ABSTRACT
Realistic group conflict theories of prejudice argue that self-interest lies at the heart of prejudice and discrimination against many groups, whether racial, national, sex, or religious. It is assumed that greater intergroup competition for scarce and valued resources intensifies prejudice among these groups. This chapter examines ways in which types of traditional prejudice have been measured. It describes a variety of theories explaining the current racial attitudes of White Americans. The chapter explores theories and argues that the current racial paradox is created, at least in part, by value contradictions experienced by White Americans. It also examines traditional explanations of prejudice and theories positing a new type of prejudice. In the 1930s and 1940s psychodynamic explanations for prejudice were popular, followed in the 1960s and 1970s by sociocultural explanations of prejudice, which argued that prejudice is rooted in the social structure of the society and passed on through socialization.
