Understanding Prejudice
Attempting to understand stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination is a task involving many individuals and studies across time. Prejudice seems inherent in humanity and a constant in all reaches of the world. Gordon Allport, in The Nature of Prejudice, makes it clear that there are countless instances of prejudice that span the globe and are present in every community.1 Given that stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination are so fundamental for humanity, it is an admirable goal to seek understanding for their development and cause. Although typically co-existing, there are some noteworthy distinctions between the three as well as a variety of reasons that they may exist.2 First, it is important to distinguish these three words as they all represent very different things worth considering.
Stereotypes are common and natural, and they exist in every culture and across time. There is a very real and cognitive purpose for stereotypes and stereotyping. The brain is constantly trying to make sense of the information coming in and trying to process it in a meaningful way. Stereotypes help the brain process that information and determine an appropriate response. A Stereotype develops from a cognitive process.2 Affordance management is worth considering when thinking about how stereotypes and prejudices develop. This process helps people discern or classify individuals as being either a threat or an opportunity (something that could bring about the success of a goal or jeopardize one). This is key when discussing stereotypes and the separation of individuals into groups.3
Prejudice is defined as a feeling towards a group, and although we frequently associate a negative emotion with the word, the truth is that positive prejudices exist as well.2 For instance, as a Jewish and Hispanic woman, I find myself inclined to think favorably of someone once I learn that they are Jewish or Mexican. There is a positive association, for me, when I think about these groups. Other individuals may be negatively prejudiced towards these same groups. A prejudice is, simply put, a judgment or a feeling towards an individual based on the group that they are associated with. Everyone has prejudiced feelings towards one group or another.1
Discrimination diverges from the other two as it is the unfair or negative treatment of others as the result of a negative prejudice or prejudices against them based on the group to which they belong. Discrimination is a behavior, while the other two are personal and emotional. This sets discrimination apart from stereotyping, which is a process, and prejudice, which is feelings-based.2
When discussing and attempting to conceptualize stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination, there are a couple of methods and views to consider. General valence describes the feelings present in an individual in terms of them being either positive or negative.2 This is a helpful starting point when first trying to identify a stereotype or prejudice. Although we typically apply a negative connotation to these terms, in reality, they only describe a predisposed feeling or belief about a group or individual belonging to that group; because of this, we must assign a value to that prejudice.1
While general valence is a good place to start, it doesn’t allow for more complex ideas or research. Humans have many feelings that all have different effects on thoughts and behavior. Nuanced differentiation allows for a deeper understanding and consideration of the emotions behind the prejudices at play.2 While there are many examples of negative emotions (fear, anger, disgust, etc.) and many types of positive emotions (delight, amusement, admiration, etc.), there is a difference in the individual feelings. Someone who is frustrated does not feel the same as someone in a rage, although both emotions are clearly negative in nature. It is important to make the distinction between a prejudice born out of fear and one that has developed as the result of another negative emotion, like contempt.3
A good example of how nuanced differentiation can help when evaluating prejudices is provided in one of this week’s readings and the lecture. When comparing prejudice against Mexican American men to prejudice against gay men, it was found that there was negative prejudice against both groups; the feelings towards the two groups, though both negative, were not the same. The negative emotion towards the group of Mexican American men was fear, while the negative emotion that created a prejudice against the group of gay men was disgust.2,3 Understanding these nuanced differences allow for a better understanding of the cause of the prejudice and discrimination that different groups may encounter. While it is quite helpful for understanding prejudices because of the various distinctions between types of feelings, it does not necessarily help as much when considering stereotypes. However, even these can exist for a variety of nuanced reasons.
The human brain has developed in a fascinating way so that it has a heightened sense of threats and potential danger. As discussed earlier, cognitive processes like affordance management help the brain do its job. It is the job of the brain to assess a situation with limited information and process an appropriate response that will promote the success of an objective or personal welfare. In the lecture this week, we see that humans have developed discriminatory responses as a means of survival. Disgust and fear are common emotions behind the development of prejudices and even discrimination.2 Being able to understand these emotions and why different ones are triggered creates a better understanding of the different reactions humans have to situations or information they are presented with.
Overall, nuanced differentiation is a better approach when trying to conceptualize stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination but particularly when considering prejudices. It is the nuanced perspective that allows us to go from considering prejudice (singular) to prejudices (plural). It allows us to consider the detailed and different emotions that lead individuals to hold certain beliefs and to engage in discrimination because of them.2 While we must first classify the general valence, this is only a step towards the deeper considerations that are offered by considering the subtle differences between the positive and negative emotions at work inside the human mind.
References:
Allport, G. W., Clark, K., & Pettigrew, T. F. (2015). The nature of prejudice. New York: Basic Books.
Neuberg, S. L. (n.d.). Module 1: Stereotypes, Stereotyping, Prejudice, Discrimination, and the Brain's Job. Lecture presented at PPS 503: Prejudice, Stereotypes, and Intergroup Relations in ASU, Tempe, Arizona.
Neuberg, S. L., Williams, K. E., Sng, O., Pick, C. M., Neel, R., Krems, J. A., & Pirlott, A. G. (2020). Toward capturing the functional and nuanced nature of social stereotypes: An affordance management approach. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 245-304. doi:10.1016/bs.aesp.2020.04.004