Why Minority Group Members Perceive or Do Not Perceive the Discrimination That Confronts Them: The Role of Self-Esteem and Perceived Control

Self-esteem and perceived control were examined to explain why minority group members sometimes perceive discrimination but, more often, minimize the discrimination. Women (Study 1), and Asians and Blacks (Study 2) reacted to negative feedback after information about the probability for discrimination. Minority group members tended to minimize discrimination and attributed their failure to themselves. By perceiving discrimination as a reason for failure, minority group members protected their performance state self-esteem. In contrast, by minimizing discrimination, they protected their social state self-esteem and maintained the perception of control in the performance and social domains. Results suggest that minority group members minimize discrimination because the consequences of doing so are psychologically beneficial.