Discrimination and Pronounced Prejudice Essay

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Words: 1350
Pages: 6
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Kayla Davis
SOC 101 Project
Fall 2014

Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination Stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination are often similar with one another. Stereotypes are beliefs that certain attributes are characteristics of members of particular groups. Stereotyping can be positive or negative and, true or false. Whether valid or not, there are a way of categorizing people (Lee, Jusssin, & McCauley, 1995). Prejudice is a negative attitude or affective response toward a certain group and its individual members. Being prejudice can involve prejudging others because they belong to a specific group. Discrimination refers to negative or harmful behavior directed toward members of particular groups. In one study, Stewart, Maria- Christina, (2008) indicates that public attitudes toward individuals with eating disorders are moderately negative. Eighty female participants were recruited from an undergraduate institution. The females completed questionnaires that involve stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination of four target individuals. Each woman was diagnosed with something different. Those diagnoses included depression, schizophrenia, and mononucleosis. The goal of this study was to examine the information presented compared to schizophrenia, depression, and mononucleosis. The participants of the study had specific stereotypes about all four illnesses. The findings demonstrated increases prejudice and discrimination toward the individuals with mononucleosis, the non- mental illness comparison. Everyone comes face to face with prejudice at some time or another. Prejudice is when we recognize that we feel and act less positively towards others (Wilson, 2007). A form of prejudice is modern racism. Modern racism is a rejection of racist beliefs while maintaining or enduring suspension of discomfort with animosity towards African Americans. In a study, (Hodson, Dovidio, & Gaertner, 2002) white participants evaluated black and white applicants in college. The results were that prejudiced participants rated the black applicants less favorable than the unprejudiced participants. In the end, the white participants had a “modern racism” toward the black applicants without knowing who they really are. The white applicants “judged” the black applicants because of their race. A particular method in revealing prejudice toward particular groups is called the Implict Association Test (IAT). Anthony Greenwald and Mazarin Manaji (1995) pioneered a technique for the test for revealing prejudice for among those who advocate universal equality and high regard for all groups. The IAT is now widely used in social psychology research. It is also used in clinical, cognitive, and developmental psychology research (Greenwood, 1998). This technique works by words and/or pictures that are presented on a computer screen. The person is then told to press a key with the left hand if the picture or word conforms to one rule. The person then presses another key with the right hand if it conforms to another rule. “Millions of people have taken the IAN over the internet. Among other results, researchers have found that both young and older individuals show a pronounced prejudice in favor of the young over the old and about two-thirds of white respondents show a strong or moderate prejudice for white over black” (Nosek, Banaji, & Greenwald, 2002). Stereotypes usually refer to the cognitive attitudes toward a social group. There are many types of stereotypes. One of which is gender stereotypes. Gender stereotypes concern the traits that include females and males that distinguish the two genders. Examples of gender stereotypes are that women are perceived as high on warmth but low on competence. On the other hand, men are perceived as decisive and accomplished, but aggressive. Men can also be insensitive and arrogant. Women are seen as less appropriate for high status positions. For example, a manual labor job is a job that men have
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