Mismatched goals may lead interactions between well-intentioned White and racial minority individuals to go awry. Waterloo Assistant Professor Hilary Bergsieker and her colleagues clarify the divergent expectations that diverse groups often bring into encounters with one another.
Stereotypes
of
some
racial
minorities
(e.g.,
Blacks
and
Latinos)
as
unintelligent
and
of
Whites
as
racist
may
give
rise
to
divergent
impression
management
goals
in
interracial
interactions.
A
series
of
experiments
reveal
that
in
interracial
interactions
racial
minorities
typically
seek
to
be
respected
and
seen
as
competent
more
than
Whites
do,
whereas
Whites
seek
to
be
liked
and
seen
as
moral
more
than
racial
minorities
do.
These
divergent
goals
are
reflected
in
Whites’
and
racial
minorities’
self-report
responses
and
behaviours,
in
both
pre-existing
relationships
and
first
encounters.
Mismatched
goals
are
linked
to
experiencing
higher
levels
of
anger
and
frustration,
which
may
undermine
effective
interracial
communication,
even
between
otherwise
well-intentioned,
relatively
unprejudiced
individuals.
In
Manitoba,
similar
emphasis
on
seeking
respect
and
liking
or
moral
approval
have
been
observed
with
First
Nations
and
White
Canadians
in
the
lab
of
Waterloo
alum
Jacquie
Vorauer.