Prejudice A biased attitude, positive or negative, based on insufficient information and

directed at a group, which leads to prejudgment of members of that group.

Prejudice
The term prejudice refers to a biased, often negative, attitude toward a group of people.
Prejudicial attitudes include belief structures, which contain information about a group of
people, expectations concerning their behaviour, and emotions directed at them. When
negative prejudice is directed toward a group, it leads to prejudgment of the individual
members of that group and negative emotions directed at them as well. It is important to note
that the nature of the emotion directed at a group of people depends on the group to which
they belong (Cottrell & Neuberg, 2005).

In fact, Cottrell and Neuberg have constructed profiles characterizing the emotions directed
at members of various groups. For example, African Americans (relative to European
Americans) yield a profile showing anger/resentment, fear, disgust, and pity. In contrast,
Native Americans mostly elicited pity with low levels of anger/resentment, disgust, and fear.

Prejudice also involves cognitive appraisals that are tied to different emotions directed at
members of stigmatized groups (Nelson, 2002). For example, fear might be elicited if you
find yourself stranded late at night in a neighbourhood with a sizeable minority population.
On the other hand, you might feel respect when at a professional meeting that includes
members from that very same minority group. In short, we appraise (evaluate) a situation and
experience an emotion consistent with that appraisal. This can account for the fact that we
rarely exhibit prejudice toward all members of a stigmatized group (Nelson, 2002). We may
display prejudice toward some members of a group, but not toward others in that group.

Of course, prejudice can be either positive or negative. Fans of a particular sports team, for
example, are typically prejudiced in favour of their team. They often believe calls made
against their team are unfair, even when the referees are being impartial.

Social psychologists, however, have been more interested in prejudice that involves a
negative biasthat is, when one group assumes the worst about another group and may base
negative behaviours on these assumptions. It is this latter form of prejudice that is the subject
of this chapter.

What can be done about prejudice?

Although prejudice has plagued humans throughout their history, there may be ways to
reduce it. The contact hypothesis suggests that increased contact between groups should
increase positive feelings. However, mere contact may not be enough. Positive feelings are
enhanced when there is a super-ordinate goal toward which groups work cooperatively.
Another strategy is to personalize out-group members; this prevents falling back on
stereotypes. It is also beneficial to increase the frequency of antiracist statements that people
hear, a form of strengthening social norms. A strong expression of social norms, disapproval
of prejudice in all of its variations, is probably the best way to discourage and reduce
prejudiced acts. Prejudice may also be reduced through training programs that seek to
dissociate negative traits from minority group members. Although these programs have met
with some success, there is no simple, consistent effect of training on racial prejudice.

What Is Prejudice?

Prejudice is a widespread phenomenon, present in all societies of the world. What

varies across societies are the particular social groups that are the victims of prejudice and the
degree to which societies enable or discourage discrimination. Social psychologists define
prejudice as a hostile or negative attitude toward a distinguishable group of people based
solely on their group membership. It contains cognitive, emotional, and behavioural
components.

What are some conditions that can reduce prejudice?

How Can Prejudice Be Reduced? Prejudice may be universal, but social psychologists have
investigated many of the conditions under which intergroup hostility can be reduced and
better relationships fostered. It is not enough simply to provide prejudiced people with
information that they are stereotyping the out-group; they will often cling even more tightly
to their beliefs.

The Contact Hypothesis According to the contact hypothesis, the most important way to
reduce prejudice between racial and ethnic groups is through contact, bringing in-group and
out-group members together. Such contact has been shown to be effective in many situations,
from integrating housing projects and the military to fostering friendships across ethnic lines
at universities.

However, mere contact is not enough and can even exacerbate existing negative attitudes.

When Contact Reduces Prejudice: Six Conditions For contact between two groups to be
truly successful in reducing prejudice, six conditions must be met: mutual interdependence; a
common goal; equal status; informal, interpersonal contact; multiple contacts; and social
norms of equality.

Cooperation and Interdependence:

The Jigsaw Classroom

The jigsaw classroom is a form of cooperative learning in which children from different
ethnic groups must cooperate in order to learn a lesson. It has been shown to be highly
effective in improving minority students self-esteem and performance, increasing empathy,
and promoting intergroup friendships.

What is a Stereotype?

Stereotype - A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image. A

partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation. A preconceived
opinion; bias; sentence passed before proper examination of the circumstances Stereotypes
can be either positive ("black men are good at basketball") or negative ("women are bad
drivers"). But most stereotypes tend to make us feel superior in some way to the person or
group being stereotyped. Stereotypes ignore the uniqueness of individuals by painting all
members of a group with the same brush.

Stereotypes: Beliefs about members of a specific group.

Prejudice: Negative feelings towards members of a specific group.

Discrimination: Negative behaviours / actions directed at members of a specific group.

Prejudice A prejudice evolves from a stereotype. Prejudices can be positive as well as

negative. Positive stereotypes can also lead to discrimination but largely not as harmful as
negative. Based on our stereotypes if we start forming hostile or negative opinions of others
or when a person dislikes another for no good reason, or has formed a hostile opinion of
someone before even getting to know them it is prejudice. It is in other words a negative
judgment or opinion formed about an individual or group without knowledge of the facts.

Discrimination -- Treating people in a less favorable way because they are members of a
particular group. Discrimination is prejudice in action.

Given that prejudice is common in all human societies and exerts damaging effects both on
the victims and on those who hold such views, the important question to address is Is it
possible to remove prejudice? What steps can be taken to do this? Considering the growing
prejudice among people over religion, region, language, race, it seems almost like prejudice
is inevitable. But stereotyping and prejudice can be definitely reduced to a large extent by
becoming aware and educating ourselves. And with concentrated multi-pronged approach we
can do many things to counter prejudice.

1. Teaching children Acceptance Instead of Bigotry (narrow mindedness):

Homes and schools are places where children learn to get their generalizations leading to
stereotypes. It is the responsibility of parents, teachers to bring their children up with
acceptance and positive attitudes towards other groups and be role models. Because often the
attitudes and prejudiced notions are not necessarily taught but caught from adults and the
environment the children operate in. There is sufficient evidence, today that teachers can be
victims of bias and prejudice and can reflect in their classrooms.

2. Teaching children from an early age to respect all groups:

We must teach children, including ones very different from their own - prejudice can be
nipped in the bud or at least curbed. Valuing Diversity is very important. Ethnocentrism
should be discouraged. The education of young children should promote respect for a
multicultural society and tolerance and acceptance virtures that need to be developed quite
consciously.

3. Increased Intergroup Contact :

This is based on the Contact hypothesis: the theory that direct contact between hostile
groups will reduce prejudice. Recent findings indicate that if people merely know that
friendly contacts between members of their own group and members of various out groups
(groups in which we do not belong) is possible, their prejudice towards these groups can be
sharply reduced. E.g., The various Mohalla committees that operate in different areas after
the 1992 communal riots in Mumbai are based on this reasoning that increased inter-group
contact can remove prejudice and hatred.

However, there are some conditions like the groups interacting must be roughly equal in
status, the contact situation must involve cooperation and not competition. They should work
towards shared goals and the setting should help them understand each other better. In short,
direct inter-group contact can be an effective tool to combat cross-group prejudice.

4. Re-categorization: redrawing the boundary between Us and Them:

Once individuals mentally include people, they once excluded from their in group (groups in
which we belong) within it, prejudice toward them may disappear. Reminding people that
they are part of large groups - for instance, that they are all Indians, Americans Canadians or
even human beings - can help accomplish this kind of recategorization.

5. Undermining-Stereotypes:
Stereotypes suggest that all persons belonging to specific social groups alike - they share the
same characteristics. Such beliefs can be weakened if people are encouraged to think about
others as individuals not simply as members of social groups. Also, some evidence suggests
that affirmative action programs in schools and colleges, offices may actually encourage
positive perceptions and the persons who benefit from them will look at people and events
more objectively. This will serve to counter prejudice by undermining (deflating) stereotypes.
There must be an effort to look down upon people with prejudiced attitudes.

6. Reducing Prejudice through Cognitive interventions:

Weakening stereotypes:
Stereotypes involve category-driven processing -- thinking about others in terms of their
membership in social categories or groups. Stereotypes can be reduced if persons can be
made to engage in attribute-driven processing -- thinking about the unique characteristics of
individuals and objective judgment.

7. Cooperative activities: Cooperative activities such as team building exercises, workshops

involving games that help to remove bias and prejudice should be carried out in schools,
colleges, work places, etc. It is a good way to reduce animosity and bitterness that stems from
low self esteem and stereotyped attitudes. Thus, non-competitive contact between in and out
groups on terms of equal status and the pursuit of common, super ordinate goals which are
attainable by cooperation is the way forward.

8. Media responsibility: Instead of perpetuating stereotypes the media should take

responsibility to remove prejudices and negative attitudes. It is the responsibility of every
individual to be aware of the stereotypes and take care so as to not to discriminate and create
a more equitable society.

9. Role of educational institutions: Educational inequality leads to bias and discrimination.

High standards of educational experience should be available to every student. In addition
schools and colleges have to deal with so many other situations that cause prejudice and
hatred. Efforts to address bias, prejudice and discrimination should be comprehensive in
nature.

Conclusion :

There is no single correct way to eliminate stereotypes. And indeed it is not possible to
eliminate all stereotypes. In fact sometimes stereotypes help to add humour in our lives. It is
only when the stereotypes result in harmful, negative attitudes that leads to hatred and
discrimination and takes away the ability to see reason then the stereotype becomes
detrimental to society