intergroup relations- personality approaches to prejudice Flashcards
personality approaches to prejudice
what 4 things did allport 1954 identify in prejudiced people
-all embracing
-magnified differences between groups
-values, e.g stereotype of groups
-persistence
what was the key criterion in allport 1954s research
- persistence
- stereotypes can be slow to change
- views may change when coming into contact with diff people
what reasearch did Adorno, Brunswick, Levinson and Sanford do in the 1940s
- to look inside individuals and find what renders individuals
in adornos research how were individuals assesed?
-Made a questionnaire survey to identify the prejudiced and non-prejudiced, measured the degree which people vary in attitudes
what scale did Adorno use
the f scale (fascisim scale)
what was the issue with using f scale
was found offensive due to anti semitism
what did the f scale consist of?
- 30 questions
- measured nine personality dimensions that characterised authoritarian individuals
what freduian logic was said about perceptions
- Perceptions are often irrational and tell us more about the individual’s psychology than the real world.
- Seen in the processes of ‘projection’
what is TAT and what does it do
- Thematic Apperception test
- a psychological test focusing on subconcious dynamics of a persons personality
- use of picture cards that the subject must tell a story about
what was the ethnocentrism
a scale that measures to which degree you think your group is better than all the others
what was the f scale
- a measure of personality and to the degree that you agree with the statements shown
- test measures responses on authoritarianism such as agression, power and more
what process did general Freudian logic say
- perceptions are often irrational and tell us about individual’s psychology
- ‘projection’
what did Adorno say about prejudice and personality?
- upbringing shapes personality
- shapes social views and perceptions
In late 1950’s what did Adorno set up to find rise in facism and authoritarianism?
- set up interviews to find early childhood experiences causing prejudiced views
- puepose was to identify differences in family dynamics leading to different personalities( use of high and low)
how did Adorno carry out late 1950 interviews with people about their childhood?
- use of people with those low and high on authoritarianism
what did Adorno find in late 1950’s interviews about childhood
- respect for authority key, causes emotions to be taken out on lower class people in hierarchy
-radar looks for failings in other people, leading to judgement of people, as result of this person fails to see it in themselves
what did Adorno find strict upbringing leads to
- suppression of emotions
- frustration and resentment
- idealised image of family
what did Adorno find in the interviews of feelings acting as a motor later in life
- general respect for authority
- feelings of hostility redirected on to other lower in hierarchy
- failings you cannot recognise in family and self are seen through others through projection
why were parents motivated to be strict in Adorno’s findings?
- family ‘status anxiety’
what did Freud say about being brought up in a authoritarian environment?
- inability to express emotions, feelings never go away and go to unconcious
- causes a strong sense of anger and resilience, scared to express resentment
- Belief that toleration of living strict with inability to express emotions see themselves as pure, proper as a solution to their inabilities.
why do authoritirian act this particular way? (4 things)
- hoistile feelings to others- projection
- use of ‘all embracing categories’ and steretypes
- contents of images of others (projection)
-persistence (projection) - support status quo and relationship with authority
what do contents of images of others (projection) contain? 3 things
- negative
- magnification of differences between groups
- value differences associated with ‘us’ and ‘them’
what was assumed of people who scored high A on the f scale
- they had different relationships with their parents
what was noted of people who scored low A on the f scale
- integrated
- mix of strengths and weaknesses
- desegragted (especially racially)
- showed democratic attitudes
what was noted of people who scored high A on the f scale
- ambivalent
- surface positive negative inside
- had contradictory ideas of people
-RESPECT COMES AT COST
what did the interviews rely on?
- retrospective subjects of memories participants recalled on past experiences with their parents
what was the issue with the interviews
- the interviewer already knew if they scored high or low on the test before, which may have influenced their interpretations of their responses
what was found about prejudices- 4 things
- not always associated with authoritarianism
- cultural factors support racism without authoritarianism (NA vs SA- ingrained)
- racist beliefs and facist ideology can appeal to non- authoritarians
- can be liberal racism
what was found about relationship between authoritrianism and stereotypes
- the assumed association between personality and cognitive ridgity was not supported
what emphasis was put upon family dynamics
- reflects struggle for power
- prejudices can change quickly, all depends on child rearing practices
