Humans need to classify one another to make sense of the world, form rapid (although erroneous) judgments about others, and boost their self-esteem. Our preferences for in-groups are not always malignant; we might, for example, want to hang out with people of the same race or ethnicity as ourselves without harboring any strong animosity toward those of different backgrounds. In contrast, labeling people can easily lead to unconscious bias and discrimination.
Discrimination occurs when people or groups are treated differently because of their ethnicity, gender, age, or biological characteristics. That is the short and easy solution. However, the explanation of why this occurs is more convoluted. The human brain organizes information by creating categories. Babies and toddlers quickly establish gender roles. In contrast, we acquire our sense of what constitutes "good" from experience and education, from our parents, classmates, and observations of the world around us. Fear and misunderstanding are common causes of prejudice.
People's views and behaviors toward social outgroup members can only change long-term if societal standards change. Discrimination and prejudice thrive when they are generally tolerated but die when they are not. Because of the power of individual behavior to form societal norms, people can significantly influence the extent to which discrimination and prejudice persist. More incidents of discrimination, bigotry, and hate crimes like homosexual bashing will occur if people do not respond to them or speak out against them.
Those who hold this view believe it is important always to condemn acts of intolerance. Many white participants in a study by Czopp, Monteith, and Mark subconsciously stereotyped black individuals due to the nature of the task. Allies of the researcher questioned students about their racist ideas, saying things such as, "Maybe it would be useful to think about blacks in other ways that are a little fairer?" Do you grasp my meaning? Even though many of those confronted felt guilty and said unkind things about the challenger, it was nonetheless successful. Those who had been confronted performed better on subsequent tasks that tested for prejudice and stereotyping than their peers who had not been confronted.
One possible source of bias and discrimination is the belief that people belonging to "outgroups" are fundamentally different from the majority. Connecting with people of other races could make us uncomfortable; therefore, we might try to avoid doing so. This highlights the value of initiatives that inspire individuals to connect with those different from themselves in a meaningful way. Empathizing with and caring about others promotes a more positive attitude toward life. A simple gesture like allowing pupils of different backgrounds to play together during recess, as proposed by the contact hypothesis, can profoundly foster tolerance and acceptance among them. We should also encourage college students to experience new cultures and perspectives internationally.
Recent studies have shown that people can diminish their bias even if they never encounter outgroup members. This is at odds with the theoretical framework, which holds that mingling with those in the outgroup will improve feelings on both sides. As a direct result of this idea, scientific researchers have labeled this theory the "extended-contact hypothesis." When controlling for participants' outgroup friendships, college students who reported having friends from another indigenous population had more positive attitudes toward that outgroup than students who reported having no friends from another ethnic group. After controlling for people's outgroup friendships, this result emerged.
Based on the findings, intergroup contact has the potential to reduce prejudice if handled properly but has the opposite effect if not. Progress can be made only if the interaction makes the individuals feel more like they belong to one another rather than more alienated from one another. In a nutshell, relationships between groups improve when members perceive greater unity rather than division when they regard themselves less as separate entities and more as members of a single, larger whole. The campers' perceptions shifted from seeing the in-group and the outgroup as two distinct entities (the "us" and the "them") to seeing them as part of a single, larger group (the "us"). Favoritism, discrimination, and strife within in-groups are expected to lessen as outgroups become less distinct from the in-group. While there are still distinctions between the original groups, they may be mitigated by the shared characteristics of the second, more authoritative group. Creating a shared in-group identity reduces bias by putting people into different groups with different roles.
Consider your strengths. Focusing on people's values, beliefs, and what they think are their strengths can push them to do their best and reduce bias.
Use relevant resources. Internalizing others' inaccurate, unfavorable opinions causes discrimination.
Act! You can discover strength outside your family and close pals.
In-person or online, you can find like-minded folks.
Your clarification will help. Discrimination can cause fury, despair, and shame.
Quit worrying. It may be hard to move on after experiencing bias. A lack of coping mechanisms prevents many from overcoming discrimination.
It is not easy to overcome biases and prejudices, and trying to do so could backfire. While it takes work, we can minimize the impact of bias and preconceptions. Prejudice and discrimination can be stopped by setting new social standards, such as through education programs and laws that protect everyone. People who are directly exposed to prejudice are more likely to take action to combat it. Even though it can be embarrassing to stand up against discrimination, doing so often leaves us with a sense of accomplishment. When we can get people to pay greater attention to the bonds they share with others, we will see a marked improvement in the existing intergroup attitudes. Intergroup contact, long-term contact with people who have friends in the outgroup, and shared in-group identity are all examples of this process.
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