Group Status and Emotionally Coping with Discrimination

Anger can be an important emotional force in politics. But do some groups cope differently when feeling angry about political issues? Drawing on social psychology theories, political scientists Jennifer Merolla, Antoine Banks, and Heather Hicks will examine how the coping strategies people pursue when confronted with political issues vary by race and gender. The researchers will run three online survey experiments specifically looking at the issue of employment discrimination. They will investigate the following questions: 1) Does race or gender affect the type of coping strategies individuals choose to deal with their anger? 2) Do some groups have more confidence that they can overcome their political problems and therefore better cope with their anger?