---
slug: meta_stereotype_threat
name: Meta-Stereotype Threat
one_liner: "The self-applied form of stereotype threat: performance or behavior distorted not by a stereotype itself but by a second-order belief — one's model of how one's own group is viewed by an out-group — so the reflexive social-evaluation loop, not the stereotype, becomes the load-bearing object."
type: prime
schema_version: 2
status: density_v2_draft
categories: [framed, social]
origin_domain: social_psychology
alternate_origin_domains: [organizational_theory, game_theory, communication]
aliases: [meta_stereotype, being_seen_as_stereotype_susceptible, second_order_perceived_regard, reflexive_social_evaluation_threat]
related: []
solution_archetypes: []
review_flags:
- "OPERATOR-DERIVED (op-02 self-application, route R / reflexive) — the second-order prime obtained by applying `stereotype_threat` to itself: the threat object becomes a META-STEREOTYPE (one's belief about how one's own group is viewed by an out-group — a belief about a belief), and the anxiety becomes being seen as susceptible to stereotype threat / acting on a second-order model of others' beliefs about one's group. Discovered in the op-02 sweep 2026-07-03. MODERATE hold, verified absent from corpus — but CANDID: this is a NICHE, possibly-too-domain-specific candidate and the MOST LIKELY CUT among the op-02 holds. STATUS: HOLD pending owner keep/cut."
- "Created 2026-07-03; STUB ONLY (frontmatter + Core Idea + Notes). SI/SF/similarity are PROPOSER ESTIMATES pending triangulation. Body sections (Structural Signature onward) NOT written."
- "HOLD pending owner keep/cut with the following risks flagged PROMINENTLY: (1) HIGH similarity (~0.58-0.66) to its parent/input `stereotype_threat` — a red flag; (2) HIGH framing — social-psychology-bound, so it may be a domain INSTANCE rather than a domain-general prime; (3) the general structural core ('behavior distorted by a second-order belief about how one is perceived') may already be covered by `self_fulfilling_prophecy` / `preference_falsification` / `reputation`. Proposer recommendation: lean toward CUT unless the general reflexive-perception loop is judged prime-worthy and DISTINCT from those existing primes."
- "Phase-C action: re-similarity-check vs `stereotype_threat` (input / parent), and vs `self_fulfilling_prophecy`, `preference_falsification`, `spiral_of_silence`, and any `reputation` prime (the reflexive social-evaluation loop overlaps all of these); if kept, write a v1 draft and sync the one_liner across v1/v2 per CLAUDE.md before merge."
substrate_independence:
  composite_substrate_independence: 3
  domain_breadth: 3
  structural_abstraction: 3
  transfer_evidence: 3
  reasoning: 'The bare structure — behavior or performance distorted by a SECOND-ORDER belief about how one is perceived (a model of the out-group''s model of one''s in-group), rather than by the first-order stereotype itself — is a genuine reflexive social-evaluation loop and does generalize somewhat: impostor dynamics, reputation management, being-judged-on-being-judged, negotiating while modeling the counterparty''s appraisal of your type. But the specific stereotype-threat framing is fairly bound to social psychology, and the general reflexive-perception loop it abstracts to is arguably already occupied by `self_fulfilling_prophecy`, `preference_falsification`, and `reputation`. Domain_breadth and structural_abstraction sit at 3 because the substrate-neutral reading is WEAKER here than for cleaner op-02 lifts: the level-2 object (a belief about a belief about one''s group) is real, but it travels less cleanly and competes with established primes for the same structural niche. Transfer evidence is moderate — the meta-stereotype construct is named in social psychology (Vorauer et al. 1998) but the cross-domain siblings are more contested.'
similarity_to_nearest_existing_prime:
  slug: stereotype_threat
  similarity: 0.62
structural_framed:
  label: framed
  aggregate: 0.55
  criteria: {vocab_travels: 0.4, evaluative_weight: 0.5, institutional_origin: 0.3, human_practice_bound: 0.7, import_vs_recognize: 0.6}
  rationale: 'Reads FRAMED-to-mixed, notably higher framing than the surrounding op-02 candidates. The core claim leans on social-psychology vocabulary — "stereotype," "in-group/out-group," "meta-stereotype," "perceived regard" — that does not travel cleanly without carrying its home domain, and the phenomenon is substantially human-social-practice-bound (it presupposes agents modeling other agents'' appraisals of social categories). The abstracted structural residue — "behavior distorted by a second-order belief about how one is perceived" — is recognizable rather than imported, which keeps import_vs_recognize and vocab_travels off the ceiling, but the specific stereotype-threat frame is bound enough that this candidate may be a domain INSTANCE rather than a domain-general prime.'
phase_b_passes_completed: []
---
# Meta-Stereotype Threat

## Core Idea

Meta-stereotype threat is the *self-applied* (reflexive) form of `stereotype_threat`. Base-level stereotype threat runs like this: a person underperforms because they fear confirming a negative stereotype that an out-group holds about their group; the load-bearing object is the *stereotype itself*, present in the situation and pressing on performance. Apply the operation to itself — turn the threat back on the person's own model of how they are seen — and the object shifts up one level. What now drives behavior is a *meta-stereotype*: the person's belief about how their own group is *viewed by* the out-group (a belief about a belief), and the "threat" becomes the anxiety of being *seen as* susceptible to stereotype threat, or of acting on a second-order model of others' beliefs about one's group. The new meta-level object is not the stereotype but the person's *model of the out-group's stereotype*.

The feature present at the meta level and absent at the base is the *second-order belief target*. Base stereotype threat needs only a first-order object — the stereotype is "in the air" and the person reacts to it. The reflexive version inserts a level: the person is reacting to *their representation of how the other party represents their group*. This is a belief-about-belief structure, and it is what makes the phenomenon a candidate lift rather than a restatement — behavior is distorted by a model of an appraisal, not by the appraisal directly. Established construct: the *meta-stereotype* (Vorauer, Main & O'Connell 1998 — beliefs about the stereotype an out-group holds of one's in-group), which supplies the level-2 object this prime is built on.

Read structurally, the substrate-neutral residue is *weaker* here than for cleaner second-order primes, and this is the candidate's central risk. The general form — "performance or behavior distorted by a second-order belief about how one is perceived," a reflexive social-evaluation loop — does generalize beyond the stereotype case: impostor dynamics (acting on a model of how competent others take you to be), reputation management (choosing behavior against a model of how it will be read), negotiating while modeling the counterparty's appraisal of your type, and being-judged-on-being-judged more broadly. But that general loop is arguably *already occupied* by `self_fulfilling_prophecy`, `preference_falsification`, and `reputation`, and the specific stereotype-threat framing that gives this candidate its sharp identity is fairly bound to social psychology. So the honest reading is a fork: either there is a domain-general reflexive-perception prime here (distinct from those three), or this is a social-psychology *instance* of an existing pattern.

## Notes

**Provenance.** Produced by operator 02 (self-application), route R (reflexive), by applying `stereotype_threat` to itself — turning the threat from the stereotype onto the person's own second-order model of how their group is viewed. Surfaced in the op-02 self-application sweep on 2026-07-03. Established construct for the level-2 object: Vorauer, Main & O'Connell 1998 ("How do individuals expect to be viewed by members of lower status groups? Content and implications of meta-stereotypes"). Verified absent from the corpus. Manifest: MODERATE hold — and flagged there as the most likely CUT among the op-02 holds.

**For owner evaluation (keep/cut) — CANDID: this is the most likely CUT among the op-02 holds.** The case FOR: it has an *established name* (meta-stereotype) and a genuine belief-about-belief, level-2 structure — a real reflexive social-evaluation loop distinct in form from its first-order parent. The case AGAINST, weighed prominently: (1) **HIGH similarity to its parent `stereotype_threat` (~0.58-0.66)** — high enough to be a red flag for collapse into the input rather than a genuine lift; (2) **HIGH framing** — the candidate reads framed-to-mixed and is substantially social-psychology-bound, so it may be a *domain instance* rather than a domain-general prime; (3) **the general structural core** — "behavior distorted by a second-order belief about how one is perceived" — **may already be covered** by `self_fulfilling_prophecy` (expectations shaping the outcome they predict), `preference_falsification` (acting on a model of others' expected regard), and `reputation` (managing behavior against a model of how it is read). Sharp keep/cut question: *is there a domain-general prime here at all, or is this a social-psychology instance of an existing reflexive-social-evaluation pattern already carried by `self_fulfilling_prophecy` / `preference_falsification` / `reputation`?* Proposer recommendation: **lean toward CUT** unless the general reflexive-perception loop is judged prime-worthy AND distinct from those existing primes.

**At incorporation.** Re-run similarity against `stereotype_threat` (input / parent — watch the high score) and against `self_fulfilling_prophecy`, `preference_falsification`, `spiral_of_silence`, and any `reputation` prime, which jointly occupy the reflexive-social-evaluation niche this candidate abstracts to. If the general loop is judged already covered, CUT and instead add a missing-edge note (e.g. a second-order-sibling contrast under `stereotype_threat`). Only if the reflexive-perception loop is judged genuinely prime-worthy and distinct should this be kept; if kept, draw a subsumption edge `stereotype_threat` → `meta_stereotype_threat` plus composition/sibling edges to whichever of `self_fulfilling_prophecy` / `preference_falsification` / `reputation` survive the similarity screen, write a v1 draft, and sync the one_liner across v1 and v2 per CLAUDE.md before merge.
