Exploring Cross‐Group Discrimination: Measuring the Dimensions of Inferiorization1

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Abstract
We describe a theoretical framework that identifies similar themes across the reported experiences of historically stigmatized groups. Inferiorization is a function of the confluence of stigma, context, and associated cultural myths. A self‐report measure of inferiorization was applied to college‐student samples of African Americans, White women, gay men and lesbians, people with disabilities, and, as a control, a White male comparison group (total N= 263). Stigmatizable people tended to report more frequent inferiorizing events than generally nonstigmatizable people. Deviations from this pattern were explained by the contextual and stigma‐related specificity of inferiorization and the presence or absence of associated cultural myths. Inferiorization describes a general social process that remains sensitive to the experiences of specific groups and to the contextual nature of stigmatization.