About

Caryn J. Block is a Professor of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, with a scholarly focus on identity, inclusion, and organizational climate. Her research examines how both overt and subtle forms of bias, such as stereotype threat, microaggressions, and bias, influence well-being, belonging, and participation in educational and workplace settings. Dr. Block's work explores how gender, race, and identity shape perceptions of leaders, professional advancement, and inclusion within organizations. Her collaborations include studies with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health on perceived racial discrimination and with the National Science Foundation’s ADVANCE program on stereotype threat among women scientists. Her current research investigates the psychological impact of contemporary antisemitism, focusing on how exclusion and hostility affect identity, mental health, and belonging among Jewish individuals. This ongoing work continues her longstanding interest in understanding how marginalized groups experience and respond to bias in professional contexts. In addition to her research, Dr. Block teaches in Columbia Business School’s Executive Education programs, works with senior leaders on diversity and inclusion, and advises institutions on inclusive leadership and climate assessment. Her scholarship has been published in numerous academic journals, and she is actively involved in addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion issues through various professional and community collaborations.

Research topics

• Social psychology
• Psychology
• Political Science
• Sociology
• Engineering
• Clinical psychology
• Gender studies
• Criminology
• Public relations

Selected publications

• Making the Invisible Visible: A Taxonomy of Contemporary Antisemitic Experiences on College Campuses

  Journal of Jewish Education · 2025-04-03 · 5 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• No pain, no gain? Masculinity contest culture in elite sport

  Career Development International · 2025-08-11 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author

  Purpose Global awareness of athlete maltreatment in elite sport has risen in recent years. However, there is limited research examining the impact of culture on athlete health and well-being. This study aims to examine how perceptions of masculinity contest culture (MCC) influence athlete outcomes. Design/methodology/approach This cross-sectional survey of national team athletes (n = 111) assessed perceptions of MCC, characterized by four norms: show no weakness, strength and stamina, put work first, and dog eat dog (Berdahl et al., 2018). We examined the connection between MCC and psychological safety, well-being, organizational identification, and mental health. Findings The results indicated that higher levels of MCC were associated with increased anxiety and depression and decreased psychological safety, organizational identification and well-being. Exploratory analyses revealed preliminary evidence that psychological safety may mediate the relationship between MCC and both organizational identification and well-being. Originality/value This study is the first to apply the MCC framework to elite sport, extending prior research on MCC and related outcomes. Findings suggest that organizational culture, particularly masculine norms, undermine athlete health and well-being. This work adds to the growing call for culture change in sport, emphasizing the need to foster psychologically safe environments throughout athletes’ careers.

  PublisherDOI

• Antisemitism in Universities and Organizations: Understanding the Jewish Experience Post October 7th

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2025-07-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  This symposium examines the impact of the rising surge of global antisemitism on Jewish members of organizations and universities in North America, Europe and Australia. Existing frameworks of selective incivility, microaggressions and professional identity construction are extended to understand the recent experiences of Jewish organizational members. In addition, new frameworks are proposed to understand the

  PublisherDOI

• An Exploration of Culture in General Surgery Training Programs

  Annals of Surgery · 2025-09-10

  article

  OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to systematically explore how culture has been conceptualized, investigated, and measured within general surgery residency training programs. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Research on the culture of general surgery residency training programs has primarily focused on examining individual parameters, such as mistreatment and burnout, rather than comprehensively analyzing the overall culture, climate, or learning environment. METHODS: Five databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL, APA PsycInfo) were searched. The searches included a combination of controlled vocabulary and keyword terms related to culture, environment, climate, and general surgery training. Two reviewers performed title and abstract screening and full text review. A narrative synthesis was performed. RESULTS: Seven studies met the eligibility criteria and were included. Most studies (n=6, 85.7%) were conducted in the United States. Four studies (57.1%) were single-center and three (42.9%) were multi-center studies. Only two studies defined and three measured culture, climate, or the learning environment using validated instruments. The included studies explored various components and outcomes of culture, including teaching, training, and learning opportunities; workload, resources, and support; well-being, stress, and suicidal ideation; duty hour violations and burnout; mistreatment, harassment, discrimination, and abuse; and job satisfaction and attrition. CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review revealed significant heterogeneity in the ways in which culture has been evaluated and characterized within the general surgery training literature. A more unified approach to exploring organizational culture in general surgery training programs would allow for advancement of the field.

  PublisherDOI

• Silence Is Not Always Golden: Exploring the Impact of Leader Intervention Against Racial Microaggressions Against Asian Americans

  American Behavioral Scientist · 2024-03-28 · 6 citations

  articleSenior author

  The racialization of COVID-19 as an Asian virus has been linked to growing reports of racial harassment and violence targeting Asian Americans. We examine one such manifestation of racial harassment against Asians in the form of workplace microaggressions, such as a coworker referring to the virus as the “Chinese virus” and the negative impact that these forms of racial microaggressions can have on those who witness them. We also examine the influence of a leader who intervenes versus a leader who stays silent when a microaggression occurs, highlighting the positive impact of leaders who condemn microaggressions while underscoring the negative impact of leaders who stay silent. We found that, among those who witness microaggressions, Asian Americans were more likely to ruminate and report negative perceptions of the aggressor than Whites. We also found that leader intervention improved perceptions of leader effectiveness and that leader trust mediated this process, especially among Asian Americans. Additionally, we found that leader intervention decreased turnover intentions.

  PublisherDOI

• General and Stereotype-Based Microaggressions Experienced by Asians and Asian Americans in the Workplace: A Qualitative Study

  American Behavioral Scientist · 2024-03-01 · 6 citations

  article

  The purpose of this study was to uncover the racial microaggressions that Asians and Asian Americans experience in the workplace. Qualitative interviews and focus groups were conducted with 19 Asian and Asian American men and women, representing a variety of Asian ethnicities, with work experience in various industries. Results revealed seven themes of workplace racial microaggressions: (a) Invalidation of Individual Differences , (b) Unrecognized Contributions and Undervalued Employee , (c) Being Singled Out , (d) Demeaning Cultural Values and Communication Styles , (e) Ascription of Subservience , (f) Ascription of Diligence , and (g) Ascription of Math Competency . These seven themes were classified into two broader categories. The first four themes were classified into general microaggressions, which embodied microaggressions experienced by Asians but could also be experienced by other people of color. The last three themes were classified into stereotype-based microaggressions, which embodied how Asians were treated differently through the lens of stereotypes that others held of Asians. Although, Ascription of Math Competency and Ascription of Diligence may be seen as positive, these microaggressions yielded more assigned math-related work rather than the employee’s preferences and longer working hours, respectively. The effect of these microaggressions rendered Asian employees as visible in terms of their race, whereas invisible in terms of their professional contributions. Implications of these findings for improving experiences of Asians in the workplace are discussed.

  PublisherDOI

• The Costs of the Win-at-all-Cost Culture in High Performance Sport

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2024-07-09 · 4 citations

  articleSenior author

  Heightened media scrutiny and growing public awareness, has led to increased research focusing on maltreatment in sport (Willson et al., 2022b). The Masculinity Contest Culture (MCC) framework has been effective in exploring the elite sport context and its connection to athlete health and safety (Monton et al., 2023). This study sought to deepen our understanding of how MCC is enacted in sports contexts, and how it relates to athlete outcomes. We used semi-structured interviews with retired, female, national team athletes (n=30). Results indicated that the MCC norm of show no weakness was enacted by a low tolerance for error, suppression of emotion and concealing of mental health struggles, while the MCC norm of strength and stamina was represented by a pattern of athletes playing through injury and illness. The MCC norm of dog-eat-dog was exemplified through toxic levels of competition, athlete hierarchy and a feeling that athletes were replaceable, whereas the MCC norm of put work first was represented by as a sole focus on sport. In addition to the four MCC norms cited in the literature, a win-at-all-costs justification emerged as an overarching theme across all four norms. MCC was enforced by coaches and athletes through rewards and punishment which had devastating consequences for athletes, including stress, diminished self-esteem, body image and disordered eating, difficulty with interpersonal relationships and burnout.

  PublisherDOI

• Silence is Not Always Golden: Impact of Leader Intervention Against COVID-19 Microaggressions

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2023-07-24

  articleSenior author

  The racialization of COVID-19 as an Asian virus has been linked to growing reports of racial harassment and violence targeting Asian Americans. We examine one such manifestation of racial harassment against Asians in the form of COVID-19 related microaggressions, such as having a coworker refer to the virus as the “Chinese virus.” Bringing together the microaggression and inclusive leadership literature, we examine the negative impact of such racial microaggressions on the employee experience and highlight the positive impact of leaders who condemn these microaggressions and the negative impact of leaders who stay silent. We found that Asian Americans are more likely to ruminate and report more negative perceptions of the aggressor compared to Whites. We also found that leader intervention improved perceptions of leader effectiveness, especially among Asian Americans. Additionally, we found that leader intervention decreased turnover intentions.

  PublisherDOI

• Diversity in Words, Diversity in Deeds

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2023-07-24

  article

  In an organizational context, individuals encounter multiple contextual cues that signal how their organization approaches diversity. These cues include diversity ideology espoused by the organization, as well as enacted diversity in representation at the most senior levels of the organizational hierarchy. The present study investigated how these two distinct diversity cues, when presented in conjunction, differentially affect Whites’ and racial minorities’ perceptions of organizational authenticity and their predictions of success. Our findings demonstrate that when diversity ideology claimed to value difference (vs. equality or merit) but, in reality, racial minorities were underrepresented at the executive level, both Whites and racial minorities perceived the organization as being inauthentic. In terms of predictions of success, diversity ideology that highlighted value in equality (vs. difference or merit) had a particularly positive impact on racial minorities, while the lack of diversity among senior executives was particularly detrimental to racial minorities’ predictions of success. In contrast, neither diversity ideology nor leadership diversity influenced predictions of success of their White counterparts. These findings demonstrate that it is critical for organizations to walk the talk by increasing diverse representation across the ranks in order to signal authenticity and to increase racial minorities’ perceived chances for achieving success.

  PublisherDOI

• Tailoring the intervention to the self: Congruence between self-affirmation and self-construal mitigates the gender gap in quantitative performance

  Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes · 2022 · 22 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Psychology
  • Social psychology
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Loriann Roberson

  Columbia University

  10 shared

• Madeline E. Heilman

  New York University

  9 shared

• Richard F. Martell

  7 shared

• Jennifer Y. Kim

  Tufts University

  5 shared

• Debra A. Neuger

  Arizona State University

  4 shared

• Yu Hong

  Harbin Medical University

  3 shared

• Benjamín E. Liberman

  3 shared

• Aitong Li

  Chinese PLA General Hospital

  3 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Industrial/Organizational Psychology

  New York University

• M.A., Psychology

  New York University

• B.S., Psychology

  University of Illinois - Urbana

Awards & honors

• Fellow, London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemi…
• Sponsored Doctoral Dissertation (Jean Sohn) winner of the Be…
• Paper nominated for 2020 Best Symposium Award for the Manage…
• Dorothy Harlow Award Runner-up for the Best Paper, Gender, D…
• Paper chosen as 1 of 6 articles to represent Industrial/Orga…