An Examination of Influence From Self-Esteem and Media Stereotype on American Students' Discrimination and Aggression Toward Asian International Students

• In Event: Intergroup Communication Research in Progress

Abstract

With increased number of international students in the United States especially from Asian countries, intercultural and intergroup research has focused on their view of identity, without much focus on possible discrimination and aggression toward them held by the majority American college students. As a result, building on the self-esteem hypothesis under the social identity theory as well as media stereotype on Asian, the current study aims to shed light theoretically on whether self-esteem from viewing collective-self would influence out-group discrimination/aggression, and to answer whether stereotype will impact American students’ out-group discrimination/aggression toward Asian international students. An experimental study with between-subject design is conducted. Stimuli are designed to manipulate participants into two levels of self-esteem from viewing of collective-self as well as two levels of stereotypical portrayal of Asian international students. In addition, self-report of each participant’s self-esteem and ethnocentrism before the experiment are used as covariates in data analysis.

Author

• Chun Zhou, University of Miami