The Psychological Impact of Prejudices and Discrimination - Research Paper Example

Racism, Prejudice and Discrimination This research paper deals with the issues of prejudice, racism and discrimination. It is very important for the modern individuals to be tolerant and patient persons otherwise it is impossible to live under conditions of a global society and a global world. A prejudiced person projects his negative emotions and feelings on people from minority or ethnic groups. Key words: racism, prejudice, discrimination, minority groups, emotional distress, anxiety. Introduction The modern society is full of challenging problems and questions. A development of an individual depends on many external factors. People are caught in cruel web of prejudice, discrimination and racism. These are three very strong factors, which pervert a perception of other people in a pejorative manner. Prejudice shapes perverted attitudes of one group people to another and discrimination shapes inappropriate behaviors from one group of people to another. On the background of this type of artificially cruel attitudes of one group of people to another, it is very difficult for ethnic minority groups, elderly people, religious groups and others to experience a constant oppression of the dominant groups. It is necessary to take into account different types of behaviors and outline potential impacts of prejudiced behavior, racism or discrimination in order to find out potential psychological hazards both for the oppressors and the oppressed people. Psychological impact of prejudices, racism and discrimination All these three factors lead to psychological and emotional distress. Racism is reflected in the society in the following way: it may cause shame or lead to guilt. Individuals, who are prejudiced persons, feel anxiety, and helplessness is connected a felling of a strong confusion around racism’s related issues. Discrimination leads to a feeling of discomfort. An individual can feel a social inconvenience or as if they are out of sorts. A high degree of tension leads to a moral ambivalence. Very often prejudiced individuals while thinking in a perverted manner of others hide their own psychological problems or challenges. Therefore, reflections of these types of attitudes or behavior are a projection of problematic emotions and feelings on other people. Psychiatric disorders can be diagnosed among people, who express their negative and prejudiced attitudes or behaviors to others. In accordance with the modern researches and studies, many negative psychological impacts make a person feel lonely and very often they are prevented from a proper functioning in the society. Anxiety as a negative consequence of discrimination has been revealed by Utsey, Mccarthy, Eubanks & Adrian (2002), who underline that racial antagonism intensifies negative emotions among people. They underline that “racism driven by the underlying anxiety that is associated with a persons difficulty in tolerating that which is dissimilar and the inability to resist attempts to control or dominate individuals who are perceived as being different” (Utsey, Mccarthy, Eubanks & Adrian 2002, p. 82). Moreover, Blacks, who are the victims of racism, very often feel a serious impact on their self-esteem. Racism is often used as a means of artificial strength practiced by a person, who uses racist practices on other people, who are perceived in a perverted manner.  The roots of prejudice can be found in subconscious attitudes leading a person to inadequate feelings for others. A low self-esteem leads people to inappropriate perceptions of other people. The modern society presents numerous challenges and modern media obtrudes perverted images and stereotypes on people. This is an external factor, which intensifies prejudice, racism or discrimination. Very often following prejudices is an integrative part of one’s social life, because in case a family or friends develop their behaviors in accordance with certain prejudices, not to accept them mean to delay the closes people. Unfortunately, very serious external impact can occur when economic factors are more scaring for people. Another factor influencing prejudiced behavior exposure on other people is making an attempt of authoritarian personality promotion. Different boundaries in the modern society are blurred and it is important to develop tolerant attitudes to diverse people. Stereotypical thinking is intensified among ethnic and minor groups. It is possible to apply the conflict theory and clarify the differences between privileged groups and minority groups. The former group of people will intentionally oppress the members of minority groups and the members of the latter group may practice violence to protect them. Racism is the assumption of the inherent superiority of certain groups and inferiority of others. A psychological impact of racism should be considered from a different consideration of old-fashioned type of racism, because nowadays a form of racism is only symbolic. Nevertheless, these forms of racism expression can occur at work and expressed by individuals at work. Thus, racism is a strong psychological factor of racial superiority, which exerts a negative impact on the society. Nowadays the society is more tolerant and does not underline its racial superiority. Rejection of minority groups is unacceptable in the modern society. Especially, the American society is full of intimidating practices of racism. Racism in the American society is a deeply rooted and a challenging phenomenon: “symbolic racism represents a resentment of minority groups which is embedded within wider moralistic values, and is expressed as a resistance to change in the racial status quo” (Rodriguez, Herrero, Ovejero & Torres, 2009). Nevertheless, there are essential positive shifts in the struggle with the racial discrimination. Furthermore, reflections of racism at an individual level are referred to as prejudice. Biases in information processing lead to prejudices and unfavorable beliefs of certain groups occur because of inappropriate beliefs about those groups (Rodriguez, Herrero, Ovejero & Torres, 2009). In accordance with prejudice, a person assigns certain characteristics to a person even if that person does not have those characteristics: “because aversive racists may not be aware of their unconscious negative attitudes and only discriminate against blacks when they can justify their behavior on the basis of some factor other than race, they will commonly deny any intentional wrongdoing when confronted with evidence of their biases. Indeed, they do not discriminate intentionally” (Moule 2009, p.324). On the one hand, prejudice can be interpreted as a negative attitude or belief, but on the other hand prejudice can be represented as a fundamental and a negative characteristic of human perception. Therefore, individuals develop their individual perceptions of others on the basis of invented and inappropriate ideas and beliefs. Pejorative characteristics applied for other people exert a negative influence on relations development with those people. Even if an individual does not comply with prejudiced characteristics, a prejudiced person would think that it is just an exception to the rule. Discrimination is a manifestation of prejudice at both individual and group levels. In order to deal with different types of realization of prejudices, it is appropriate to implement diversity training and diversity education. People should be more tolerant to each other and a color of skin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or any other factor triggering prejudices in the society should be eliminated, especially in the modern context. Delikat claims: “diversity may help perpetuate the very stereotypes that have been roadblocks to advancement” (Delikat 1995, p.12). Cultural traits of the modern society should be promoted and supported in the society. Otherwise global accents of a diverse society will disappear. For example, gender discrimination can be explained in the following way: “women are not necessarily nurturing, national, consensus-seeking creatures while men should not be perceived as power-hungry, confrontational, authoritarian and hierarchical persons” (Delikat 1995, p. 12). Conclusion Racial stereotypes should be eradicated from the modern background of the society’s development. Individual achievements of individuals can be prevented in case they hear intimidating reactions from other people or experience negative attitudes. Therefore, psychological conditions of many people in the modern society are exposed to a negative influence of prejudices, racism or discrimination. Both groups of people are the victims of their feelings and emotions in case they produce discrimination or are exposed to it. In order to deal with the inner feelings of the contemporaries, there is a need to change social stereotypes and open wide perspectives of thinking. The oppressors and the oppressed people should live in harmony and a friendly global world, where all people equal each other. References Delikat, M. (1995). The legal dangers in diversity. Corporate Board, 169, 11-17. Moule, J. (2009). Understanding Unconscious Bias and Unintentional Racism: Acknowledging Our Possible Biases and Working Together Openly Is Essential for Developing Community in Our Schools. Phi Delta Kappan, 90(5), 321+. Rodriguez, F. J., Herrero, J., Ovejero, A., & Torres, A. (2009). New Expressions of Racism among Young People in Spain: An Adaptation of the Meertens and Pettigrew (1992) Prejudice Scale. Adolescence, 44(176), 1033+. Utsey, S. O., Mccarthy, E., Eubanks, R., & Adrian, G. (2002). White Racism and Suboptimal Psychological Functioning among White Americans: Implications for Counseling and Prejudice Prevention. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 30(2), 81+. Vrij, A., Van Schie, E., & Cherryman, J. (1996). Reducing Ethnic Prejudice Through Public Communication Programs: A Social-Psychological Perspective. Journal of Psychology, 130(4), 413-420. Read More