The Self and Social Identity Lab is headed by Dr. Brenda Major at the University of California, Santa Barbara in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.
About Our Lab
Our research addresses how people cope with prejudice, discrimination, devalued social identities, and stressful life events. We are particularly interested in psychological resilience - the personality characteristics and cognitive, emotional, and behavioral strategies that enable people to maintain their sense of self-esteem and well-being and strive despite negative life events and adversity
The main focus of our current research is the psychology of stigmatization. Ongoing studies examine factors that affect people's likelihood of seeing themselves as targets of discrimination, their cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and physiological responses to perceived discrimination, and the implications of how people cope with discrimination for their psychological well-being.
Attention Undergraduates
Are you interested in working with us as a research assistant? Learn more about this process by clicking the link below!
Prospective Graduate Students
Please note that Dr. Major is no longer accepting any graduate applications.
