Prejudice and Discrimination Discussion
ANSWER
Definition of Discrimination, Stereotypes, and Prejudice:
Prejudice: Prejudice is the negative attitudes, opinions, or judgments that one person or group has against another person or group based on those persons’ or groups’ perceptions of those individuals’ or groups’ perceived racial, ethnic, gender, religious, or other social features. These preconceived ideas are frequently unreasonable, which can result in the treatment or evaluation of others in a biased manner.
Stereotypes are oversimplified perceptions or generalized opinions about a specific group of individuals. These ideas could originate in societal norms, historical events, or media representations. Both good and negative stereotypes can exist, but they frequently result in prejudicial perceptions of the members of that group. For instance, it would be inaccurate to assume that all Asians are proficient in math.
Discrimination entails treating someone unfairly or unequally based on their perceived traits or membership in a specific social category. Discrimination can take many forms, including interpersonal discrimination (such as unfair treatment or prejudice-based behaviours) and systemic or institutional discrimination (such as discriminatory policies or practices).
Aetiology of Discrimination, Stereotypes, and Prejudice:
Prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination have complicated and multiple roots. They frequently originate from a confluence of historical, social, and psychological factors:
Prejudice may be founded on fundamental human impulses to categorize and simplify information about others. a. Psychological Factors. Stereotypes can speed up our cognitive processing by acting as mental shortcuts. These mental shortcuts can, however, feed prejudice and discrimination if they result in skewed judgments.
a. Socialization: People are frequently socialized into the prejudices and stereotypes that are part of their culture and society. These prejudices can be acquired from family, friends, the media, and institutions of higher learning. These established biases might grow very strong over time.
c. Historical and cultural factors: Historical occurrences like slavery, colonization, and wars have influenced the development of prejudice and stereotypes. Cultural stories, literature, and media portrayals can either support or contradict these biases.
Over Time, Bias Has Changed:
Over time, bias has changed as a result of various factors:
Movements for Civil Rights: During the 20th century, movements for civil rights, such as the women’s liberation movement and the civil rights for African Americans, challenged and altered discriminatory laws and practices, resulting in substantial social and legal changes.
Globalization and communication: As people understand various groups more deeply, preconceptions and prejudices have decreased due to increasing exposure to many cultures and the rise of global communication.
Legislation: Discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations is outlawed by anti-discrimination laws and policies adopted in many nations. Some progress has been made in decreasing bias due to these legislative restrictions.
Improving Biases and Prejudice:
To combat prejudices and prejudice:
Knowledge and Awareness: Encourage critical thinking and empathy to confront stereotypes and prejudices while promoting knowledge about diversity and inclusion.
Encourage people and organizations to use implicit bias training to identify and address unconscious prejudices.
Promoting accurate and favourable media portrayals of underrepresented communities will help fight misconceptions.
Legislation and Policies: To build a more fair society, anti-discrimination laws and regulations should be strengthened and enforced consistently.
Encourage constructive contacts and partnerships between groups to lessen prejudice through improved understanding.
In conclusion, stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination have complicated historical, psychological, and social roots. Even though prejudice has evolved, initiatives in education, awareness, legislation, and media representation can help lessen prejudice and increase equity in society.
QUESTION
Description
In this week’s Task you will explore prejudice and discrimination.
Read chapter 18 in Together: The Science of Social Psychology.
Conduct a search, (e.g., YouTube or Ted Talk) to find at least four videos on the topic of prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination.
Using the videos you chose, develop working definitions of prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination.
The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is an online test that measures attitudes and beliefs that one may not be willing to admit to. It was developed by Project Implicit at Harvard University. It is found at: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/education.html.
The IAT addresses several categories of associations. Each test takes just a few minutes to take.
Take three tests.
This week’s Task comes in two parts:
1. Write one paragraph for each term defining prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination.
2. Write a 300-500 word paper discussing:
a. the etiology of prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination
b. how bias has changed over the years
c. how prejudice and biases can be improved