Perceived conflict in interracial interactions: Racially based attributions of responsibility

Abstract

Discrimination and prejudice are commonly blamed for tensions between racial groups and the difficulty of forming interracial friendships. Other factors, such as fear of rejection, pluralistic ignorance, and fear of appearing prejudiced also create anxiety for all parties concerned in interracial interactions. Conflict within an interracial friendship however, may be one of the most important factors affecting individuals’ judgments of how friendly others appear. This study examined how participants’ perceptions of the friendliness of Black and White individuals changed when conflict was introduced in a purported friendship. Surveys portraying either a friendship or a friendship in conflict between two White individuals or between a White and a Black individual were distributed to a large number of adults living in the United States. Analysis of the data collected suggests that people perceive Black individuals in interracial friendships as friendlier than White individuals in intraracial friendships, but perceive the same Black and White individuals as equally friendly when their respective friendships are in conflict.