Passing (sociology)

Passing is the ability of a person to be regarded as a member of social groups other than their own, such as a different race, ethnicity, caste, social class, gender, age and/or disability status, generally with the purpose of gaining social acceptance or to cope with difference anxiety. In the article Passing, Posing, and "Keeping it Real", Kimberlyn Leary notes "[p]assing occurs when there is perceived danger in disclosure" as a form of self-protection or self-preservation. This may take the form of changing only one group from the person's own, such as a person's dressing so as to pretend to be of a higher social class.