Award Date

8-1-2022

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

William F. Harrah College of Hospitality

First Committee Member

Cass Shum

Second Committee Member

Kweisi Ausar

Third Committee Member

Laura Book

Fourth Committee Member

Gloria Wong-Padoongpatt

Number of Pages

164

Abstract

Racial code-switching is defined as the ability for people to seamlessly blend into social and professional situations by adhering to racial norms outside of their own. Although racial codeswitching is a common behavioral strategy for Whites and People of Color, existing research on racial code-switching is limited. Drawing on the identity threat perspective (Elsbach, 2003; Tajfel & Turner, 1979), this current study has examined how code-switching can affect hospitality employees' psychological well-being in the form of anxiety, depression, and burnout via identity threat and shame. A time-lagged survey showed that hospitality employees' engagement in code-switching affects their psychological well-being. Results show that both People of Color and Whites face higher levels of identity threat and shame when engaging in code-switching behaviors, which ultimately affect one’s anxiety, depression, and burnout. Theoretical and practical implications have been discussed.

Keywords

Code-switching; Hospitality; Identity Threat Perspective; Psychological Well-Being; Racial Code-Switching; Shame

Disciplines

Linguistics | Social Psychology | Sociology | Work, Economy and Organizations

File Format

pdf

File Size

2040 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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Available for download on Saturday, May 15, 2027


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