Prejudice

• Prejudice: Stereotypes (set of fairly fixed and simplistic generalisations) influence belief/attitude towards a group, based on limited knowledge/understanding; and Discrimination: Unequal treatment of individuals/groups based on prejudices
• In-group loyalty/Out-group hostility: Tendency to identify with a group and judge those outside of our group harshly; Heterogeneous: Individuals of in-group are different, and Homogenous: Members of the out-group are ‘all the same’
• Personal Identity: Our own unique identities, personality and self-esteem and Social Identity: Attributes of the group to which we belong/identify (e.g. our social class)
• Prejudice is universal; leads to personal bias, People may have negative stereotypes/prejudices towards a specific group but don’t actively discriminate due to prevailing social norms or laws, prejudice can cause significant harm, e.g. Nazis
• Components of prejudice (ABC) may not all manifest simultaneously: Affect (mood over something; anger, fear, suspicion, or hostility), Behaviour (reaction; insult, avoid, attack), and reCognition (thoughts on something; stereotyping)
• Chauvinism: sense of superiority/arrogance/aggressive patriotism, Xenophobia: dislike, hatred, fear of strangers/foreigners and Racism: prejudice based on race
• Sexism: Some societies punish adultery committed by women with death but not men, rape is ‘forced adultery’, and female victim is charged; in West, it is more subtle (e.g. glass ceiling and lower income levels for the same job as men)
• Homophobia: Possibly more socially acceptable than overt racism and sexism – homosexuality used as an insult, ‘that is so gay…’