Concept and origins
Gaertner and Dovidio (1986) sought to explain why discrimination persisted after blatant racism declined. They argued that many people genuinely endorse egalitarian values yet unconsciously hold negative feelings such as discomfort and anxiety acquired through socialization. Because they see themselves as unprejudiced, they act fairly when discrimination would be obvious. When behavior can be attributed to something other than race, however, bias leaks out. Like symbolic racism, it is a leading account of contemporary prejudice.
Experimental evidence
Gaertner and Dovidio (1977) found in an emergency experiment that White participants who were alone helped Black and White victims equally, but when others were present and offered an excuse not to help, they helped Black victims less. Dovidio and Gaertner (2000) found in both 1989 and 1999 that there was no bias when applicants were clearly strong or weak, but that Black applicants were recommended less when qualifications were ambiguous. Hodson and colleagues (2002) showed that people weight whichever conflicting information supports their preferred conclusion. Dovidio and colleagues (2002) reported that implicit bias appears in nonverbal behavior such as eye contact and is noticed by interaction partners.
Implications and interventions
Dovidio and Gaertner (2004) concluded that because aversive racism is unintentional, simply telling people to drop their prejudice works poorly. Proposed alternatives include setting clear evaluation criteria in advance, making people aware of their unconscious biases and widening the boundaries of "we," as in the common ingroup identity model. Pearson and colleagues (2009) explained that the concept helps understand discrimination in hiring, health care and law enforcement. How well implicit measures predict actual behavior, however, remains debated.
FAQ
- What is aversive racism in simple terms?
- Even people who believe they are fair may unconsciously discriminate in ambiguous situations where another reason can be given.
- Why is it called aversive?
- Because it appears as discomfort and avoidance rather than open hatred.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Gaertner, S. L., & Dovidio, J. F. (1977). The subtlety of White racism, arousal, and helping behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35(10), 691–707. Early helping experiments that revealed subtle racism.
- Gaertner, S. L., & Dovidio, J. F. (1986). The aversive form of racism. In J. F. Dovidio & S. L. Gaertner (Eds.), Prejudice, Discrimination, and Racism (pp. 61–89). Orlando, FL: Academic Press. The chapter that named and defined aversive racism.
- Dovidio, J. F., & Gaertner, S. L. (2000). Aversive racism and selection decisions: 1989 and 1999. Psychological Science, 11(4), 315–319. Shows hiring bias appears when qualifications are ambiguous.
- Dovidio, J. F., Kawakami, K., & Gaertner, S. L. (2002). Implicit and explicit prejudice and interracial interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(1), 62–68. Implicit bias predicts nonverbal behavior in interracial interaction.
- Hodson, G., Dovidio, J. F., & Gaertner, S. L. (2002). Processes in racial discrimination: Differential weighting of conflicting information. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(4), 460–471. Shows selective weighting of mixed information justifies bias.
- Dovidio, J. F., & Gaertner, S. L. (2004). Aversive racism. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 36, 1–52. A comprehensive review of aversive racism research.
- Pearson, A. R., Dovidio, J. F., & Gaertner, S. L. (2009). The nature of contemporary prejudice: Insights from aversive racism. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 3(3), 314–338. An accessible review including interventions.