ON THE NATURE OF PREJUDICE

Mechanisms for Coping with Victimization 169self-esteem of minority group members stemmed from assuming theymade intergroup social comparisons as standards of personal worth.Another research question concerns how members of stigmatized groupscan create contexts of comfort. In the Universal Context of Racism model,self-protective mechanisms are elicited by the accessibility of racist explanationsfor personal and collective outcomes. If one can create a contextwhere either (a) racism is not likely to occur or (b) if racism does emerge,its impact is significantly reduced, then one may be freer to use selfenhancementas a means of preserving psychological well-being. Researchmight be fruitful that explores the mechanisms by which one creates safephysical and psychological contexts and how they facilitate self-enhancingbehaviors that have positive effects on well-being.Finally, this approach need not be limited to African Americans but hasgeneral application to any identifiable human group that is a target ofsystemic group-based loss of control or freedom and physical and psychologicaldenigration of their collective human worth. When a group facessuch circumstances, it will necessarily draw upon its known and practicedcultural patterns as a means of coping with these challenges. It could bethat the TRIOS qualities are uniquely suited to adapting to dehumanizingcircumstances. It also could be that different groups will find waysto employ their cultural tendencies to successfully cope with similarlychallenging circumstances. Indeed, the framework I propose is that understandingthe responses of victims of systematic discrimination must take intoaccount the group’s historical-cultural patterns and mechanisms in order tohave an adequate and accurate understanding of their psychological life.REFERENCESAllport, G. W. (1954/1979). The natureof prejudice. Cambridge, MA: PerseusBooks.Arroyo, C. & Zigler, E. (1995). Racialidentity, academic achievement, andthe psychological well-being of economicallydisadvantaged adolescents.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,69, 903–14.Branscombe, N. R., Schmitt, M. T.,& Harvey, R. D. (1999). Perceivingpervasive discrimination among AfricanAmericans: Implications for groupidentification and well-being. Journalof Personality and Social Psychology,77(3), 135–49.Clark, K. B. & Clark, M. P. (1947).Racial identification and preferencein negro children. In T. M. Newcomb& E. L. Hartley (eds.), Readings insocial psychology (pp. 602–11). NewYork: Holt.Crocker, J., Luhtanen, R., Brodnax,S., & Blaine, B. E. (1999). Belief inU.S. government conspiracies againstBlacks among Black and White