IDENTITY INVISIBILITY and PSYCHOLOGY

The Invisibles

Identity invisibility occurs when aspects of a person’s identity—such as race, gender, sexuality, disability, or religion—are overlooked, ignored, or rendered unseen within social, cultural, or institutional contexts. This invisibility often results in marginalized groups being excluded from representation, policy considerations, and collective narratives, despite their presence and contributions (Coles & Pasek, 2020). See the examples below.

In the SCOPES model of human functioning, Identity is a key feature at the center of the SELF. Self-Identity is our way of presenting ourselves to others. There are select aspects of our identity others see and interpret from their frame of reference unless we take control of our own narrative.

Cite this Post

Sutton, G.W. (2025, September 23). Identity invisibility and psychology. Psychology Concepts and Principles. https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2025/09/identity-invisibility-and-psychology.html

Key Idea: The person exists, but their identity is not acknowledged or represented.

Social Psychology Examples:

Black women being marginalized in both feminist and antiracist movements because their experiences don’t fit the “prototype” of either group (known as intersectional invisibility).
LGBTQ+ people being left out of health research, leading to policies that don’t address their needs.

Psychology of Religion Examples:

Women in Early Christian Leadership
Although women such as Phoebe (Romans 16:1) and Junia (Romans 16:7) held leadership roles in the early church, later ecclesiastical histories often minimized or ignored their presence. Their contributions became “invisible” in dominant narratives of church authority.

Queer Believers in Contemporary Congregations
In many Christian denominations, LGBTQ+ members are present and active but remain invisible in official liturgies, leadership structures, or pastoral care. Their identities are acknowledged privately but not institutionally, creating a form of “don’t ask, don’t tell” invisibility.

School Psychology Examples

Curriculum Gaps: Students of color often find their histories and cultures absent from textbooks, leaving them unseen in the classroom narrative (e.g., African American or Indigenous histories minimized in U.S. history courses).
Classroom Participation: Research shows that girls in STEM classes are sometimes overlooked by teachers, with their contributions receiving less acknowledgment than boys’ (Coles & Pasek, 2020).
LGBTQ+ Students: Schools that avoid discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in health curricula render queer students invisible, even though they are present in the student body.

I/O Psychology Examples

Women of Color in Meetings: Studies show women of color are frequently interrupted, their ideas ignored or later repeated by others who receive credit.
Invisible Disabilities: Employees with chronic illnesses or mental health conditions often feel pressure to “pass” as able-bodied, making their needs invisible in workplace policies.
Non-Christian Holidays: Work calendars often center Christian holidays, leaving Jewish, Muslim, or Hindu employees’ observances unacknowledged.

Note

This page is for education and not personal advice. Consult health care providers for the most recent information and personal concerns.

Post Author

Geoffrey W. Sutton, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Evangel University, holds a master’s degree in counseling and a PhD in psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. His postdoctoral work encompassed education and supervision in forensic and neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. As a licensed psychologist, he conducted clinical and neuropsychological evaluations and provided psychotherapy for patients in various settings, including schools, hospitals, and private offices. During his tenure as a professor, Dr. Sutton taught courses on psychotherapy, assessment, and research. He has authored over one hundred publications, including books, book chapters, and articles in peer-reviewed psychology journals.

His website is https://suttong.com

You can find Dr. Sutton's books on AMAZON and GOOGLE.

Many publications are free to download at ResearchGate and Academia

Identity Erasure

Identity Foreclosure

Identity Formation

Identity Invisibility

Identity Salience

Self-Concept and Self-Identity

References

Bhattacharyya, B., & Berdahl, J. L. (2023). Do you see me? An inductive examination of differences between women of color’s experiences of and responses to invisibility at work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 108(7), 1073–1095. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001072

Coles, S. M., & Pasek, J. (2020). Intersectional invisibility revisited: How group prototypes lead to the erasure of Black women. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 6(4), 314–327. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000256

Myles, K. (2022, September 6). Black visibility matters: The inconvenient truths of bias and erasure. Learning for Justice. https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/black-visibility-matters-the-inconvenient-truths-of-bias-and-erasure