ABSTRACT
Prejudice during the past 20 years has been conceptualized in social psychological theories most often as involving some form of conict or ambivalence (e.g., Devine, 1989; Dovidio & Gaertner, 1998; Katz & Hass, 1988; Sears & Henry, 2003). Many factors contribute to a propensity toward bias and prejudice toward outgroups, ranging from natural cognitive (e.g., categorization) and motivational (ingroup favoritism) underpinnings (Tajfel & Turner, 1986); value orientations (e.g., individualism) that support attitudinal prejudice (e.g., Biernat, Vescio, Theno, & Crandall, 1996); personality tendencies that foster dislike of outgroups (Sidanius & Pratto, 1999); and socialization processes that contribute to the learning and maintenance of bias (e.g., Katz, 2003). At the same time, people often are uncomfortable with their prejudices. As the opening quote from Allport (1954) underscores, prejudice is fundamentally incompatible with humanitarian precepts, egalitarian values, and internalized personal standards calling for the unbiased treatment of others.
