Coping With Prejudice: Personal Relationship Partners as Sources of Socioemotional Support for Stigmatized Individuals

Inthe present article, I consider the behavior of nonstigmatized versus stigmatized perceivers toward stigmatized target persons in personal relationships. First, I argue that nonstigmatized persons generally are less likely to enter into personal relationships with or to give affection and respect as socioemotional support to stigmatized persons than are other stigmatized persons. Second, I present a variety of facilitators and barriers to stigmatized persons' supportive function as well as factors that might make nonstigmatized persons more likely than stigmatized persons as sources of socioemotional support for stigmatized partners. Directions for future research are discussed.