Employment discrimination of Hispanics/Latinos: The effects of acculturation on the perception of harassment

This dissertation briefly outlines the study of prejudice and explains the present understanding and theory of intergroup prejudice. Prejudice is manifest as groups form social identities and work to strengthen their own groups while negatively stereotyping other or competing groups. This dissertation focuses on the interactions between Hispanics/Latinos and Anglos and highlights racial and/or ethnic prejudice directed toward Hispanics/Latinos living in the United States. Hispanic/Latino groups come from many different countries in Latin America and share a common language and cultural characteristics. A brief historical background is provided for some of these groups, which explains how each came to be part of the United States and how each has encountered instances of prejudice and/or discrimination. Discussion of prejudice and discrimination in education, language use, immigration, and employment illustrates areas of life where Hispanics/Latinos struggle to improve themselves.;Racial/ethnic harassment is an aspect of employment discrimination that has received relatively little attention but negatively affects the lives of many Hispanics/Latinos. This dissertation addresses the question of ethnic/racial harassment as a subjective experience and tests whether or not Hispanics/Latinos and Anglos perceive a potentially harassing situation differently.;Perceptions of harassment are further explored within the Hispanic/Latino group by measuring whether or not acculturation is a factor that contributes to one's perceptions. Hispanic/Latino participants read scenarios of potentially harassing situations and were asked to report their impressions and the extent to which the behaviors presented in the situation were hostile, offensive, intimidating, or interfering with work performance. The results showed that ethnicity and acculturation affected participants' perceptions to some degree, but only in conjunction with the nature or theme of the harassing behavior. Anglos and Hispanics/Latinos differed in their perceptions only when reading a situation about affirmative action. Acculturation affected Hispanics'/Latinos' perceptions such that more acculturated individuals perceived more harassment when the situation incorporated stereotypical views of Hispanics/Latinos in low status jobs.