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Prejudice and discrimination in social psychology
Prejudice and discrimination in society
Prejudice in our society today
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What is discrimination? Merriam Webster, defines it as “the practice of unfairly treating a person or group of people differently from other people or groups of people”. But more generally, why does it occur? Is it because of inherent inferiority, or is it simply conformity? These questions are generally unanswered in today's society, but can be understood through careful analysis of what it means to discriminate. The text, A Class Divided, by William Peters attacks this question through analyzing both sides of the discrimination spectrum (ie. the inferior and superior group) from the perspective children. In response to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Jane Elliott, a third grade teacher in a predominantly white, middle-class …show more content…
community, took a novel approach to teaching racism and the act discrimination. She taught her students the nature of prejudice through having them experience discrimination first hand, labeling children inferior and superior according to their eye color. Due to her authoritative presence, the results were almost immediate, and the children in fact began to adapt their respective label; Those considered “inferior” began look and behave like inferior students, and vice versa. This exercise, which became known as the “discrimination day exercise”, received almost universal acclaim from the public, and touched a soft spot in the American psyche with regards to racism and discrimination. Moreover, the most impactful lesson that can be taken away from reading William Peter’s, “A Class Divided”, relates to the origin of discrimination itself. That is, in a structured society, the presence of authority will instigate individual perspectives to conform to that of the norm, regardless of its relative meaning. In other words, it is only natural for us to inherit popular opinion if authority does to. This is an important lesson because it allows us to recognize the difference between truth and conformity, and illustrates why discrimination occurs in our society. One reason why this lesson is important is becauses it enables us to realize what is truth, and what is a result of conformity. This idea can be seen in A Class Divided when Jane Elliot had convinced her students that eye color indeed had a correlation with inferiority or superiority. “I had known that I represented authority in that room, that they had all been taught from birth to respect authority, and that this was at least a part of the reason they didn’t resist,” “I have no final explanation for this -this absolutely real acceptance of the roles assigned to them ... If it proves anything, I suppose it proves how susceptible human beings - and particularly children - are to the voice of authority” (Peters 46, 101). Here the students developed the belief that eye color had a bearing on one’s personality simply because it was introduced by authority, and then adapted by the popular opinion. It was only natural for them to conform to the opinions and directives of Jane, even though they were blatantly incorrect. Likewise, it was only until authority (Jane Elliot) said so, that the children realized what was really true, that the entire exercise was a outcome of mere conformity. However, as a result of this realization, they were able to recognize the same phenomena in society with regards to discrimination against African Americans and other racial groups. This stark contrast between their behavior supports Elliott's claim that authority hold great power over people’s actions, both positively and negatively. Therefore, this teaches the reader more than just how conformity can blind us, but also how recognizing it can expand our perspective. Furthermore, in Advanced Social Psychology: The State of the Science, Robert B. Cialdini and Vladas Griskevicius analyze the role authority plays in social influence. Particular, they explain the rationalization behind the unconditional acceptance of the dictums of authority. “For most people, then, conforming to the dictates of authority figures produces genuine practical advantages. Consequently, it makes great sense to comply with the wishes of properly constituted authorities. It makes so much sense, in fact, that people often do so when it makes no sense at all,” “An authority rule for compliance can be worded as follows: We should be more willing to follow the suggestions of someone who is a legitimate authority”(Cialdini & Griskevicius, pp. 404-405). This proves that the presence of authority causes the process of conformity to accelerate, as there is a perceived practical benefit to complying with the rules and opinions of authority. In other words, when authority figures concur with a certain directive, it is much more likely for one to adopt that perspective than if not. This can be seen in today’s society through the concept of covert racism. That is, prejudice that does not lead to outwards discrimination. In this case, the authority figure is not necessarily one person, but instead one's intermediate community. For example, a child raised in a racist household has a greater chance of developing those same prejudices through osmosis, as they come from those who hold a authority position. However, a more dangerous example of this phenomena can be seen in ideological extremists, such as terrorist organizations. Leaders of these groups can be seen as authority figures to their members, and thus have great influence over their actions, and can even lead them to commit brutal acts of violence. Although not all situations are as serious as this, knowing that they occur can allow us to realize how authority figures are not always correct in their views. In conclusion, this lesson about society emphasises how it is our responsibility to think independently, and not mindlessly conform to the popular opinion. Furthermore, another reason why this truth is important is because it denounces the legitimacy of discrimination by showing why it occurs.
Many often justify discrimination through the means of statistical evidence, claiming that groups that are stigmatized deserve their treatment by citing negative attributes about them. However, this paradox is frequently unresolved to even those who realize the fallacy in discrimination. Several researchers in social psychology, including Galen V. Bodenhausen and Jennifer A. Richeson, have offered potential reasons behind this happening; “It should come as no surprise that individuals’ attitudes and stereotypical beliefs affect the way intergroup interactions unfold. Indeed, individuals who harbor negative stereotypes about the group membership of their interaction partners often display behavior that conforms to their stereotypical beliefs”(Bodenhausen & Richeson, 361). This shows how those discriminated against are likely to adapt to their societal status, and thus often behave according to their respective stereotypes. From this, one can begin to infer that this paradox is a reinforcing cycle, and that prejudice forms as a result of discrimination. Building upon this trend, in the final chapters of the text, a Peters reflects on the trends and results derived from Jane’s exercises, and how it related to the act of discrimination itself; “But even more pernicious, [the exercise] also illustrates how the results of discrimination tend …show more content…
to create and confrim predjuctic. It’s a simple enough equation: choose a group, discriminate against it, force it by your discrimination to look and act inferior, and then point to the way it looks and acts as proof of its inferiority” (Peters 101). This analysis illustrates how artificial and fundamentally arbitrary discrimination is. Besides, it is simply an aspect of our psychology, and is in no way an inherent property destined to occur with a particular group (eg. African Americans). Instead, it is a symmetric property of human behavior. In other words, the issue of race could have easily been reversed, where whites were the group being oppressed. This realization takes away the uncertainty associated with the act of discrimination, and confirms that the prejudice can occur with any arbitrary difference between us, skin or eye color. In terms of importance, knowing this enables us to reduce the effect of biased associations, or the judgements we make of others due to superficial reasons. By understanding the root and nature of discrimination, we as members of society can recognize that it is nothing more than a flaw in human nature. That is, prejudice is no different than any other occurrence of human ignorance, such as arrogance or lack of empathy, and thus can easily be avoided. In conclusion, the most important lesson that can be learned from reading A Class Divided is that with the approval authority, individuals will adopt popular opinion because it allows us to recognize the difference between truth and conformity and explains why discrimination occurs in society.
Through analyzing the results of Jane Elliott's experiments and the social psychology of authority, it can be seen that mindless conformity can blind us from the truth, causing dire results. In addition, this lesson can explain how discrimination can confirm prejudice, making the process a self reinforcing cycle. Ultimately, knowing the origins of discrimination can allow us to recognize our cognitive biases, and prevent them from influencing our actions. Therefore, it is essential to understand the tendency of us to conform to the voice of authority, and for us as a global society to overcome the biases of discrimination and
prejudice.
The power of stereotypes stored in the brain was a daunting thought. This information enlightened me about the misconceptions we carry from our cultural experiences. Also, it startled me that according to (Banaji and Greenwald, 2013) “those who showed high levels of White Preference on the IAT test were also those who are most likely to show racially discriminatory behavior,” (pg. 47). I reflected on this information, and it concerned me that my judgments were simply based on past cultural experiences. This mindbug was impacting my perception of someone before I even had a chance to know him.
We’ve all done it: walking down a hallway, judging someone or thinking someone is less than what we perceive ourselves to be based on the color of their skin or how they are dressed, or even their physical features. The author of The Language of Prejudice, Gordon Allport, shares how we live in a society where we are ridiculed for being less than a culture who labels themselves as dominant. This essay reveals the classifications made to the American morale. Allport analyzes in many ways how language can stimulate prejudice and the connection between language and prejudice.
The day after Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered (in April 1968,) Jane Elliott’s third grade students were confused and upset. Growing up in a small, all-white town, they were not exposed to racism, and did not understand the meaning of it. Therefore, Jane Elliot decided to show her class what discrimination feels like. She informed the class that they were going to change the way things were done. The students were then divided by eye colour-blue eyes and brown eyes. The blue-eyed children were praised, and told that they were smarter, nicer, and better than the brown-eyed children in every way. Throughout the day, they were given special privileges that the brown-eyed children did not receive. Those privileges included extra recess time, access to the jungle gym, a second helping of food at lunch, sitting at the front of the classroom, and being allowed to participate in class discussions. In contrast, the brown-eyed children were forced to wear brown collars around their necks. They sat at the back of the classroom, and their behaviour and classroom performance was constantly criticized by the teacher. The students from the superior group (even those who were usually sweet and tolerant) became mean, and began to discriminate against the inferior group. The students from the inferior group would struggle with class assignments, and perform poorly on tests. On the second day of the experiment, the roles were reversed, making the brown-eyed children superior to the blue-eyed children. The results were similar, but the brown-eyed students didn’t treat their blue-eyed classmates quite as bad as they had treated them. When the exercise ended, the students hugged and cried with each other. Jane Elliott once said: "After you do this exercise, when the debriefing starts, when the pain is over and they're all back together, you find out how society could be if we really believed all this stuff that we
“Two dangers arise when in-group members have little exposure to out-groups members or knowledge of out-group history” (Ramirez-Berg pg. 18). One is that history can be replaced by other group’s experience. Two is the stereotypical image can be taken as normal or even natural. The five functions of stereotyping that are developed and passed on to others. The first two are focused on a personal level. One is cognitive function of the environment. Two is motivational function protecting values. “The remaining three are at group level, where stereotypes contribute to the creation and maintenance of group beliefs which are then used…” (Ramirez-Berg pg. 28). Three is explaining in a large-scale social event. Four is to justify action. Five is to differentiate in and out
Discrimination is a disease; a sickness that has plagued American society for hundreds of years. It can be seen and experienced everywhere. The slandering of people because of their ethnic background, religion, or social status. Why is there discrimination in the world? Hate, envy, racism, selfishness; these traits are not instinctive, rather, they are learned. It does not matter where anti-social traits are initially experienced, whether it is found in the home, or school, or even in the nursery, the results are the same. Children that are exposed to discrimination at an early age could have a propensity towards violent behavior as they mature. Children must be shown that discriminatory behavior is not acceptable, and traits, such as compassion, are acceptable. Too many children today are left alone or unsupervised by guardians and parents. In today’s society, it is a common trend for both the mother and father to work. Young children are many times left in the care of schools, friends, neighbors, and relatives. In these cases children behave in ways that imitate real life. Discrimination can be found almost anywhere. Television, tabloids, and especially the news, reveal discrimination on a daily basis. Writers use the theme of discrimination to reflect the harshness of the world; the true nature of man is to degrade those that are different. But through compassion and understanding one can rise above the fascist views life has impinged on us. Black Boy, by Richard Wright, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain serve as good examples of how one can rise above discrimination and catch a glimpse of a world of equality.
A stereotype can have multiple meanings, but one of the most prevailing definitions is that it assumes that groups are representable through a consolidated
In our global economy requiring functional and respectful relationships between nations, prejudice and stereotypes can be a destructive force both in the world and in individual societies, especially in diverse ones.
In this world we are constantly being categorized by our race and ethnicity, and for many people it’s hard to look beyond that. Even though in the past many stood up for equality and to stop racism and discrimination, it still occurs. In this nation of freedom and equality, there are still many people who believe that their race is superior to others. These beliefs are the ones that destroy our nation and affect the lives of many. The people affected are not limited by their age group, sex, social status, or by their education level.
Human brains, for the sake of processing information efficiently, use a shortcut known as social categorization. Humans categorize people into different groups based on common features. The three primary social categories for humans are: sex, race, and age (Yoder, 2013). Although categorizing is helpful during life experiences, there’s a negative backlash to compartmentalizing human-beings. The backlash lies in the small leap between categorizing and stereotyping. Stereotyping is used much in the way of categorizing, in that, we simplify complex information, organize, and store the data we collect. The difference between categorizing and stereotyping is when human’s stereotype they ascribe certain attributes to particular individuals within a group based on perceived affiliation with said group (APA, 1991). Once the stereotype has been formed, an increased level of expectation arises, which influences human behavior, that then reinforces the stereotype creating a circle of negative attitudes. These negative attitudes give way to sex discrimination; ...
Jr., Bernard E. Whitley and Mary E. Kite. The Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination. Belmont: Cengage Learning, 2010. Web.
Brown's (1995) definition of stereotyping through prejudice is the 'holding of derogatory social attitudes or cognitive beliefs, the expression of negative affect, or the display of hostile or discriminatory behaviour towards members of a group on account of their membership to that group'. This definition implies that stereotyping is primarily a group process, through the individuals psyche's within that group. A further idea of stereotyping, defined by Allport (1954) as 'thinking ill of others without warrant', is that people 'make their mind up' without any personal experience. This pre judgement about a whole group is then transferred to the stigmatisation of any individuals in that group. It is these ideas that the essay aims to evaluate, through the cognitive process of categorisation and the above definitions that bring about three distinct features of stereotyping, that our cognition can be demonstrated through.
‘A Class Divided’ by Jane Elliot was an experiment performed in 1985 on a class of 3rd Grade American students to study the effects of power and how quickly it leads to discrimination. While this experiment was beyond interesting and provided us with insight into how authority and a sense of power can turn young children into ‘nasty, vicious, discriminating, little third graders in a space of fifteen minutes.’ As worded by Jane Elliot, there are some ethical issues with this experiment that must be addressed. While the point of this experiment was to put young kids in the shoes of those discriminated against as a metaphor for racism, it dehumanised and offended young children that believe they should not be given this kind of treatment because of something they cannot change about themselves, such as eye colour.
Prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping are important topics at the cause of debating within social psychology. A stereotype is a generalization about a group of people, in which certain traits cling to all members, regardless of actual individual variation (Akert, Aronson, & Wilson, 2010). As humans, people assign objects and individuals into categories to organize the environment. Individuals do this for not only organization, but also survival. Is stereotyping inevitable? That is the question; according to Devine (2007), it is, but Lepore and Brown (2007) have to disagree. Devine believes that “stereotyping is automatic, which makes it inevitable.” On the other hand, Lepore and Brown are not convinced that stereotyping is automatic, and have claimed, after observation, that it depends on the individual.
The movie “The Class Divided” was a very inspirational movie because it taught a lesson on discrimination and racism. The film covers Jane Elliot experience with the “eye-color” exercise and it shows how the participants responded to being a victim of discrimination. The teacher who came up with the exercise was a third grade –teacher that wanted to explain to her kids the reasons behind Martin Luther King death. She divided each class she taught up by their eye color and treated them according to whatever eye color was more superior that day. Her lesson influenced and inspired the younger kids and older adults because it taught them a life learning lesson that could stick with them for years to come.
As Hodson and Victoria (p.344) note, human beings are not born prejudiced. They develop prejudice through socialization process. The role of family, media, and education is crucial in the prejudice in individuals. Stereotyping involves the construction of unfounded ideas and thoughts concerning an individual. Stereotyping involves the construction of unfounded ideas and thought concerning an individual in the same social context (Farley, p.21). The development of stereotypes revolves around the association of individuals with particular labels of identity. The truth is such ideas and propositions cannot be proven in most situations (Brown, p.68). Hence, the individuals who uphold stereotypes in society become prejudiced toward the victims. The difficulty associated with changing stereotypes is connected to the length of time required for internalization. Individuals in particular classes of society are exposed to stereotypes in their social environment for a considerable amount of time. In consideration of the Emmanuel Church shooting, the perpetrator expressed stereotypical idealization of the African American community. He expressed biased attitude through the sole target of African