EXPLORING RACIAL DIFFERENCES IN INDIVIDUAL AND STRUCTURAL ATTRIBUTIONS, SELF-EVALUATIONS AND PERCEPTIONS OF INCOME FAIRNESS

Background: Using the self-evaluation theory of legitimation (Della Fave, 1980; Shepelak, 1987; Shepelak and Alwin, 1986; Stolte, 1983, 1987) and the work of Matthew O. Hunt (1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007; Hunt et al., 2000; Hunt and Wilson, 2009; Merolla, Hunt and Serpe, 2011), this study sought to understand the differences in the process of self-evaluation that emerge for different racial and ethnic groups, when taking several social-psychological constructs in to account. Methods: This study uses the Legitimation, Attribution and Self-Verification (LAS) Questionnaire (n= 1,107). These data were collected to measure people’s thoughts and feelings about social behavior, such as how people attribute success to themselves and others at work, the perceptions that individuals have about poverty in the United States, how education impacts the life chances of an individual and much more. Group Structural Equation Modeling (GSEM) was used to analyze the racial/ethnic group differences. Results: The group differences that were uncovered in the current research at as follows: First, for white respondents, demographic characteristics tend to be important for social psychological measures, namely mastery, but there does not seem to be an overriding pattern that determines how this group will self-evaluate. Black respondents as a group tended to place more emphasis on external measures, such as locus of control and reflected appraisals, for the process of self-evaluation. Latinos in this study were more influenced by internal social psychological processes – namely mastery – in their self-evaluative processes as a group.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Sociology

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Akron

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Rickles, Michael L., Jr.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Lee, Matthew
• Serpe, Richard

• Sociology
• race
• race identity
• self-attribution
• self-evaluation
• social psychology
• identity theory
• white
• black
• Latino
• legitimation

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1365669591

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:akron1365669591