The social psychology of perceived prejudice and discrimination

Most research on prejudice has followed a unidirectional orientation of investigating why or when majority- or dominant-group members become prejudiced toward members of minority or subordinate groups without considering the effects Of prejudice and discrimination upon its victims. By contrast, my research program over the past quarter-century deals with the phenomenology of prejudice and discrimination from the perspective of the victim and has sought to answer questions such as the following: What is it like to be discriminated against on the basis of an arbitrary characteristic Such as ethnicity, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, etc.? What are the social-psychological and affective correlates and consequences to individuals who confront prejudice and discrimination by virtue of membership in a minority or subordinate groups This paper presents a sampling of my research on the phenomenology of prejudice and discrimination, along with several theoretical perspectives that I have used and developed to help to understand this issue.