RELATIONSHIP OF SOLO STATUS, ACADEMIC RANK AND PERCEIVED DISTINCTIVENESS TO JOB-SATISFACTION OF RACIAL ETHNIC MINORITIES/

The relationships among solo status of racial/ethnic minorities in psy chology departments, job satisfaction, and subjective feelings of dist inctiveness were examined. Distinctiveness was defined as stigmatizing feelings associated with token status of racial/ethnic minorities in academia. It was hypothesized that minorities in positions of solo (re lative to nonsolo) status within their departments, members of more st igmatized groups, and minorities occupying lower academic ranks would feel more distinctive and less satisfied with their jobs and that perc eptions of distinctiveness would mediate job satisfaction. The data pa rtially supported these hypotheses, most notably for African Americans . The implications of situational salience and the importance of recog nizing differences among and between minority groups are considered.