ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses about individual differences and irrational categorizations to natural and discursive processes of social categorization. It also discusses about the role of categorical thinking and cognitive factors in prejudice, implicit attitudes and contemporary extensions and critiques of social identity and self-categorization theories. In review of implicit prejudice research, Durrheim argues that 'the study of implicit cognition' shows meaningful race, gender, and other social category information to promote people to think in stereotypical ways. As theories of prejudice, social identity and self-categorization theory partly explains the cultural, historical and ideological specificities of prejudice. As a discursive act, categorization creates symbolic worlds and meanings to latch on identities, where one fails to place implicit attitudes in collective contexts of symbolism and identity and fails to understand the societal complexity of prejudices. Ethnographic research points out the variety of intracommunity categorizations and descriptions that set Roma/Gypsies apart from one another.
