Racism and personal adjustment: testing the Bagley hypothesis in Germany and South Africa

Abstract

In a recent resurrection of the Adorno hypothesis, Bagley has claimed that racists suffer from poor self-esteem. It is pointed out that much of Bagley's own evidence is inconsistent with his claim and it is submitted that studies of racism in Germany and South Africa would be more relevant than Bagley's study of English schoolchildren. Two general population random samples from Munich in Germany and Bloemfontein in South Africa are described. In Germany neurotics were found to be especially tolerant towards “ Gastarbeiter” and in South Africa anxiety was unrelated to dislike of Blacks. It is concluded that any relationship between measures of personal adjustment and racial sentiment is a product of the culture and not a cause-effect relationship. Racism is not confined to maladjusted people.