Defining Prejudice Essay

Prejudice-a preconceived negative opinion of a group and its single members. -prejudice is an attitude. The negative ratings that mark bias frequently are supported by negative beliefs called stereotypes.

Forms of bias

Stereotype – a belief about the personal properties of a group of people. Stereotypes are sometimes overgeneralized. inaccurate. and resistant to new information. Discrimination- undue negative behavior toward a group or its members. Racism- an individual’s damaging attitudes and prejudiced behavior toward people of a given race or institutional patterns that subordinate people of a given race. Sexism- an individual’s damaging attitudes and prejudiced behavior toward people of a given sex.

Racial bias

In the context of the universe. Every race is a minority. Most folks see prejudice in other people. -is racial bias disappearance?
-in 1942 most Americans agreed that there should be separate subdivisions for Blacks on trams and coachs.
-parents both black and white suggested that their kids should cognize the history of inkinesss and Whites.
-most black and white would probably to vote a black American for president.

In the United States. Whites tend to compare the present with the oppressive yesteryear and to comprehend Swift and extremist advancement. Blacks tend to compare their present with their ideal universe. which has non yet been realized. and to comprehend slightly less advancement.

Gender Prejudice – people’s prejudgement on others based on gender. Gender Stereotype – are simplistic generalisations about the gender attributes. differences. and functions of persons and/or groups. Stereotypes can be positive or negative. but they seldom communicate accurate information about others. When people automatically use gender premises to others irrespective of grounds to the contrary. they are perpetuating gender pigeonholing. Many people recognize the dangers of gender stereotyping. yet continue to do these types of generalisations. the female stereotypic function is to get married and hold kids. She is besides to set her family’s public assistance before her ain ; be loving. compassionate. lovingness. nurturing. and sympathetic ; and happen clip to be sexy and experience beautiful.

The male stereotyped function is to be the fiscal supplier. He is besides to be self-asserting. competitory. independent. brave. and career?focused ; keep his emotions in cheque ; and ever originate sex. These kinds of stereotypes can turn out harmful ; they can smother single look and creativeness. every bit good as hinder personal and professional growing. Ambivalent Sexism – Ambivalent sexism is an political orientation composed of both a “hostile” and “benevolent” prejudice toward adult females. Hostile sexism is an counter attitude toward adult females. who are frequently viewed as seeking to command work forces through feminist political orientation or sexual seduction. Benevolent sexism is a gallant attitude toward adult females that feels favourable but is really sexist because it casts adult females as weak animals in demand of men’s protection.

What causes ambivalent sexism?

Harmonizing to Professors Glick and Fiske. male chauvinist ambivalency is the consequence of two basic facts about dealingss between adult females and work forces: male laterality ( patriarchate ) and mutuality between the sexes. Male laterality is prevailing across civilizations. with work forces ruling high position functions in concern. authorities. spiritual establishments. and so forth. Hostile sexism arises in big portion because dominant groups tend to make hostile political orientations refering the lower status of other groups. Despite male laterality. nevertheless. work forces are frequently extremely dependent upon adult females as married womans. female parents. and romantic spouses. This dependance Fosters benevolent sexism. which recognizes adult females as valuable and attractive ( an attitude non by and large present in biass such as racism. antisemitism. and homophobia. in which the marks of bias are typically shunned or loathed ) .

Gender Discrimination – Discrimination based on gender or sex

Where and When Can Gender Discrimination Occur?

Employment – Including claims that a possible employer asked prejudiced inquiries based on gender during the interview procedure ; claims that an employer failed to engage. failed to advance. or wrongfully terminated an employee based on his or her gender ; unequal wage claims ; and claims for sexual torment of employees. Education – Including claims for exclusion from educational plans or chances based on gender ; and claims for sexual torment of pupils.

Housing – Including claims for refusal to negociate with a individual seeking lodging. claims for infliction of different lease/contract footings. and claims for refusal to widen a loan based on the gender of the applicant/tenant/buyer. Borrowing / Credit – Including claims for refusal to widen recognition. claims for infliction of unequal loan footings. and claims originating from improper enquiries during the credit/loan blessing procedure. based on the gender of the applier.

3 SOURCES OF PREJUDICE
Social Source
Emotional Beginning
Cognitive Beginning

Social Beginnings of Prejudice
The self-fulfilling prognostication: where a belief is accepted as truth. & A ; in saying it. becomes true.

Stereotype Menace
Stereotype menace is “the menace of being viewed through the lens of a negative stereotype. or the fright of making something that would unwittingly corroborate that stereotype. ” such as the stereotype that adult females perform ill in math. Some pupils try to get away stereotype menace by mistaking with the portion of life in which the stereotype originates. such as race or cultural individualities.

Emotional Beginnings of Prejudice
Frustration & A ; aggression:
The Scapegoat Theory: When jobs occur. people do non like to fault themselves. They will therefore actively seek whipping boies onto whom they can displace their aggression. Scapegoats may be out-group persons or even full groups. Powerless people who can non easy defy will frequently go victims of scapegoating. Scapegoating additions when people are frustrated & A ; seeking an mercantile establishment for their choler.

The Realistic Group Conflict Theory

When there are limited resources. so this leads to conflict. bias & A ; favoritism between groups who seek that common resource.

Cross-race/ Other-race Effect
Refers to the inclination to more easy acknowledge members of one’s ain race. A survey was made which examined 271 existent tribunal instances. The consequences from this survey showed that informants right identified 65 % of the suspects which were of the same race as them. On the other manus. 45 % of the suspects were identified which belonged to a different race than the informants.

Just-world Phenomenon
The just-world phenomenon. refers to the inclination for people to believe that the universe is “just” & A ; so hence people get what they deserve. ” It wrongly colors our feeling of “victims” of any kind.

Controversies and Prominent Subjects
Sexism
Patriotism
Classism
Sexual Discrimination
Racism
Religious Discrimination
Linguistic Discrimination

Reducing Prejudice
The contact hypothesis

The contact hypothesis predicts that bias can merely be reduced when in-group and out-group members are brought together. In peculiar. there are six conditions that must be met to cut down bias. as were cultivated in Elliot Aronson’s Jigsaw Classroom. First. the in- and out- groups must hold a grade of common mutuality. Second. both groups need to portion a common end. Third. the two groups must hold equal position. Fourth. there must be frequent chances for informal and interpersonal contact between groups. Fifth. there should be multiple contacts between the in- and the out- groups. Finally. societal norms of equality must be and be present to further prejudice decrease.