Prejudice Theory Outline

8/14/2019 Prejudice Theory Outline

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I. Allport, 1954

a. Serves as the basis for prejudice theory up to the present

b. More theoretical than empiricalc. Prejudice is a character/personality deficit

d. People decide if objects are good or bad by classes to save time

e. New experiences are judged based on existing categoriesf. Prejudgments become prejudices when they don’t change after exposure

to new, conflicting information

g. Negative attitudes aren’t prejudice unless they fulfill a self-serving purpose

h. Levels of acting out prejudice

i. Antilocution – discussion

ii. Avoidanceiii. Discrimination – exclusion from social opportunity

iv. Physical attack

v. Extermination

i. Children are rewarded by their group memberships j. Children are members of the same groups as their parents; this declines

with agek. Ingroups – dominant groups

l. Outgroups – minority groups

m. Existence of an ingroup implies that there is an outgroup

n. Individuals can define the same ingroup differentlyo. Group-norm theory – all groups develop a way of living, beliefs,

standards, and enemies to adapt to their needs. Pressures to conform keep

group members in line p. Individuals mirror group attitudes to serve their personal interests

q. As the ingroup becomes larger, it becomes weaker – loyalty more difficultto achieve in large groupsr. Concentric loyalties – conflict usually within same sphere

s. Holes in theory

i. Focus on racism, underrepresented other prejudicesii. Overlooked impact on targets and their response to prejudice

iii. Limited attention to unconscious processes

iv. Focused on individual rather than group identity

v. Overemphasized the role of personalityII. Sherif and Sherif, 1969

a. Prejudice arises from normal conflicts between groups

b. Contact increases hostilityc. Cooperation to achieve mutual goals reduces conflict

III. Tajfel, 1970

a. People see ingroups as more heterogeneous and outgroups as morehomogeneous

IV. Tajfel and Turner, 1979

a. Self-concept is partially defined by group membership

b. Negative stereotypes can become internalized



V. Wills, 1981

a. Insecurity and anxiety lead to outgroup derogation

VI. Levinger, 1985a. Contact hypothesis –Members of diverse groups will learn to appreciate

each other after interaction

VII. Tajfel and Turner, 1986a. Social identity theory – people categorize others into groups and evaluate

their social worth by comparing their group to others

b. Prejudice may result from the process of maintaining a positive socialidentity

c. Ingroup members look for ways for their group to be positively distinctive

VIII. Volkan, 1988

a. Ingroup sees other groups as subhuman enemies; creates a psychologicalgap composed of rituals such as popular theories, common beliefs, social

practices

IX. Crocker and Major, 1989

a. Target can attribute other’s views/behaviors to biasX. Brewer, 1991

a. Differentiation and assimilation are two ends of a continuum b. People have a need to find their place on the continuum/balance both

aspects

XI. Devine, Zuwerink, 1991

a. Low-prejudiced people sometimes act in prejudiced ways b. There are two kinds of cognitive processes: auto (unconscious) and

controlled (requires time and cognitive capacity)

c. Some prejudices are automatically activatedd. Low-prejudiced people feel guilt when there is a discrepancy between how

they should act and how they would act

XII. Monteith, 1992a. Prejudice is a habit

b. People use control processes to inhibit prejudiced responses

c. If people fail to meet their standards, they will hold themselves to a higher standard in the future

XIII. Gielen et. al., 1992

a. Prejudice is learned through socialization

XIV. Steele and Aronson, 1995a. Stereotype threat – anxiety felt by minority that they may confirm a

positive or negative stereotype

b. Can interfere with behavior/performancec. Situation-specific

XV. Sears et. al., 1995

a. Fraternal deprivation – Ingroup feels that their group is threatened by theoutgroup or not gaining as fast as the outgroup

XVI. Fein, Spencer, 1997

a. Prejudice a means to affirm self-image



b. When evaluating a members of an outgroup, perception is negative only if

self-image is threatened

c. Aggression toward outgroup heightens when self-image is threatenedXVII. Khan, 2002

a. Stereotypes reinforce our sense of who we are to boost self-esteem

b. Stereotypes are used to justify our conduct in relation to a groupXVIII. Crandall and Stargon, 2005

a. There are several types of perceived threat that lead to prejudice

i. Resourcesii. Danger to physical health

iii. Symbolic threat to bodily integrity

iv. Violation of a just world

v. Moral undermining

Prejudice Theory Outline

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