Which term describes holding egalitarian values and beliefs while still possessing negative feelings and beliefs about racial issues and minority group members?

• A. Aversive racism
• B. Benevolent sexism
• C. Co-ethnic
• D. Brain drain

Answer: (A)

Aversive racism is at work when someone explicitly endorses egalitarian values and believes they are nonprejudiced, yet still harbors negative feelings or beliefs about racial groups that can surface in subtle, often unconscious ways. This tension leads to biased behavior in situations that aren’t clearly racist, because the person tries to act in a socially acceptable, nonprejudiced manner while their implicit biases influence judgments or actions. In practice, you might see discomfort in cross‑racial interactions, avoidance of minority group members, or decisions that seem fair on the surface but are subtly biased in ambiguous contexts, such as hiring or performance judgments. The other terms describe different concepts unrelated to this pattern: benevolent sexism refers to seemingly positive but patronizing attitudes toward women; co-ethnic means belonging to the same ethnic group; brain drain describes the emigration of skilled workers. Aversive racism best captures the mix of professed equality and underlying negative attitudes.