Realistic Conflict theory Flashcards
who created it and when
Sherif - 1966
what does rct explain
how intergroup conflict can arise as a result of conflicting goals and competition over limited resources
offers an explanation for the feelings of prejudice and discrimination toward the out-group
what kind of forces does rct suggest leads to prejudice
situational forces
what causes competition between groups
scarce resources
or the perception that resources are scarce
what are the types of resources that can be scarce catagorised into
physical
psychological
physical resources
land, food or water
psychological resources
status, power
why is rct an applicable theory
it offers a solution to end conflict
evolutionary perspective for rct
that when people are competing for survival, they want people like them to survive so their genetics and beliefs will be passed on to the next generation
- this results in prejudice toward the out-group
main point for why people are prejudiced - rct
when resources are scarce, people will be more prejudiced against other groups
what happens when one or more groups believe that competition exists
hostility and discriminatory behaviour follow
zero sums fate
if one side gains, someone else has to lose out
how does zero sums fate cause realistic conflict to occur
when people believe the out-group can only benefit at their expense
super ordinate goal
a task that requires inter group cooperation
cannot be achieved by working seperately
example of super ordinate goals in society
EU - formed to make future war in europe impossible
countries work towards super ordinate goals, such as trade
how were super ordinate goals used in Sherif’s study
Eagles and rattlers had to work together to fix a waterpipe, eat together and choose films to watch together
hostility between groups decreased
what was the name of Sherif’s study
Robbers Cave Study
Robbers Cave study - procedure
assigned boys who were strangers to groups in a summer camp
introduced competition
conflict developed
introduced super ordinate goals
conflict and hostility decreased
group hostility was apparent even before the introduction of competition - what does this suggest?
the mere creation of groups can cause prejudice
suggests Social Identity theory would be more adequate
Low generalisability - robbers cave study
two groups of boys were artificial
not necessarily reflect real life prejudice situations - lacks mundane realism
only used 12 year old white middle class boys in america - ethnocentric - lowers credibility
what other factors for causing prejudice besides competition would disagree with rct?
the authoritarian personality
socialisation within families - parents can pass their beliefs down to their children
application - can explain prejudice and discrimination in historical events
Rwandan genocide - Hutus killed 800,000 tutsis - this followed economic downturn and political unrest where the two groups competed for political power
