| Abstract: | We describe a theoretical framework that identifies similar themes across the reported experiences of historically stigmatized groups. Inferiorization is a function of the confluence of stigma, context, and associated cultural myths. A self-report measure of inferiorization was applied to college-student samples of African Americans, White women, gay men and lesbians, people with disabilities, and, as a control, a White male comparison group (total N= 263). Stigmatizable people tended to report more frequent inferiorizing events than generally nonstigmatizable people. Deviations from this pattern were explained by the contextual and stigma-related specificity of inferiorization and the presence or absence of associated cultural myths. Inferiorization describes a general social process that remains sensitive to the experiences of specific groups and to the contextual nature of stigmatization. |
