Implicit Bias Guide

We all harbor unconscious assumptions that can get in the way of our good intentions and keep us from building authentic relationships with people different from ourselves. The authors use vivid stories, fun exercises, and activities to help us reflect on our personal experiences and uncover how our hidden biases are formed. By becoming more self-aware, we can control knee-jerk reactions, conquer fears of the unknown, and prevail over closed-mindedness.

Using her research findings in unconscious bias as well as work across psychology, sociology, economics, political science, and other disciplines, the author offers practical tools to respectfully and effectively talk politics with family, to be a better colleague to people who don't look like you, and to avoid being a well-intentioned barrier to equality.

A classmate questions how you got into college. A neighbor clutches her purse when you pass. A job interviewer compliments your English. Every day these experiences leave people of color scratching their heads, and before long, they're impossible to ignore. After all, the neighbor doesn't clutch her purse when whites approach. So, what gives? Is she racist? Making that call is hard when people aren't obviously bigots, but their behavior has a name: racial microaggressions. These slights are indeed real; you're not imagining things. Readers will learn what microaggressions are, why they're bad news, and how to handle them.

Lee de-Wit delves into the science to show what kind of political animals we really are, looking at: personality type and political persuasion; tribalism and the appeal of nationalism; confirmation bias and fake news; emotional responses and irrational decision-making; fairness and cheating; altruism and self-interest; and race and group identity.