Topic 7 - prejudice

Prejudice

• derogatory social attitude to particular social groups and their members

Discrimination

• disadvantaging behaviour towards particular social groups and their members

Realistic conflict theory - Sherif 1954/58/61

• Supported by robbers cave experiment

• Intergroup conflict over resources

• Superordinate goals which can only be achieved by groups acting together

Social identity theory

• social categorisation to certain groups

• Social identification to those groups

• Social comparison with ingroup vs out group

• Positive distinctiveness - maintain positive social identities and legitimatising myths

Legitimising myths

• beliefs that provide moral justification for group inequality

Authoritarian personality theory - adorno et al 1950

• prejudice as a manifestation of personality - obedience to norms and strict parents

• scapegoat to resolve (negative feelings displace to others)

Social dominance theory - Sidanius and Protto 1999

• Tendency to be organised hierarchically in stable societies

• Created a scale to measure desire for hierarchy - higher score more prejudiced

Micro aggressions

• assaults, invalidated, insults on race

• Disarm micro aggression and educate offender

Contact hypothesis - Allport 1954

• acquaintance potential, equal status, normative climate, cooperation

Imagined contact - crisp and turner 2009

• imagining contact encourages positive intergroup behaviour

Extended contact

• contact hypothesis but not including face to face contact

• Reduces intergroup anxiety