Question

In essay form: How does prejudice develop and how can we reduce prejudice? Be specific.

Answer 1

Prejudice is an irrattional construct we carry about a person or a group. Its not based on first hand experience but rather stems from preconceived or socially bred notions. We can be prejudiced not just towards individuals but also towards abstract constructs and tangible events.

It is hedonistic in a way as it is something that saves us the effort of rationlizing a particular event and makes us percieve them under an umbrella prejudice we hold against them.

SO how exactly do we get prejudiced? Most often its our social upbringing which breeds a prejudiced thought of a particular nature. The trajectory between Association-Reinforcement -Modeling as proposed by the Social learning theory is hammered over a period of time for a child to pick on the prejudice.It is just as most of our attitudes and values are learnt and maintained.

Example: A particular community can be associated with violence and unfair treatment towards women.(Association).

People who speak against the community are revered and have a mass following as they ridicule this particular community. (Reinfoircement).

The younger population blindly follow and learn to imitate just as the elders of their community end up doing.(Modelling).

The individual irrationaly learns to attribute any event to the internal situation or constructs of the person but the same situation when happens with a person from his community is attributed to the social/external condition of the person . This allows the individual to maintain the prejudice he/she has been holding.

Best way to reduce prejudice is to never let them form. Though this is ideal and utopian to say, but not letting them develop is the best way forward,

Factual and objective awareness or information about a particular group/construct can help to reduce prejudice.

In the same way contact sessions between two adverse groups can also lead to reduction in prejudice.First hand experience with a group or a construct can reduce the inconsistentcy one holds.

When there are legal remedies for ill treatment metted out to a community can ensure changed behaviour and can lead to changed attitude towards the same construct or community.