Ethnocentrism

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Chapter 3
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Ethnocentrism

• The tendency to view the world through ones own
  cultural filters
• Socialization
• For example male vs. female behavior
• Practically everyone is ethnocentric
• Is this good or bad? Why or why not?
• Are people aware that they are ethnocentric?

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Ethnocentrism

• Flexible ethnocentrism
• Ability to interpret the behavior of others form
  the others perspective
• Inflexible ethnocentrism
• Inability to interpret the behavior of others
  form the others perspective
• How do these concepts differ in reality?

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Stereotypes

• Generalization about a group of people
• Go to page 71 of text.
• Can be good or bad
• Generally on a continuum
• Auto-stereotypes
• Stereotypes about ones own group
• Hetero-stereotypes
• Stereotypes about other groups

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Stereotypes

• Development of stereotypes
• An inevitable product of everyday life that maybe
  easily reinforced
• Selective attention
• Appraisal is it important to me
• Categorization group people together
• Attribution cause for others behavior
• Emotions

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African Americansstereotypes

• interdependence
• emotional vitality
• collective survival
• oral tradition
• rhythm
• improvisation
• spirituality

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Latinos stereotypes

• interdependence
• conformity
• avoidance of interpersonal conflict
• strong attachment, loyalty
• clearly defined gender roles
• obedience to authority
• flexible attitudes toward time
• support to extended family
• collective identity

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Asian/Americans stereotypes

• precedence of group interests over individual
  interests
• harmonious relationships
• importance of fulfilling obligations
• respect for elders
• control of undesirable emotions
• outward calmness
• open expression and confrontation avoidance
• high value on education

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Native Americans stereotypes

• present orientation
• harmony with nature
• generosity
• cooperation
• interrelatedness of all life
• belief in mind/body/spirit relationship with
  Supreme Creator
• power of the spoken word
• support of families
• shared child-rearing to establish bases of
  collective responsibility
• more visual than auditory
• importance of silence

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Anglo Americans stereotypes

• independence
• autonomy
• direct communication
• Present and future oriented

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Prejudice

• Tendency to prejudge others on the basis of their
  group membership
• Results from an individuals inability to realize
  the limitations of ethnocentric and stereotypical
  thinking
• The more prejudice one is the more likely he/she
  will endorse stereotypical thinking

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Prejudice

• Forms of Prejudice
• Racism
• Classism
• Sexism
• Others?

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Discrimination

• Unfair treatment of others based on their group
  membership
• Can be either positive or negative, but more
  often negative
• All concepts could be linked
• Ethnocentrism may lead to stereotyping and
  stereotyping may lead to prejudice and prejudice
  may lead to discrimination

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Discrimination

• Institutional discrimination
• Discrimination that occurs on the level of a
  society or institution.
• Unfair patterns of behavior or preferential
  treatment of people by a large group solely on
  the basis of group membership.
• May or may not be conscious and deliberate
• For example, Affirmative Action
• Is it good or bad??????

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Reducing prejudice and stereotypic thinking

• Self awareness
• Become more logical and less emotional by
  understanding the limitations of stereotypic
  thinking
• Recognizing ones own ethnocentrism and
  stereotypic thinking
• Reduce competitive thinking
• Contact