Prejudice Flashcards
What is the definition of prejudice?
To pre-judge, when we allow our stereotypes to affect our beliefs & attitudes about a group of people.
What is the definition of discrimination?
Actions of treatment based on prejudice, unequal treatment of individuals or groups- often based on characteristics such as race or sex.
What is the definition of stereotype?
A set of fairly fixed, simplistic generalisations about a group or class of people.
Heterogenous
All different- individuals within a group are different.
Homogenous
All the same- members of the out-group are ‘all the same’.
Personal identity
Our own unique identities, personality & self-esteem.
Social identity
The attributes of the group to which we belong/ identify with (eg the social class we identity ourselves as).
Social categorisation
Categorising ourselves as members of a particular group; these categories are ones we learn to be important. Eg goths.
Social Identification
Adopting the identity of the group to which we have categorised ourselves, adopting consistent behaviours with this categorisation, adopting attitudes & behaviour of the in-group to distinguish oneself from non-members.
Social comparison
Comparing your group favourably to others; we need to compare ourselves and our in-group favourably to others to maintain our self esteem. In and out- groups are measured against each other, the out-group is devalued and the self-esteem or the in-group members is thus raised.
What is an in-group?
Group to which we have membership.
What is an out-group?
A rival group or group to which we do not have membership.
Describe the alternate explanation of prejudice- Dollard et al 1940.
Frustration always gives rise to aggression & aggression is always caused by frustration.
Frustration- being blocked by desirable goals.
Dollard et al proposed that when we are prevented from being aggressive towards the source of the frustration, we will displace it on a substitute, or a ‘scapegoat’.
Choice of scapegoat is usually random.
Describe the alternate explanation of prejudice- Hovland & Sears 1940.
Found that the number of lynchings of black people in US from 1880- 1930 was correlated with the price of cotton: as priced dropped, lynchings increased. The economic situation caused frustration in the white farmers who were unable to confront those responsible and instead displaced their aggression onto blacks.
