Defining Barriers

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Defining Barriers

• Personal barriers-refer to those individual
  factors which get in the way of success.
• Social barriers-focus more on society. They refer
  to those factors that are external to the person
  and impede her or his success.

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Six Barriers to Success

• Barrier 1 Limited Perceptions

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Barrier 1 Limited Perceptions

• Perceptions-refer to the way in which we receive
  and interpret information from any of our senses.
• Selective perception-when we perceive what we
  WANT to perceive.

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Barrier 1 Limited Perceptions

• We tend to be unaware of the blinders or
  obstructions that distort our perceptions in some
  way.
• We absorb only a small fraction of the world
  around us.
• We tend to tune into those things with which we
  agree.
• Our perception of others reflects on ourselves.

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Barrier 2 Ethnocentrism

• Refers to the assumptions that our way of
  thinking and acting is naturally superior to any
  other. As a result, we use our culture as the
  yardstick.

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It is important to realize that no one person,
group, or society has a monopoly on
ethnocentrism. We are all ethnocentric to some
degree.
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Ethnocentrism is universal. It affects us
all.The challenge of ethnocentrism is realizing
not if, but when it influences our thinking and
judgment.
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Barrier 3 Stereotypes

• An unverified and oversimplified generalization
  about an entire group of people.When we
  stereotype, we lump people in a category and
  assume they are all alike.

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No shortage of stereotypes!
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Barrier 4 Prejudice

• This is an irrational and inflexible opinion,
  formed on the basis of limited and sufficient
  knowledge.

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Barrier 4 PrejudiceThe Latin words

• Prae before
• Judicuma judgment
• It represents a judgment before the facts are
  known. It is a misjudgment.

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Barrier 5 Prejudice Plus Power

• Power refers to the ability to influence and
  control others. Therefore, people in power are in
  a position to affect many more people by virtue
  of their prejudices.

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What is the first image that comes to mind when
you hear the word racism?
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Barrier 6 Discrimination

• The unequal treatment of people on the basis of
  their group membership. Treatment varies because
  of race, age, gender, social class, or any number
  of other dimensions of diversity.

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Barrier 6 Discrimination

• 1. Blatant vs. subtle discrimination
• 2. Individual vs. institutional discrimination
• 3. Intra-group vs. inter-group discrimination