How does ethnic identification impact the recall of and reactions to discrimination?

Although previous research has shown ingroup identification to be a reliable buffer against the negative effects of being the target of ethnic discrimination, little is known about the underlying psychological processes. This study examined whether memory construction processes play a role in these effects. After being pretested for ingroup identification, ethnic minority participants read about and imagined themselves having the experiences of a co-ethnic student. The experiences involved an obvious or a subtle episode of discrimination, a non-discrimination conflict, or a neutral interaction. Participants later wrote two first-person free recall narratives of the event, and completed measures of self-esteem, well-being, and reactions to the event. Analyses suggest that identification plays an important role in maintaining self-esteem and well-being in the face of discrimination, particularly when the discrimination is more subtle. Identification also has differential effects on different scales of well-being, and its effect is moderated by differences in recall.