Study Document
Prejudice and Racism Sexism Term Paper
Pages:3 (866 words)
Sources:1+
Subject:Personal Issues
Topic:Sexism
Document Type:Term Paper
Document:#38314647
Prejudice
Origins of Prejudice
In order to understand the assertion made by many sociologists regarding the origination of prejudice or foredeeming, it is essential to understand the meaning of prejudice and the differences between prejudice and discrimination. Prejudice is defined as an unfavorable feeling or opinion formed beforehand or without reason, thought or knowledge. Prejudice is further defined as "any unreasonable attitude that is unusually resistant to rational influence (Rosnow 1972, p. 53). Individuals are said to regularly make judgments or formulate opinions about other individuals without taking the time to examine all of the information. Whether the information is correct or incorrect, is provided to us through books, media, television, direct or indirect communication or any other source, this information is asserted to be not taken into account when considering the notion of prejudice.
It is important to note with the aforementioned widely accepted definitions and notions regarding prejudice, there is no mention of race, ethnicity or sexism as the critical, essential or foundational element necessary in order for prejudice to exist. The modern terminology of sociologically slanted and generally accepted definition of prejudice is absent these foundational factors although the first empirical and psychological research conducted on prejudice in the 1920's was conducted in order to attempt to prove white supremacy (Garth, 1925). Others have attributed prejudice to authoritarian personality types, (Plous, 2011.) while other scholar and historians have attributed this propensity to categorical thinking; a natural or normal process for humans. As the studies of prejudice were conducted in the 1970's, there was a paradigm shift, and the accepted thinking and empirical research began to assert that prejudice was not based more on negative or adverse feelings toward other groups but rather favoritism or positive feelings towards one's own group. In group and out of group biases have been noted as well as notions regarding cognitive dissonance regarding self and acting on dislike toward the 'out group'.
Counterargument
Although many ascribe to the assertions posited by noted sociologists with regard to the origin(s) of prejudice, for those who find themselves in the out group, those individuals or groups who have endured unjust social, political, economical, emotional, physical, and/or psychological ramifications from this ideology that is 'a part of human nature' the argument can certainly made that for some, the foundation of their opinions, philosophies or ideologies are rooted in and/or influenced by characteristics or factors such as race, ethnicity, class and/or gender. Many times the terminology is changed with this contextual frame of reference is applied to the ideas or ideologies; however, the end result for many who have been…
Sample Source(s) Used
References
Blackwell, J., Smith, M., & Sorenson, J. (2003). Culture of prejudice: arguments in critical social science. Toronto: Broadview.
Dovidio, J., Glick, P., & Rudman, L. (2005). On the nature of prejudice. Malden:
Blackwell Publishing Company.
Garth, T. (1925). A review of racial psychology. Psychological Bulletin, 22, 342-364.
Related Documents
Study Document
Sexism and Identity Construction the
All constructed groups have shown a certain jealousy of the rights and privileges accorded to others. For instance, the legal rational of Michael M. v. Superior Court of Sonoma County rested upon the fact that male and female sexuality in cases of statutory rape should be equal, and to make male and female distinctions was unfair to males, and also to male homosexual couples. The case of Rostker v. Goldberg
Study Document
Prejudice Against Certain Groups in
As the definition by Black's Law Dictionary emphasizes, prejudice simply means, at least in part, a "partiality" for one reason or another. It seems reasonable to posit that most human resource directors as "partial" towards candidates with superior qualifications in preference to those who do not possess such qualification, just as it is reasonable to posit that a job candidate with a proven track record would likely be a
Study Document
Prejudice Human Beings Engage in
In terms of explicit prejudice, the aftermath of the Holocaust and the subsequent development of psychological theories of prejudice demonstrate the importance of social pressure in deterring explicit prejudices. Explicit prejudice is essentially the blatant expression of implicit prejudices, because all explicit behaviors ultimately have their root in implicit attitudes and ideologies. By increasing social pressure against explicit examples of prejudice, it becomes easier to confront the implicit prejudices
Study Document
Sexism and Racism Problems in
For example, on page 247 he says in the "traditional male role" a "real man" is one who "wears the pants around the house." This is an old-fashioned concept and has little to do with a man being "sexist" except for the fact that the writer himself seems to have chauvinistic ideas about the man-woman genre. Meanwhile, some of the arguments spelled out by Laurence Thomas have value, but others
Study Document
Sexism Relationship Between Sexism and
As such many are forced to choose between one or the other. Sexist attitudes can propagate inequality and a work environment that is hostile particularly toward women. Attitudes in the workplace often promote gender inequality and are usually the result of cultural factors or stereotypes prevalent in the workplace. Preconceived notions regarding a man or woman's ability to perform well in a role, based on their gender alone, qualify as
Study Document
Racism Personal Anecdotes Related to the Experience
Racism Personal anecdotes related to the experience of prejudice are usually the most effective means of convincing an audience that prejudice exists, and that it is painful. Moreover, an effective author connects the issue of prejudice to broader issues that all readers can relate to regardless of their personal experiences. Thus, it is important to show how the society suffers from prejudice too. African-American authors are in the position of sharing