Group status as a moderator of the distinct effect of personal and group discrimination on personal self-esteem: A comparative study between European and Arab students

People minimize personal discrimination in comparison to group discrimination. Moreover, while personal discrimination is negatively linked to personal self-esteem, group discrimination is positively associated with it. Until now, these patterns of results have only been examined on participants from low status groups. The present study aims to investigate the personal-group discrimination discrepancy as well as the differential influence of the two dimensions of discrimination on self-esteem according to the position of the participants’ groups within the social hierarchy. For members of low status groups, results showed the personal-group discrimination discrepancy as well as the distinct effects of the two dimensions of discrimination on personal self-esteem. In contrast, members of high status groups perceive the same level of personal and of group discrimination. Furthermore, for this group, personal self-esteem is unrelated to any of the two dimensions of discrimination. These results are interpreted in the light of social comparison literature.