Pre-Reading
Pre-Reading Activity
The following words will be defined in the reading. Match them to their definitions.
|
1. ______ discrimination |
a) negative attitudes and feelings toward individuals based solely on their membership in a particular group |
|
2. ______ prejudice |
b) specific beliefs or assumptions about individuals based solely on their membership in a group |
|
3. ______ stereotype |
c) negative actions toward individuals as a result of their membership in a particular group |
Discuss the following questions with a partner.
- What are some examples of social groups that you belong to that contribute to your identity?
- Have you ever been the target of discrimination? What do you think caused this person’s negative behavior against you?
- What are some stereotypes and prejudices that some people believe? Why do you think this way about another group of people?
Reading 3: Prejudice and Discrimination [1]
Human conflict can result in crime, war, and mass murder, such as genocide. Prejudice and discrimination often are root causes of human conflict, which explains how strangers come to hate one another to the extreme of causing others harm. Prejudice and discrimination affect everyone. In this section we will examine the definitions of prejudice and discrimination, examples of these concepts, and causes of these biases.
Understanding Prejudice and Discrimination
As we discussed in the opening story of Trayvon Martin, humans are very diverse and although we share many similarities, we also have many differences. The social groups we belong to help form our identities (Tajfel, 1974). These differences may be difficult for some people to reconcile, which may lead to prejudice toward people who are different. Prejudice is a negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based solely on one’s membership in a particular social group (Allport, 1954; Brown, 2010). Prejudice is common against people who are members of an unfamiliar cultural group. Thus, certain types of education, contact, interactions, and building relationships with members of different cultural groups can reduce the tendency toward prejudice. In fact, simply imagining interacting with members of different cultural groups might affect prejudice. Indeed, when experimental participants were asked to imagine themselves positively interacting with someone from a different group, this led to an increased positive attitude toward the other group and an increase in positive traits associated with the other group. Furthermore, imagined social interaction can reduce anxiety associated with inter-group interactions (Crisp & Turner, 2009). Social groups can include gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, social class, religion, sexual orientation, profession, and many more. And, as is true for social roles, you can simultaneously be a member of more than one social group. An example of prejudice is having a negative attitude toward people who are not born in the United States. Alt