Culture and Discrimination

1806 Words4 Pages

In any culture, groups and individuals develop preconceived notions about other groups and individuals based on their experiences and exposures. Things such as prejudices, stereotype, and discrimination are developed through these preconceived notions. Prejudices are “biased evolutions of a group, based on real or imagined characteristics of the group members” (Nelson 24). These biases are learned through the process of socialization and social learning throughout a person’s lifetime, mostly within a child’s development when they are shaped by their environments. Stereotypes are “a set of beliefs about the personal attributes of a group of people” (Nelson 24). These stereotypes are based upon the generalizations that are made about specific groups or individuals within certain groups. Prejudices help form these beliefs and attributes that are associated within these stereotypes. Some stereotypes can be considered cultural, where there are shared beliefs about a particular group, usually more widely known. Prejudices and stereotypes fuel behaviors, most negative, toward the group or individual of the group they hold stereotypes and prejudices toward; this is known as discrimination (Nelson 24). When someone meets a new individual, they use many different aspects of their physical features along with information they procure from the individual to make inferences. The stereotypes and prejudices that fuel discriminatory behaviors are usually shaped and formed based on the environment in which an individual was brought up. A child is influenced greatly by the actions and beliefs of their parents and close family members. These prejudices and stereotypes that develop through social learning and exposure by parents and families shape th...

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...iety which aids in the equal treatment of all individuals and they are helping work toward and equal society for all individuals.

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