prejudice: key question Flashcards
state the key question
How can knowledge of social psychology be used to reduce conflict in situation such as rioting and crowd behaviour?
what is rioting and football hooliganism?
A form of civil disorder characterised by groups lashing out violently, committing vandalism and other crimes. Football hooliganism is disorderly violent behaviour that occurs before/after a football match.
Explain the negative impact it has on society
Financial costs due to property damage, costs to the police due to having areas policed in high number to maintain/regain order.
Describe social identity theory
Three distinct stages- social categorisation, identification and comparison. Suggests that prejudice will occur due to the mere presence of another group different to the in group. Prejudice will occur as a result of the in group seeking out negative aspects of the out groups in order to maintain high self esteem.
List the 3 concepts from Social Psychology that can be used to help explain why rioting/hooliganism occurs.
1) social identity theory
2) realistic conflict theory
3) social impact theory
Briefly describe how Social Identity Theory can explain hooliganism/rioting.
- The presence of another group divides us into ‘us’ and ‘them’ due to the tendency to categorise things during social categorisation
- In-groups will find ways to increase their group esteem with social identification and so would use ways to make out-groups look inferior to them through social comparison
- This can escalate to rioting as may want to get rid of the out-group if they perceive them as a big threat to their esteem
- in groups may identify themselves by wearing football tops/scarves to appear as part oof the in group. May chant negative things about the out groups (the other team) in order to keep self esteem high, causing disorderly behaviour.
Evaluate 2 strengths of Social Identity Theory as an explanation for rioting
- jane elliot = Brown eyed people and blue eyed people developed prejudice attitudes towards each other. therefore Shows that the mere presence of another group can create prejudice and so is the case of many examples of hooliganism/rioting (theory can provide solutions to reduce/tackle- expand sense of self identity- not us and them mentality).
- provides explanation for prejudice when there is no outgroup threat on ingroup= it states that the mere presence of an outgroup can cause discrimination towards them in order to maintain self-esteem of ingroup. therefore providing an explanation for why someone may commit violence on opposing football team/group in society despite them not providing a reason
Evaluate 2 weaknesses of Social Identity Theory as an explanation for rioting/hooliganism
- research comes from minimal group studies = only demonstrates low level hostility (e.g. tajfels forums of boys awarding more points to boys viewed as in their own group). therefore, Further explanation is needed as to how this could escalate to mass violence towards out-groups from a football match.
- Doesn’t give an explanation for the bits in between social identification and social comparison = Identifying with a group compared to genocide is a big leap. therefore, Doesn’t explain how it can get out of control
Briefly describe how authoritarianism can explain rioting behaviour
- This personality type has characteristics prone to prejudice (e.g. hostility towards minorities)
- It is measured using the F-scale questionnaire whereby a high F-score indicate high fascism and prejudice
- Adorno looked at the childhood of people with this personality type and found that they had a strict upbringing and so couldn’t express hostility towards them for fear of punishment from parents
- And so they differed hostility towards minority groups due to seeing them as easier targets which would explain the progression to violence in the form of rioting
Evaluate 2 strengths of Authoritarianism as an explanation for rioting/hooliganism.
- Adorno = Uses quantitative data in his F-scale of 2,000 ppts. Reduces subjectivity and so gives a scientific method of looking at the reason for rioting/hooliganism
- Individual differences has practical application = explanation for why 35% of Milgram’s (1963) ppts didn’t administer highest level of shock at 450V. therefore has mundane realism as to why only some people commit violence
Evaluate 2 weaknesses of Authoritarianism as an explanation for rioting/hooliganism
- Reductionist = looks at one type of personality as the cause for prejudice. Prejudice is more complicated than that and so the reason why people would commit violence during rioting is more complex
How can social impact theory be used to explain the cause of rioting/hooliganism.
3 factors- strength, immediacy and number.
Strength- refers to how important/authoritative the influencing source is. In a riot or hooligan group, charismatic leaders or dominant individuals can act strongly as sources, influencing targets to act aggressively.
Immediacy- referring to how close in time or space the source of the influence is. Being physically present in a crowd, surrounded by like minded fans increases immediacy and pressure to conform.
Number- the number of sources to targets. The more people there are engaging in a behaviour (I.e. chanting, throwing objects), the more influence this will have on sources to do the same. Larger crowds intensify the pressure to conform.
Explain how social impact theory can provide useful solutions to tackle rioting/hooliganism
1) reduce the strength of the aggressive influencers- identify and ban known instigators or ringleaders from matches. ALSO- add uniformed police to increase the status/power of the positive sources to maintain order.
2) decrease the immediacy of the influence- create physical and psychological distance between opposing fans - separate seating, staggered exits.
3) control the number of influencers- increase the presence of non-aggressive social influences - e.g. stewards, visible police in uniform to model positive behaviour.
how does realistic conflict theory explain rioting/hooliganism? include example
- Realistic conflict theory is the idea that prejudice develops from competition over scarce resources.
- football clubs represent strong identities, and fans strongly identify with their own in group/football team.
- the fans/teams are both competing over scarce resources (to become the winner of the match) in which zero sums fate- only one group can prosper.
- while not always material, the ‘resources’ can be intangible - bragging rights, dominance, pride. Matches with high stakes- such as a cup final increase the sense of competition.
- this will lead to the in group demonising the out group over this competition, leading to prejudice against them.
How can RCT provide solutions to combat rioting/hooliganism?
Sherif et al found that prejudice was not reduced through increased contract- disputing contact hypothesis as a solution for prejudice. When he put the in group and the out group together to eat lunch, it was found that they started a food fight, showing prejudice was not reduced.
Sherif et al did find that the only way to reduce prejudice was through superordinate goals, in which a joint shared task can only be completed by each group working together. This provides solutions to tackling rioting/hooliganism by bringing together rival fans on common causes- charity events, where players from both teams/fans from rival teams will come together and play a match against other celebrities in order to raise money for a noble cause, such as a children’s charity.
Alternative theory for rioting/hooliganism
Social learning theory- have copied role models such as their parents who have discriminated against a rival team and have modelled/imitated that behaviour.
Application would be to act as positive role models to children.
