Subtle forms of discrimination are on the rise as prejudice persists in society. However, there is scant research on novel forms of subtle discrimination such as idea stealing, interruptions, and peating. In a preliminary study, we surveyed participants on their experiences with these emerging forms of subtle discrimination in the workplace. We found that people of color reported experiencing these forms of subtle discrimination the most from White people and second from people of the same racial/ethnic group as them. We further analyzed these findings with an empirical study on the underlying mechanisms leading people of color to notice these subtle forms of discrimination from people of their in-group more than those of their out-group (excluding White people). Guided by Expectancy Violation Theory (EVT), we found that participants are more likely to notice the discrimination and report lower core self-evaluations when experiencing these emerging forms of subtle discrimination from people of their in-group due to the mediating effect of violation of ingroup norms. Our findings demonstrate the importance of identity centrality and expectancy violation within people of color in noticing subtle forms of discrimination from in-group members.
