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Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, Vol. 9, No. 2, 147-162 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1368430206062074
© 2006 SAGE Publications

Attributions to Discrimination and Self-Esteem: The Role of Group Identification and Appraisals

Collette P. Eccleston

Syracuse University

Brenda N. Major

University of California, Santa Barbara

This study tested the hypothesis that appraisals of discrimination (i.e. its perceived severity, global aspects, stability, and uncontrollability) mediate the relationship between attributions to discrimination and personal self-esteem. It also tested three models of how ethnic group identification is related to discrimination attributions, discrimination appraisals, and personal self-esteem. In a cross-sectional study of 160 Latino-American students, group identification was positively related to attributing ambiguous negative events to discrimination. Discrimination attributions were related to appraising discrimination as more global and severe. These latter appraisals, in turn, were related to lower self-esteem. No direct relationships were observed between self-esteem and either group identification or discrimination attributions. Results illustrate the importance of appraisals in understanding the relationship between perceived discrimination and self-esteem.

Key Words: appraisals of discrimination • attributions to discrimination • self-esteem

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