The Colorblind Ideology

The colorblind theory is a pervasive belief, often promoted as the ideal in both U.S. schools and the workplace because adoption of this view ignores group differences, presumably allowing for equal treatment of all. The colorblind view in the U.S. has often been captured by the ?melting pot? metaphor. Agreement with this lay theory relates significantly to increased social tolerance toward members of racial minorities, however, prior work has not systematically tested which aspects of the colorblind theory account for differences in intergroup processes. Some suggest that we should focus on people?s universal or common superordinate group identity, whereas others suggest that we should focus on the unique internal characteristics of individuals. Still others suggest that focusing on both the similarities and uniqueness of people is the best way to make group differences irrelevant. This book provides a fine-grained analysis of the colorblind view, and its impact on racial attitudes and behavior. It is especially useful for anyone who has an interest in understanding how to implement effective colorblind inductions, or how to improve intergroup relations more generally.