Intersections of embodiment and racism : the impact of a student's identity on their interactions with others.

Abstract

Embodiment, the reciprocal influence of the mind and body on a person’s identity, can be utilized to understand undergraduates’ engagement with the world when it is studied in relation to cross-racial interactions and internal motivation to respond without prejudice. The present research used multiple regression analysis to study the relationship between college students’ personal levels of embodiment and the ways in which students think about and interact with racially and ethnically diverse others. The data from this research show that bodily responsiveness has a positive effect on both a student’s internal motivation to respond without prejudice and their frequency of cross-racial interactions. The data also show that objectified body consciousness has a negative effect on student’s internal motivation to respond without prejudice and their frequency of cross-racial interactions.