Prejudice

1
Prejudice

• Prejudice and ethnocentrism - thoughts and
  feelings of cultural superiority
• Prejudice - negative attitude, feeling or action
  tendency that is expressed toward a whole group
• Prejudice is often expressed in the form of
  ethnophaulisms
• Three dimensions to prejudice
• Cognitive or attitudinal dimension - negative
  mental images or beliefs
• Affective or emotional dimension - negative
  feelings such as hatred or anger
• Action tendency - negative behavioral tendencies
  toward a group - such as the tendency toward
  aggression

2
Hate Crimes

• Hate crimes statistics act became law in 1990
• Crime motivated in whole or part by the
  offenders bias
• Race
• Religion
• National origin/Ethnicity
• Sexual orientation

3
Discrimination and Prejudice

• Discrimination - behavioral pattern that excludes
  a group from the same opportunities
• Prejudice is an attitude - discrimination is a
  behavior
• The relationship between prejudice and
  discrimination is complex
• Richard LaPieres - 1930-1932 study and travels
  with a Chinese couple across the United States
• Robert Mertons study and typology of the
  relationship between prejudice and discrimination

4
Figure 2-3 Prejudice and Discrimination
5
(No Transcript)
6

Theories of Prejudice and Discrimination

• Scapegoat theory - occurs when an individual
  (group) projects and blames their own
  inadequacies or problems onto another group
• Of biblical origin

7
Criticisms of Scapegoat Theory

• Fails to explain why one group is used as a
  scapegoat and not another
• Fails to explain why two individuals who share
  the same experience vary in tolerance
• Does not explain personality differences

8
Authoritarian Personality Theory

• Adorno et al 1950 study of authoritarianism and
  prejudice Authoritarian traits
• Rigid adherence to conventional values
• Uncritical acceptance of authority
• Power and toughness
• Intolerance and aggressivity toward those that
  dont conform to conventional values

9

Criticisms of the Theory

• Focus on right wing groups and ignored left wing
  groups
• Prejudice is related to other traits such as
  social class
• Methodology employed
• Focused on only extreme forms of prejudice and
  not on other forms of prejudice

10

Exploitation Theory

• Exploitation theory - prejudice is rationally and
  economically motivated on the basis of self
  interests
• The dominant group benefits from prejudice in
  that it is rooted within the exploitation of a
  group

11

Criticisms

• Not all subordinate groups are exploited equally
• Prejudice occurs for reasons other than economic
• Prejudice is not necessarily rational and may
  undermine dominant group interests

12
Normative Approach

• Normative approach - prejudice is patterned into
  the cultural norms and values of a group or
  society
• Prejudice is a function of conforming to group
  norms of intolerance
• All four views contributed to our understanding
  of prejudice

13
Content of Prejudice Stereotypes

• Stereotypes - are generalizations that are
  attributed to an entire category
• Stereotypes are often exaggerated and negative
  images of a group
• Stereotypes come from a variety of sources
• a kernel of truth
• the media
• but power plays a role in their effect

14
Content of Prejudice Stereotypes

• Trends in Stereotypes
• Stereotypes often become a self-fulfilling
  prophecy
• Affect how we feel
• Affect how we relate to others
• Ignore facts that contradict ones belief system
• Inter-group patterns and stereotypes
• Stereotyping In Action Racial Profiling
• Racial Profiling any police action based on
  race, national origin rather than a persons
  behavior

15
Extent of Prejudice

• It is difficult to quantify the extent of
  prejudice between groups
• Measure the relative extent of prejudice between
  groups
• One measure is Emory Bogarduss Social Distance
  Scale - used to measure the relative extent of
  prejudice between groups

16
Example of Items on the Bogardus Scale

• To close kinship by marriage (1.00)
• To my club as personal chums (2.00)
• To my street as neighbors (3.00)
• To employment in my occupation (4.00)
• To citizenship my country (5.00)
• As only visitors to my country (6.00)
• Would exclude from my country (7.00)

17
(No Transcript)
18
Figure 2-4 What is the State of Race Relations?
19
The Mood of the Oppressed

• Prejudice and its affect on the self esteem of
  the subordinate group
• Prejudice affects perceptions on fairness or
  equality of opportunity
• Jobs
• Housing
• Justice

20
Intergroup Hostility

• Inter-group hostility - content and extent of
  prejudice and stereotypes between ethnic - racial
  groups
• Subordinate - Subordinate patterns of prejudice
  and stereotypes
• Sources of intergroup hostility

21

Reducing Prejudice

• Mass media and research
• Experimentally created situations
• Influence of movies
• Television
• Advertising
• Media has had both positive and negative effects
  depending on the program, situation and subjects
  exposed.

22

Reducing Prejudice continued

• Education and research
• Well constructed programs tend to have an impact
  on reducing prejudice but to be effective they
  have to address the cognitive, affective and
  action tendency dimensions
• Some programs only focus on the cognitive or
  affective
• Formal education is related to a reduction in
  prejudice
• Formal education may not reduce prejudice
  uniformly within a group.

23

Reducing Prejudice continued

• Equal - Status Contact - intergroup contact with
  people of equal status under positive situations
  tends to reduce prejudice
• Corporate response Diversity Training
• Diversity training in the workplace
• Aimed at eliminating barriers that groups
  encounter to receive rewards
• Effective diversity training is integrated
  throughout the organization

24
Ways to Fight Hate

• 1. Act
• 2. Unite
• 3. Support the Victims
• 4. Do your Homework
• 5. Create an Alternative
• 6. Speak Up
• 7. Lobby Leaders
• 8. Look Long Range
• 9. Teach Tolerance
• 10. Dig Deeper