Prejudice is a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. In “Causes of Prejudice” by Vincent N. Parrillo, he discusses the causes of prejudice, both psychological and sociological. He also discusses how different aspects in someone’s life can affect the way they treat and judge others. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there were many situations that involved acts of prejudgment, which according to Parrillo’s article “Causes of Prejudice”, had originated from aggression and the socialization process. Unfortunately, many characters had to face prejudice and or learn about this concept. Prejudice is a complex phenomenon that causes many problems in society and is hard to understand why and how it originated.…show more content… “Individuals acquire the values, attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of their culture or subculture…” molding the person into who they truly are (Parrillo 586). However during this socialization process, people are usually effected by society. Children are “programmed” to accept and view the world the way their parents teach them without questioning. People learn the prejudices of not only their parents but others and it “becomes part of our values and beliefs” (Parrillo 586) Even if it’s a false stereotype, people will believe it and create prejudices based on it. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Mayella Ewell, the eldest daughter of the Ewells, grows up in poverty-stricken conditions, with an alcoholic and abusive father. Her father, Bob Ewell, is known to have this reserved aggression in him that he directs towards the African-American community. Mayella is growing and learning her values and attitudes towards others, and due to her father, she accepts his prejudgments as her own or so she claims in court. She uses her beliefs that African-Americans are liars and immoral in court to prove that Tom Robinson, an innocent African-American, is guilty of rape. Even though these beliefs and stereotypes about African-Americans were false, Mayella claimed to believe it because she had supposedly been effected by her father’s view on them. The socialization process is what makes a person who they really are, how they are so-to-speak
