Understanding Prejudice and Discrimination

Humans are very diverse and although we share many similarities, we also have many differences. These differences may be difficult for some people to reconcile, which may lead to prejudice.

The social groups we belong to help form our identities (Tajfel, 1974). Prejudice is common against people who are members of an unfamiliar cultural group. Thus, certain types of education, contact, interactions, and building relationships with members of different cultural groups can reduce the tendency toward prejudice. In fact, simply imagining interacting with members of different cultural groups might affect prejudice. Indeed, when experimental participants were asked to imagine themselves positively interacting with someone from a different group, this led to an increased positive attitude toward the other group and an increase in positive traits associated with the other group. Furthermore, imagined social interaction can reduce anxiety associated with inter-group interactions (Crisp & Turner, 2009).

What are some examples of social groups that you belong to that contribute to your identity? Social groups can include gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, social class, religion, sexual orientation, profession, and many more. And, as is true for social roles, you can simultaneously be a member of more than one social group.

Can you think of a prejudiced attitude you have held toward a group of people? How did your prejudice develop? Prejudice often begins in the form of a stereotype.

For example, someone holding prejudiced attitudes toward older adults may believe that older adults are slow and incompetent (Cuddy, Norton, & Fiske, 2005; Nelson, 2004). We cannot possibly know each individual person of advanced age to know that all older adults are slow and incompetent. Therefore, this negative belief is overgeneralized to all members of the group, even though many of the individual group members may in fact be spry and intelligent.

Another example of a well-known stereotype involves beliefs about racial differences among athletes. As Hodge, Burden, Robinson, and Bennett (2008) point out, Black male athletes are often believed to be more athletic, yet less intelligent, than their White male counterparts. These stereotypes persist despite a number of high-profile examples to the contrary. Sadly, such beliefs often influence how these athletes are treated by others and how they view themselves and their own capabilities.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but he is also known for exceptional intelligence off the court. As an athlete, he is a six-time NBA champion, a 19-time NBA All-Star, and holds the record for the most points scored in NBA history. He attended UCLA where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in History. After retiring from basketball, he pursued a career in writing and earned a Master’s degree in History from the same university. He has since written several books on a variety of topics, including history, politics, and social issues.

In addition to his academic credentials, Abdul-Jabbar is known for his activism and advocacy work, particularly on issues related to race, education, and social justice. He has been a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement and has used his platform to promote education and equality.

Another well-known NFL player, John Urschel, eventually left the Baltimore Ravens to focus on his mathematics career, earning a doctorate in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Afterward, he worked as a junior fellow at Harvard University before returning to MIT in 2023 as a professor. 

Whether or not you agree with a stereotype, stereotypes are generally well-known within in a given culture (Devine, 1989). Sometimes people will act on their prejudiced attitudes toward a group of people, and this behavior is known as discrimination.

Table 1 summarizes the characteristics of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. Have you ever been the target of discrimination? If so, how did this negative treatment make you feel?

So far, we’ve discussed stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination as negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors because these are typically the most problematic. However, it is important to also point out that people can hold positive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors toward individuals based on group membership; for example, they would show preferential treatment for people who are like themselves—that is, who share the same gender, race, or favorite sports team.