By whose standard? The affective implications of ethnic minorities' comparisons to ethnic minority and majority referents

被引:30
|
作者
Leach, Colin Wayne
Smith, Heather J.
机构
[1] Univ Calif Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 USA
[2] Sonoma State Univ, Rohnert Pk, CA 94928 USA
关键词
D O I
10.1002/ejsp.315
中图分类号
B84 [心理学];
学科分类号
04 ; 0402 ;
摘要
In a 'diary' study, we examined the frequency and affective implications of 34 ethnic minority students' comparisons to other ethnic minorities or to members of a high-status ethnic majority (i.e., European-Americans). Participants made more frequent comparisons to ethnic majority than ethnic minority referents, although neither type of comparison tended to be perceived in terms of group membership (see also Smith & Leach, 2004). Comparisons to ethnic majority referents did not alter participants' positive affect even where they suggested poor future prospects in status-relevant domains. In contrast, comparisons to fellow ethnic minorities led to increased positive affect when they suggested a future prospect of improvement. We discuss the conceptual and practical implications of social comparison in the context of group status. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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页码:747 / 760
页数:14
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