Edited by Dr. Daniel M. Cable, Dr. Julia Lee, Dr. Gianpiero Petriglieri and Dr. David Sherman’. * Corresponding author at: ILR School, Cornell University, 309 Ives Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States. E-mail address: sean.fath@cornell.edu (S. Fath). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/obhdp https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2021.104114 Received 10 February 2020; Received in revised form 23 November 2021; Accepted 13 December 2021