What Should I Wear to Work? An Integrative Review of the Impact of Clothing in the Workplace

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Chang, Yingyi; Cortina, Jose M.
• 署名单位: Fairleigh Dickinson University; Virginia Commonwealth University; Fairleigh Dickinson University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0021-9010
• DOI: 10.1037/apl0001158
• 发表日期: 2024
• 页码: 755-778
• 关键词: clothing characteristics; attribution/perception; stereotypes; support-related behaviors; negatively biased performance appraisal

摘要

Perceptions of clothing are complex, varying across individuals, situations, cultures, and time. Although there is very little research on the topic in our field, evidence from a wide variety of other disciplines points to the importance of clothing in the workplace. In this article, we review this evidence and identify three universal and distinctive clothing characteristics at work: formality, provocativeness, and fashionability. We also identify two other categories: uniforms and religiosity of clothing, which are tied to particular social groups. Drawing on attribution theory and the stereotype content model, we provide a cohesive conceptual framework in which clothing characteristics influence observers' perceptions of wearer's warmth and competence through observers' dispositional attribution processes. These perceptions, in turn, influence facilitation behaviors, such as providing support to wearers, and harm behaviors, such as negatively biased performance appraisal. We conclude by offering suggestions for future research and implications for employees and employers with regard to managing clothing choices and avoiding potential biases.