Social Psych 7 - Old to New Racism

Question 1

How has racist changed from the white supremisist views of the early 20th century to today?

Answer 1

Racism has become more subtle, covert and ambivalent

Old racism was openly racist and hostile

Question 2

What movement was influential in changing from old racism change to new racism?

Answer 2

Changed with the civil rights movement

Question 3

How did attitudes of white americans change between the 1940s to 1980s?

Answer 3

School integration changed from 32% to 90%

37% willing to vote for black president, 81% vote for black president

Question 4

Describe the 5 features of symbolic or modern racism according to McConahay (1973) and Sears and Kinger (1971)

Answer 4

1. Rejects beliefs about biological and genetic superiority
2. Based on beliefs about cultural superiority
3. Resentment towards groups based on feelings that they transgress cherished social values embodied in Protestant ethic - individualism, self-reliance, hard work, obedience and discipline
4. Dominant group denies they are prejudiced
5. Opposition to policies that redress social disadvantage of minority groups (e.g. affirmative action, rationalised and justified by invoking egalitarian principles like ‘everyone should be treated equally’

Question 5

Has racism really declined according to social psychologists?

Answer 5

Not really, just the social norms around how racism is presented

Question 6

What type of racism is based on beliefs of cultural superiority?

Answer 6

modern racism

Question 7

With modern racism, is it argued that we still hold a negative affect towards minorities?

Answer 7

Yes, this is combined with the cultural superiority to generate modern racism.

Question 8

What is Katz and Hass (1988) Ambivalent Racism?

Answer 8

Where you have both positive and negative attitudes around race

pro-black and anti-black statements are said to co-exist within the same individual, sometimes producing tra-individual conflict

Question 9

What is it called when someone has pro-black and anti-black sentiments?

Answer 9

Ambivalent racism

ambivalence reflected in the contradictory values that co-exist within most western liberal democracies

Question 10

How is ambivalent racism reflected in the most western liberal democracies?

Answer 10

Reflected in the contradictory values that co-exist in western countries

e.g. Protestant ethic values of individualism and hard work, and on the other, humanitarian and egalitarian values

Question 11

How does ambivalent racism suggest why racism is enduring?

Answer 11

Its tied strongly to central cultural values such as individualism and egalitarianism, which themselves are contradictory

Question 12

What does ambivalent racism suggest practically about interventions that are designed to increase positive attitudes in the community?

Answer 12

They may work, but they will also leave the prevalent negative attitudes unchanged

People will simultaneously hold positive and negative beliefs

Question 13

According to ambivalent racism, will attempts to decrease negative attitudes lead to more positive attitudes?

Answer 13

Not necessarily

Question 14

What is Gaertner and Dovido’s (1986) Aversive Racism?

Answer 14

Aversive racists are sympathetic to the plight of minority groups, identify with liberal-egalitarian principles and see themselves and non-prejudice, but at the same time find it difficult to let go of negative feelings about certain groups learned early in life.

More a theory based on emotion - rationally support minority groups but still feel uneasy about certain groups

similar to ambivalent racism

Question 15

What are the similarities between aversive and ambivalent racism?

Answer 15

In both models:

individuals maintain a non-racist self image

emphasise intra-individual conflict - the resolution of which is largely unconscious

Question 16

What is the main difference between aversive and ambivalent racism?

Answer 16

Contradictions in ambivalent racism are located in different value systems of society

Contraditions in aversive racism is located in openly expressed egalitarian view with negative feelings/affect within the person (which is associated with avoidance of contact with minority groups)

Question 17

What does the dissociation model of prejudice suggest regarding where racial ambivalence is located? (Devine, 1989)

Answer 17

Racial ambivalence is located in the tensions between unconscious and conscious processes.

Question 18

When are our negative stereotypes ingrained in us?

Answer 18

In early childhood typically

Question 19

Why does the dissociation model of prejudice (Devine, 1989) believe we develop racial ambivalence?

Answer 19

In early childhood we are exposed to negative stereotypes about race

In late childhood however, we learn about egalitarianism

The early ingrained stereotypes are ingrained beyond our conscious control and activate automatically and spontanously despite our intentions.

Question 20

What criticisms have been made of psychological theories of prejudice and racism?

Answer 20

1. It shows prejudice at the individual level, rather than at a systematic/historical/social/institutional level
2. Although prejudice is condemned by psychology, psychology has been criticized for depoliticizing the issue of racial inequality

Question 21

Racism and prejudice only manifests itself at the individual level

True/False

Answer 21

False

Can be at the institutional, political, social level