FREE ESSAY ON SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY: INTERPERSONAL AND GROUP PERSPECTIVES

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY: INTERPERSONAL AND GROUP PERSPECTIVES

Social Psychology: Interpersonal and Group Perspectives 
In our textbook, prejudice is defined as:  a form of thinking whereby an individual forms
an unfavorable attitude directed towards groups of people, based on insufficient or
incorrect evidence about these groups. Prejudice has been a part of society for as long
as society has been. There are many different theories on the reasons for why people form
prejudices. The theory of social categorization states that it is human nature to put
people into categories based on certain characteristics. Which is also how we form
stereotypes. Stereotypes give us a preconceived notion of how people of a certain group
are going to act before we have experienced it firsthand. Basically, stereotypes are
generalizations. They may apply to some members of a particular group but definitely not
everyone. Another theory, illusory correlation, states that we tend to notice unusual
behavior that occurs in minority groups rather than the same behavior that would occur in
a majority group. The theory that I find most interesting is the social-identity theory,
which states that people are prejudice in order to increase there self-esteem by
believing that other groups are inferior to them.
After reading about all the different reasons for prejudice, I believe that it is a
combination of all the theories mentioned above. I also strongly believe that the way a
person is brought up strongly ties into their beliefs. If a child is brought up listening
to his/hers parents talking negatively about a certain group of people it often leads to
the child having the same beliefs as their parents. Another possible cause is if someone
has a bad or traumatizing experience. For instance, if someone is robbed by a person of a
different race they may than believe that everyone of that race is a thief and therefore
they form a prejudice against that group of people.
Experience is an important factor in why some people become prejudice or not. Imagine you
have grown up on a farm in Idaho your entire life. You have never seen or met an African
American person first hand, but your whole life you have been told that they are terrible
people who deal drugs and murder innocent people. Although they have never experienced
them firsthand, automatically this person will have a negative outlook on that group of
people. The point I am trying to make is that your different experiences and what you
have been taught plays a big role in the prejudices that you will form. Usually if you
are immersed by all different kinds of people and have known people from all different
cultures, you will tend to have a more open mind. Ignorance is the biggest reason for why
we form prejudices in the first place.
If we think back to the fifties and sixties, the amount of prejudice and racial
discrimination has been reduced dramatically. However, as much as society tries to stress
the importance of equality there is still a great amount of discrimination still going on
in the world. So, how can we reduce prejudice effectively? I believe that a major part in
this process is educating people from young ages about prejudice and how they need to be
open to all types of people. Schools need to be culturally diversified so that child can
experience other types of people firsthand. I know that isn't as easy as it sounds,
especially when we put into perspective financial situations and where schools are
located, but I think it is important that from a young age that people experience all
types of cultures. Another way to educate people is by stressing that people are all
different, whether it is from the way they dress or they way that they talk. Instead of
looking down at other people's differences we need to be taught to celebrate them.
In conclusion, I believe that prejudice is something that still plagues our society. I
feel that it has definitely has improved over time and if things keep progressing,
prejudice could possibly cease to exist in the future. As long as we keep educating our
children and society, I think we are heading towards the right track.