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Diverse Responses to Discrimination: An Exploration Into the Coping Strategies Black and Asian Americans Use in Response to Racial Discrimination

a University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, USA
b Texas Christian University, USA

Advances In Group Processes, Volume 41

ISBN: 978-1-83608-701-4, eISBN: 978-1-83608-700-7

Publication date: 6 December 2024

Abstract

Purpose

This study explores the coping strategies employed by people of color in response to racial discrimination and examines how cultural norms inform these strategies.

Methodology

In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 34 Black and Asian Americans about their experiences with racial discrimination.

Findings

Findings reveal that participants cope through humor, seeking social support on social media, from family and friends, and through avoidant coping strategies. Seeking social support from empathetic others, especially when they shared the same racial background as participants, contributes to feelings of comfort, sanity, and a sense of community. Group differences emerge in seeking family support with Black Americans more likely to seek parental support, likely because of racial socialization practices by their parents that prepared them for experiencing bias. Asian Americans preferred talking to siblings or cousins, citing a cultural gap between them and their parents.

Research Implications

The study underscores the importance of considering the quality of social support, not just its use, as a buffer against harms related to discrimination.

Social Implications

Racial discrimination is a routine experience for many people of color. This study demonstrates how the type of coping strategy matters for coping with the distress that often accompanies these experiences.

Originality

In contrast to monoracial-focused studies, this research demonstrates the convergence and divergence of coping strategies among different racial groups.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank our undergraduate research assistants for all their work with data collection and transcribing.

Citation

Alinor, M. and Chen, Y. (2024), "Diverse Responses to Discrimination: An Exploration Into the Coping Strategies Black and Asian Americans Use in Response to Racial Discrimination", Thye, S.R., Kalkhoff, W. and Lawler, E.J. (Ed.) Advances In Group Processes, Volume 41 (Advances in Group Processes, Vol. 41), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 161-180. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0882-614520240000041008

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2025 Malissa Alinor and Yvonne Chen. Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited