Inter-Racial Prejudice - Essay Example

Inter-Racial Prejudice The Merriam – Webster online dictionary defines the word ‘Prejudice’ as an “injury or damage resulting from some judgment or action of another in disregard of one's rights”. It further goes on to classify the condition as pertaining to an individual’s legal rights. Important aspects of this definition are the words ‘damage/ injury’, ‘judgment/ action’ and ‘disregard’. Both damage and disregard may be considered as a result of the judgment passed by the person practicing prejudice upon the person who is at the receiving end. Research in prejudice (Baron and Bryne, 208-209) shows that such judgments are passed on the basis of stereotypes held and on the basis of the discrimination resulting from the stereotypes. Stereotypes are cognitive shortcuts that people use in order to categorize individuals on the basis of a few characteristics; without paying attention to any other characteristics that may distinguish the particular individual from the group. The stereotypes in themselves are not negative; but may be associated with other negative thoughts about the categories, which are then applied to the particular individual without even ascertaining if the individual deserves to be categorized in this manner. Moghaddam (in Schneider, Gruman and Coutts, 345) defines prejudice as ‘an attitude based solely on group membership’. This definition underlines the fact that an individual’s membership to a particular group is an important aspect of the way people view them; and could bias the attitudes of others if they hold stereotypes about the said group. Most types of group memberships are invisible to the outsider – for example, training, education, occupation, and religion. Unless the individual divulges these facts, others are unable to classify him / her on the basis of these affiliations that the individual has. But membership to groups like gender and race are not invisible; and come across as part of the individual’s physical characteristics. Thus, it becomes easy for others to classify an individual on the basis of these factors. When people from different racial background interact, often the first information they share with each other before they even initiate contact is the information supplied by their physical appearance. If an individual holds a negative stereotype against a particular race; he / she is likely to feel prejudiced against individuals from that racial background. This prejudice would be experienced even before there is any communication; and it is likely that due to the pre-existing prejudice, this individual short-changes the other simply due to their racial background (Sears, Peplau, Freedman and Taylor, 417). Baron and Bryne (207) describe another important aspect of why people experience prejudice – social categorization. They describe how people tend to categorize others on the basis of the extent to which they feel similar to those individuals. Persons who are perceived as similar become part of the ‘in-group’, and those who seem different become part of the out group. People also typically feel more favorable towards members of an in-group then towards members of an out-group. This is because people like to feel good about themselves and their group memberships; and thus tend to highlight not just the positive aspects of their individual selves, but those of others they feel similar to. For the same reason, they play down the negative aspects of their own and similar others’ behaviors. On the other hand, people tend to exaggerate the weaknesses of dissimilar others, and play down the positive aspects of their behavior. This leads to the Fundamental attribution error – a fallacy where people attribute positive causes to personal behavior (and as a consequence the behavior of similar others) and negative causes to behaviors of dissimilar others. Although the reason why humans prefer to categorize people into in-groups and out-groups is not properly understood; it is a tendency that is found in all people everywhere. As a result of this need, people tend to believe good things about the in-group; and start experiencing prejudice about the out-group. There is another theory that has been discussed by scientists studying Evolutionary Psychology. According to researchers like Rushton, Russell, and Wells (179) who proposed the theory of Genetic Similarity in 1984; there are evolutionary reasons why people hold positive opinions about those who belong to their own race and negative ones about those who belong to other races. According to this theory; individuals are not only interested in ensuring that their own genes are passed on; but are also interested in the safety of others who carry the same genes. Thus; an individual is likely to take significant effort for the sake of others who shares similar genetics – that is – members of the same race. This increases the Inclusive fitness of the race – a condition which increases the likelihood that the race will survive better than others. The researchers have discussed the implications of this theory on a number of behaviors like Kin recognition, Mating, Intra-familial relationships, Friendship formation, and all forms of Ethnic Nepotism. On the basis of this theory it may be possible to state that people are more interested in the wellbeing of those who are similar; and will help them as against those who are dissimilar. Thus, it may be said that prejudice is a natural response to a situation where there are less resources and multiple groups that want to use these resources. If one tries to place this in context to present day conditions; it is evident that there may be a grain of truth in this theory. Inter-racial conflict and prejudice is highest where there is a lack of resources; and where people feel threatened by the presence of a different group. On the other hand; prejudice is also seen in situations where there is no direct competition over resources; and this theory does not explain these situations. It also does not explain prejudice that exists without any direct contact; nor does it explain why some people will cross racial boundaries to help someone, even at cost to themselves. It is evident from the research conducted in the field that social scientists have been able to understand the principles that govern the formation of stereotypes and of the human need for social categorization. This in turn helps us understand why prejudice occurs; and why people discriminate towards those whom they consider different. On the basis of this information, it can sometimes become easy to believe that there is no escape from inter-racial prejudice. Individuals belonging to different races look quite different from each other based on the color of their skin, the particular facial features and bodily built. If one compares individuals living in their local environment, they also differ on the way they speak; the way they work, and the cultures they follow. Even when people from different cultures work together; they are still likely to show differences in these factors. Thus, when people encounter others who are so different, they are bound to categorize them as such; and Inter-racial Prejudice is a likely outcome in such situations. Prejudice reduces the possibility that one is able to see the positive aspects of the out-group members. Any positive behaviors will be viewed as suspicious; and the good wishes of these individual will be discounted (Baron and Bryne, 207). While these mechanisms may have been useful in prehistoric times; they are not fit for present day life; and lead to counter – productive behavior. Modern technology has made it possible for individual to interact and travel across the globe with ease; and opened up avenues for people to learn from cultures that are far different from their own. Prejudice, in these conditions limits the extent to which an individual will interact with those from other cultures; and consequently, the extent to which they can learn from these others. Every culture and every individual have many positive things that others can gain from and enrich their own personal lives. Prejudice reduces the likelihood of this happening; and can even lead to people being suspicious of the good intentions of others simply because they are different. The presence of prejudice also makes people suspicious and fearful of the out-group; and thus increases the chances for conflict. Conflicts in opinion and interest on a regular basis may also lead to violence and loss of resources and life. It is thus necessary to reduce the incidence of inter-racial prejudice by some means. If prejudice is reduced; people are more likely to be open to the thoughts and opinions of those from other cultures; and there will be more fruitful interaction. Also, when individual interact honestly and comfortably, they are likely to experience less conflict; and to find peaceful means to resolve the conflicts that do exist. It thus seems important to understand the means to reduce conflict. One of the most interesting techniques that have been discussed in research is the method of developing direct and meaningful intergroup contact (Sanderson, 363). A number of researchers have shown that when people from different groups are required to work together towards an important goal, they are likely to go beyond their prejudices and learn to trust each other. Due to the shared experience, they are likely to learn to appreciate each other’s strengths, and form positive opinions about at least one individual from the out-group. Such opinions may later get generalized; and the individual forms a more positive opinion about the said out-group. This is a very interesting technique because it requires people to focus of each other’s strengths; and as a consequence; learn to respect each other. An important problem that may come up in using this technique is that people may not agree to work alongside others whom they do not like. Thus, it would become necessary to compel them; resulting in other negative experiences. Another technique that has been researched has been to recategorise or change the way in-groups and out-groups are formed (Baron and Bryne, 217-218). Thus, people may be asked to focus on factors that are not related to race; but to other important aspects of the person like profession, attitude, interests, and experiences. When emphasizing on the similarities that may exist across racial groups; it becomes possible for the individuals to view each other as similar on some basis. The concern that must be discussed at this point is that even though the reasons for racial prejudice are reduced when people view each other not on the basis of their racial background; but on the basis of other factors; a new type of prejudice may inadvertently take its place. It is necessary to ensure that this does not occur as an outcome of such an exercise. Another way to reduce prejudice is to change the type of stereotype people hold about other groups. While the categorization of individuals happens on the basis of stereotypes; but these stereotypes are not always negative. There are many examples of positive stereotypes and neutral stereotypes. For example, the stereotype that ‘good – looking individuals are confident persons’ would have us making positive expectations of all good looking persons. Another example would be the stereotype that ‘people belonging to X community are intelligent’. Stereotypes like these help the individual make positive expectations form others and form positive associations with dissimilar others. A very easy way to introduce these positive stereotypes to people is to make them part of reading material that is made available to students. Jones and Foley (in Schneider, Gruman and Coutts, 347) have found just this through their research with young children. In conclusion, it may be said that while Inter-racial prejudice is quite a common phenomenon, and can be explained by research in the social sciences; it is not necessarily one that cannot be controlled. Research into the reasons for prejudice have helped in understanding who it occurs; and this same research can may be useful in finding ways to reduce it. It is also important to remember when trying to reduce prejudice; that it is an emotional topic for many people; especially the people who feel threatened by the presence of an out-group. The situation needs to be discussed carefully and patiently; and people should not be forced to resolve conflicts. Sensitive handling of the problems faced by both the perpetrators and the recipients of prejudiced behavior need to be understood and addressed in a realistic attempt to reduce the tension between groups. This said, there is reason to hope that in time, racial hatred and prejudice will be substantially reduced; and people will be able to view others as worthy of trust and respect regardless of their racial background. Works Cited Baron, Robert A., and Bryne, Donn. Social Psychology. (8th Ed). New York: Allyn and Bacon. 2000. Print. Prejudice. Merriam-Webster online. Merriam Webster. 2011. Web. 10th November 2011. Rushton, J. Philippe, Russell, Robin J. H. and Wells, Pamela A. Genetic Similarity Theory: Beyond Kin Selection. Behavior Genetics 14.3 (1984): 179 – 193. Print. Sears, David O., Peplau, Letitia Anne, Freedman, Jonathan L., and Taylor, Shelley E. Social psychology. (6th Ed). Ney Jersey: Prentice hall. 1988. Print. Sanderson, Catherine A. Social Psychology. New Jersey: Wiley. 2010. Print. Schneider, Frank W., Gruman, Jamie A., Coutts, Larry M. Applied Social Psychology: understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage. 2005. Print. 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