Previous investigations of allyship more broadly make the assumption that allies are unilaterally helpful. Through conducting three survey studies, I aimed to (1) examine the effects of effective and ineffective ally behavior on psychological outcomes for members of marginalized groups, (2) examine the perceptions marginalized group members had of effective and ineffective allies, (3) determine whether there were specific ally motivations that predict effective and ineffective allyship behavior and (4) determine whether there were specific individual differences that predict effective ally behavior. The results revealed that ineffective ally behavior was negatively related to psychological safety and positive affect and positively related to anxiety and negative affect for marginalized group members. An inverse set of relationships was revealed for effective ally behaviors. In addition, internal motivation to respond without prejudice and social dominance orientation emerged as robust predictors of ally behavior. Specifically, internal motivation to respond without prejudice was negatively related to ineffective ally behaviors while social dominance orientation was positively related. These variables exhibited an inverse relationship with effective ally behavior. Implications, limitations and future directions are discussed.
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