Racism functions as a chronically accessible lens shaping interpretation and goals

Evidence

Targets of racism live daily with the possibility of threat, bias, denigration, and diminished opportunity. Individual and collective histories of targets are psychologically available at any given moment, and thus are part of the situation that influences behavior and forms the basis of the Universal Context of Racism Model (UCR; Jones, 2003). … Two motivational consequences of the universal context of racism are proposed: (a) self-protective motivations, by which one is oriented to detecting the occurrence of, protecting oneself from, avoiding, and conquering racism; and (b) self-enhancing motivations by which one is oriented toward expressing and enhancing one’s self-worth and humanity. Self-protective mechanisms are triggered by the perception of a race-based threat in a given situation, or a chronic state of unfairness or discrimination based on race. Deployment of these defense mechanisms will depend on the cues in the situation as interpreted by one’s race-based schema (racial centrality), as well as by more enduring belief systems (system blame, system justification, and race ideology processes). Individual and situational influences and their interactions are projected in self-protective mechanisms. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1080 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Racism has a cognitive subsystem of shared mental models beyond visible acts — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 1054; Theories of racism must treat discourse as cognition, not just practice — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 1065; Racism shapes target psychology as an ever-present accessible explanatory context, not just episodic events — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1080 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Racism shapes target psychology as an ever-present accessible explanatory context, not just episodic events #expands (0.93) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1080