Diverse Responses to Discrimination: An Exploration Into the Coping Strategies Black and Asian Americans Use in Response to Racial Discrimination
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
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2025 Malissa Alinor and Yvonne Chen. Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited