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Coping With Prejudice: Personal Relationship Partners as Sources of Socioemotional Support for Stigmatized Individuals
Author(s) -
Gaines, Jr. Stanley O.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/0022-4537.00204
Subject(s) - socioemotional selectivity theory , psychology , affection , prejudice (legal term) , social psychology , coping (psychology) , developmental psychology , social support , clinical psychology
Inthe present article, I consider the behavior of nonstigmatized versus stigmatized perceivers toward stigmatized target persons in personal relationships. First, I argue that nonstigmatized persons generally are less likely to enter into personal relationships with or to give affection and respect as socioemotional support to stigmatized persons than are other stigmatized persons. Second, I present a variety of facilitators and barriers to stigmatized persons' supportive function as well as factors that might make nonstigmatized persons more likely than stigmatized persons as sources of socioemotional support for stigmatized partners. Directions for future research are discussed.