Black Americans suppress emotions when prejudice is believed to stem from shared ignorance.

ABSTRACT: Past research examining lay theories of the origins of prejudice has focused on white Americans and has not considered how Black Americans' lay theories of prejudice may impact emotion regulation following discrimination. Across three samples of Black Americans (N = 419), the present research examined relationships between endorsement of two lay theories of prejudice origins (1, beliefs that prejudice stems from shared social ignorance and 2, that prejudice stems from malice). Stronger beliefs that prejudice stems from shared ignorance were associated with greater expression suppression following experiences of racial discrimination (studies 1b and 2), which was, in turn, associated with psychological distress (study 2). By centering the beliefs and experiences of Black Americans in

SUBMITTER: Chaney KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10982414 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature