The Psychology of Minority Solidarity with Dr. Efren Perez

<p>Why do people sometimes see another group’s struggle as connected to their own and other times see that same group as a competitor?</p><p>In this episode, I sit down with political psychologist <b><strong>Dr. Efrén Pérez</strong></b>, Professor of Political Science and Psychology at UCLA, to explore the psychology of race, identity, political solidarity, and coalition-building.</p><p>We talk about racial and ethnic groups as if shared experiences naturally translate into shared politics. But Dr. Pérez’s research shows a much more complicated picture. Black, Latino, Asian American, and other communities contain substantial political and psychological diversity, and solidarity between groups is neither automatic nor inevitable.</p><p>Instead, we explore the psychological processes that can expand our sense of <b><strong>“us.”</strong></b></p><p>One of the ideas I kept coming back to throughout our conversation is that our identities can be remarkably stable while the boundaries of the groups we identify with can still expand.</p><p>The larger psychological question may be this:</p><p><b><strong>How do we learn to make the circle of “us” bigger without erasing the differences within it?</strong></b></p>About Dr. Efrén Pérez<p>Dr. Efrén Pérez is a Professor of Political Science and Psychology at UCLA and a leading scholar in political psychology. His research examines racial and ethnic politics, group identity, interminority relations, political cognition, language, and public opinion. He directs UCLA’s <b><strong>Race, Ethnicity, Politics &amp; Society (REPS) Lab</strong></b> and co-directs its Intergroup Relations Lab.</p><p><b><strong>Learn more about Dr. Pérez:</strong></b><br /><a href="https://eoperez.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Efrén Pérez — Official Website</a><br /><a href="https://www.psych.ucla.edu/faculty-page/perezeo/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">UCLA Faculty Profile</a><br /><a href="https://eoperez.com/reps-lab/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Race, Ethnicity, Politics &amp; Society (REPS) Lab</a><br /><a href="https://eoperez.com/publications/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Dr. Pérez’s Publications</a></p><p>Follow <b><strong>@ego.over.id</strong></b> for more conversations exploring the psychology behind how we think, behave, and make sense of ourselves and the world around us.</p>