Transcript Attitudes Shape Behaviors

Prejudice
 A mixture of beliefs
(negative attitudes),
emotions (hostility, envy,
or fear) and
predispositions to action
(to discriminate)
 To believe that overweight
people are gluttonous, to
feel disgust for an
overweight person, and
hesitate to hire/date an
overweight person is
prejudice
Stereotypes
 A belief that all people in
a group share similar
qualities
 All boys are jerks
 All girls are crazy
 All people on welfare are
lazy
 All Chinese people are
rude
Social Roots of Prejudice
 Social inequalities
 Self-fulfilling prophecy
 Us vs. Them
 In-group
 Out-group
 In-group bias
 Scapegoating
 Outlet for anger by
providing someone to
blame
Cognitive Roots of Prejudice
 Categorizing
 Diagnosing mental
illness can lead to
stereotyping
 Vivid Cases
 Islamic terrorists
 Black men in the news
 Just world phenomenon
 Hurricane Katrina
Discrimination
 Unfair actions made
toward an entire group
of people or individual
members of that group
 Choosing to act on your
prejudices & stereotypes
Racism
 Prejudice &
discrimination targeted
at a particular race
 Putting your own race
above others
 Rwanda genocide
(couldn’t visibly see
differences in race, but
still racism)
 Hutus
 Tutsis
Racism continued
 Institutional racism
 Black and white schools,
banks, polling places, etc.
 Government institutions
 Modern racism
 Subtle and less extreme
 Say equal opportunity,
but is it really equal?
 Won’t vote for Obama
because he’s just going to
help black people
Ways to Improve Relationships
 Re-categorize
 Catholics vs.
Protestants: Christians
 Instead of “that Mexican
guy” try “that guy”
 Controlled Processing
 Mindful of others’
situations
 Developing empathy
 Improving Contact
Between Groups
 Equal status
 One-on one contact
 Groups cooperate rather
than compete
 Social norms need to
change
Blue Eyes vs. Brown Eyes
 Jane Elliot
 Riceville, Iowa
 Day after MLK shot
 Kids didn’t understand
 News anchors ignorant
 Started experiment
 Continues experiment in
some form today