Understanding Allyship: Distinguishing Actors and Actions in the Pursuit of Social Change

Abstract: We develop and test theory distinguishing two distinct targets of evaluation in the allyship process: actions and actors. Drawing on signaling and categorization theory, we propose that evaluations of actions and actors follow different cognitive processes, with important implications for our understanding of when and how allyship is effective and creates meaningful change for marginalized groups. Across three studies, we first develop a comprehensive understanding of allyship actions. We then examine how observers evaluate actions independently and how they evaluate actors based on their engagement patterns. Our findings reveal a critical distinction: the behaviors perceived as most effective for creating structural change are not necessarily the ones that make individuals appear to be effective allies or the ones that help to foster inclusion. This distinction reframes debates about ‘effective allyship’ as debates about the evaluative targets: actions are judged by anticipated impact, whereas actors are judged by inferred category membership.

Keywords: Inclusion, Intergroup Relations, Allyship