ABSTRACT
Chapter summary
Prejudice involves negative attitudes (cognitive component) and emotions towards the members of some group. In contrast, discrimination involves negative actions directed at the members of another group.
There has been a decline in overt racism, but there is still much evidence of more subtle forms of racism.
240Stereotypes are often biased; however, they provide a simple way of perceiving the world and serve social and motivational purposes.
Adorno et al. argued that prejudiced individuals have an authoritarian personality stemming from a harsh and affectionless childhood. However, they minimised the role of genetic factors in producing individual differences in prejudice.
According to realistic conflict theory, competition between two groups for the same goal or scarce resources can cause inter-group conflict and prejudice. However, prejudice is less likely if there are pre-existing friendships between groups experiencing conflict.
In the real world, intergroup conflict is often caused by the desire of one group to impose its cultural values on another group rather than a scarcity of resources.
According to social identity theory, ingroup bias can lead to prejudice against outgroups. However, it provides a limited account of outgroup aggression because it de-emphasises the role of emotion in prejudice and discrimination.
Active minorities create antagonism with the powerful majority and reduce prejudice more than discrimination. In contrast, victimised minorities create guilt in the powerful majority by emphasising historical ill-treatment and reduce discrimination more than prejudice.
Intergroup contact reduces prejudice by reducing anxiety about the other group and by increasing empathy for (and knowledge of) that group. However, positive intergroup contact can reduce the motivation of minority group members to pursue social changes towards equality.
It is hard to interpret the association between increased intergroup contact and reduced prejudice. Intergroup contact may reduce prejudice and/or individuals who are not prejudiced may seek intergroup contact more than prejudiced ones.
Prejudice can be reduced by recategorisation where an ingroup and an outgroup are combined to form a single common ingroup: moving from an “us versus them” orientation to “we”. Recategorisation is often effective. However, it can reduce the likelihood that low-status members of the single common ingroup who suffer injustice will receive help from high-status members.
