Factors Affecting Prejudice: Individual Differences Flashcards
Describe the authoritarian personality?
Adorno et al explains how an overly harsh parenting style can create a personality type that is highly obedient and prone to showing prejudice. By offering conditional love the child only receives love if they behave correctly. It means the child cannot express feelings due to fear of punishment so take it out on something else (usually those who are socially inferior)
Describe Right Wing authoritarianism
RWA develops as a reaction of fear and uncertainty. People high in TWA seek security through preserving existing social order so are overly hostile to others who defy norms. (Women, LGBTQ, minority groups)
What is the social dominance orientation?
SDO is a view that the world is a competition where people have to be ruthless for their share of limited resource. They show less empathy and are stubborn. Most common in men.
What is the supporting evidence for RWA and SDO?
Cohrs et al found that TWA and SDO were both positively correlated with generalised prejudice. This suggests that levels of prejudice can be accurately predicted from peoples personality traits.
What is the conflicting evidence against individual differences
It ignores the role of social norms and situational factors. E.g: in an Australian study 72% disagreed with the statement white is the best race but agreed with the exclusion of asylum seekers.
How can situation affect prejudice?
Social norms can act as powerful situational influences.
E.g:MINARD
Below ground= black and white coal miners worked together happily (identified as coal miners)
Above ground= they hold negative views towards each other (identified with black and white)
How can culture affect prejudice?
Some cultures are more concerned with fairness than competition
E.g: Wetherell replication Tajfel et als minimal group experiment in a New Zealand school she found that Polynesian children were more generous and fair than the Caucasian children.
Individualistic can collectivistic
