Prejudice

Question 1

What is ‘Prejudice’?

Answer 1

It is an attitude (Usually negative)

Question 2

What is ‘discrimination?’

Answer 2

It is an action that occurs because of prejudice

Question 3

What is ‘stereotyping’?

Answer 3

It means developing an idea about someone and carrying that idea forward to apply to other similar people e.g. Someone may see a woman as weak and then stereotype all women as weak

Question 4

What is the Social Identity Theory?

Answer 4

It suggests that a person has several personal ‘selves and these ‘selves’ link in with group membership. Different situations may trigger different behaviour by an individual, perhaps linked to their his or her person, family or national memberships. An individual also has several social identities

Question 5

What is a social identity?

Answer 5

An individual’s self-concept. This comes from how people see themselves in relation to membership of their social groups. Belonging to a group creates an in-group self-categorisation which leads to in group favouritism and hostility towards the out-group

Question 6

What is social categorisation?

Answer 6

Seeing oneself as part of a group. Any group will do and there does not have to be conflict with other groups

Question 7

What is a social identification?

Answer 7

The process of moving from categorising oneself as part of the in-group to identifying with the group more overtly. An individual with the group more overtly. An individual is likely to take on the norms and attitudes of group members.

Question 8

What is social comparison?

Answer 8

Is what happens with the out-group when the individual’s self-concept becomes wrapped up with the in-group. People start to see their in-group as better than the out-group, which enhances their self esteem. To see their in-group as better, there has to be comparison with the out-group

Question 9

What are the three variables that contribute to in-group favouritism?

Answer 9

• The extent to which the individuals identify with the in-group
• The extent to which there are grounds for making comparisons with the out-group
• The relevance of the comparison group in relation to the in-group

Question 10

Example of Tajfel and Turner’s (1979) theory of in-group?

Answer 10

A comic geek, first the teenager collects comics, finds a group of comic geeks on the internet and categorises themselves as part of that group. Then they pick up on group behaviour and identify with the obssessive about collecting comics. There is a comparison with other groups and the comic geeks are seen as ‘right’ and ‘knowledgeable’ with non-comic collectors as outside the group. Hostility can occur towards the out-group and the comic geeks maintain their self esteem by being in that group and by raising the status of their group

Question 11

Strengths of the SIT?

Answer 11

There is a much evidence that shows in-group favouritism (Crocker and Luhtanen, 1990; Lalonde 1992, Tajfel et al. 1970) When there are different studies in different scenarios supporting a theory, it suggest that the theory has merit. The mentioned studies looked at different groups, and found in group identification and prejudice towards the out-group.

The theory has a useful practical applications. There are many in-groups in society, from football teams and racial groups. Sometimes, problems that arise can be traced back to existence of two opposing groups perhaps two religions in a particular country. People who identify with in group and are prejudiced toward the out-group, sometimes to the extent of being against another group of people, such as when genocide occurs.

Question 12

Weaknesses of the SIT

Answer 12

Social Identity Theory can be seen as part of realistic group conflict theory, another theory that attempts to explain prejudice. Rather than just the creation of the two groups leading to prejudice, realistic conflict theory says that the two groups are competing in some way. For example, (Lalonde 1992) the hockey teams were competing to win the tournament. Realistic conflict theory claims that two groups are prejudiced towards another when there is a goal in sight or whether there is a possibility of material gain

By focussing only on groups, no other factors are taken into account The theory does not measure how much prejudice there is, such as whether there are some situation which there is greater prejudice against the out-group. In practice, there are often a number of factors involved (a social impacts theory suggests) so having one theory something as complex as prejudice is unlikely to be satisfactory

Question 13

What is the Realistic Conflict Theory?

Answer 13

It suggests that when there is conflict between groups, there is prejudice. It suggests that this does not happen in artificially created groups, which are referred to as ‘minimal groups’. There must be competition between groups to cause conflict. Whenever two or more groups are in competition for more resources, conflict will occur and prejudice follows.

Question 14

Do the groups have to be of equal status for conflict to occur?

Answer 14

Not necessarily, Duckitt (1994) thought that conflict and prejudice would arise even if groups are of unequal status. He thought that realistic conflict explained prejudice that arises through competition over scarce resources when groups have equal status. When groups have equal status, prejudice comes more from in-group and out-group behaviour, with one group dominant over the other

Question 15

Examples of resources that may be fought over

Answer 15

Water, food or high unemployment levels. May also be territory, financial resources, military resources or social resources . In times of scarcity of any resource, prejudice can arise.

Question 16

What does Zero-sum mean?

Answer 16

When prejudice is more likely if the resource is finite, such as territory but only when there is one winner and one loser

Question 17

In zero-sum situation, how can you make conflict less fierce?

Answer 17

When some resources are such tat one side can ‘win’ some of the resource and the other lose some

Question 18

What is ethnocentrism?

Answer 18

The belief in the inherent superiority of one’s own ethnic group or culture

Question 19

How can realistic conflict idea s help to reduce prejudice

Answer 19

If the groups work together as one group with the shared goal of achieving the resources being achieved, there will be no competition and that will reduce prejudice. These are called subordinate goals, ones that can only bre achieved by people working together

Question 20

Factors that affect prejudice (Social Identity Theory)

Answer 20

Being part of an in-group, identifying with that group, categorising oneself as part of the group and experiencing hostility towards an out-group to raise self-esteem by raising the esteem of the in-group

Question 21

Factors that affect prejudice (Realistic Conflict Theory)

Answer 21

Competition for resources such as food and water, political power, jobs and territory.
Conflict over religious beliefs, previous agreements that put pressure of groups, linking to conflict over resources and conflict over money

Question 22

What are the Big Five Personality dimensions?

Answer 22

Agreeableness

Conscientiousness
Openness to experience
Neuroticism
Extraversion
A CONE

Question 23

What does openness show?

Answer 23

That they have a negative relationship to prejudice, the more someone is open to experience, the less they are likely to be prejudiced against others

Question 24

What does Agreeableness show?

Answer 24

It has a negative relationship with prejudice, the more agreeable someone is open to experience, the less they are likely to prejudiced against others

Question 25

What does Conscientiousness show

Answer 25

It is linked to right wing authoritarianism and prejudice.

Question 26

What does Cohrs et al (2012) show?

Answer 26

That personality dimensions link directly with prejudice but they underpin ideological attitudes such as right wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation and these ideological attitudes underpin prejudice, but personality dimensions can link directly with prejudice

Question 27

What are ideological attitudes?

Answer 27

They focus on social needs and wishes of a group or a society, or indeed an individual. They link to political ideas and refer to someone’s outlook on how a society should be and can function

Question 28

What did Adorno et al (1950)?

Answer 28

Thought that those with an authoritarian outlook were those likely to be prejudiced and to show discrimination, especially to low status groups, reflection ideas of hiarachy in society

Question 29

What is Right Wing Authoritarianism

Answer 29

Refers to someone who has rigid thinking and likes society to have rules, which people must stick to so that society can function. Someone with this attitude will obey the rules and obey those in authority and they will also want to punish anyone who does not obey the rules. They prefer people to submit to authority rather than having to force people

Question 30

What is a Social Dominance orientation

Answer 30

The belief that there is a social hierarchy are more likely than others to be prejudiced towards low status groups and want their own group to dominate over other groups

Question 31

What does Guidmond et al (2003) suggest about prejudice?

Answer 31

It suggests that because of the way prejudice rises and falls, such as a high level of prejudice in WWII, that prejudice cannot be down to personality alone at that doesn’t explain variations. Personality is seen to be stable and enduring, so sudden changes in prejudice must be affected by the situation.

Question 32

What is the contact hypothesis?

Answer 32

Allport (1954): If the situation is set up so that people in different groups have contact with one another, this can help to reduce prejudice and discrimination

Question 33

What factors must be in place?

Answer 33

• There must be equal status between the people making equal status, if they do not have equal status, the situation should be manipulated so that differences are minimised
• The group should be working towards common goals
• Contact should be harmonious and there should be co-operation to meet the common goal

Question 34

What factors must be in place?

Answer 34

• The minority group should behave in a way that does not fit the stereotype the majority group have of them
• The contact should occur often and not just in one social situation

Question 35

Does culture affect how prejudiced people can be?

Answer 35

It depends, there can be across-culture (found in all cultures and is universal which means its found in all human societies) similarities, known as emic, and between-cultures means there are differences between cultures and so it is not universal. Known as etic

Question 36

What are the effects of cultural norms on prejudice?

Answer 36

Multiculturalism would be pro-diversity and anti-Muslim attitudes are generally reduced in these countries because of high pro-diversity policies they have. It was also found that countries had different views about multiculturalism and assimilation and that these views went along with the actual policies in that country regardless of individual attitudes.

Question 37

What is ‘assimilation’ and what happened in assimilation ?

Answer 37

In assimilation, the incoming culture or group must adopt the language and ways of ‘receiving’ culture, the dominant group. Countries that favour assimilation are not wanting diversity and are categorised as low in pro-diversity.

Question 38

What does Guimond et al (2013) suggest?

Answer 38

That linking policies like multiculturalism to a reduction in prejudice and stereotyping tend to take place only in one country and what is needed is to see how the country’s diversity policy would affects prejudice and discrimination in the country

Question 39

What did Guimond et al (2013) conclude?

Answer 39

That although all countries to an extent are multicultural, they do not have that policy explicitly and when the policy of a country is multiculturalism as opposed to assimilation, then there is reduced prejudice in relations between groups.