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prejudice meaning

Understanding Prejudice: Its Meaning, Causes, and Impact

Prejudice refers to prejudgment or forming an opinion without having an adequate basis for that judgment. It involves making assumptions about individuals or groups based on their appearance, gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation or other characteristics.

What Does Prejudice Mean?

At its core, prejudice means judging someone negatively for characteristics like their race or religion before getting to know them as an individual. It’s an attitude that promotes stereotyping and discrimination.As the American Psychological Association explains, prejudice involves having preconceived beliefs about people based solely on their membership in a particular group. For example, assuming someone is dangerous or untrustworthy because of their race.These beliefs often persist even in the face of new information. Someone who has prejudicial beliefs may ignore evidence that contradicts their stereotypes or negative assumptions. They maintain inaccurate, rigid judgments that are highly resistant to change.

Common Forms of Prejudice

While prejudice can target any group, these biases most often focus on:

• Race – Making assumptions about someone’s character, intelligence or behaviors based on their racial background. For instance, believing that Black people are more prone to violence.
• Nationality – Judging someone negatively because of their country of origin. For example, assuming immigrant groups don’t contribute positively to society.
• Religion – Stereotyping those of a particular faith. Such as seeing Muslims as extremists or Christians as closed-minded.
• Gender – Discrimination based on being male or female. This includes beliefs like women being unsuited for leadership roles.
• Sexual orientation – Intolerance toward gay, lesbian or bisexual individuals. Including seeing them as immoral or deviant.
• Age – Assumptions based on someone being young or elderly. For example, believing seniors to be useless or millennials to be lazy.
• Disability – Bias against those with physical or mental impairments. Such as assuming they are helpless or pitiable.

What Causes Prejudice?

Psychologists point to several key factors that give rise to prejudiced beliefs:

Socialization

From an early age, people absorb societal messages about which groups deserve higher or lower status. Parents, media, peers and authority figures like teachers transmit these beliefs, teaching prejudice to new generations.

Group Dynamics

Humans naturally categorize themselves into in-groups of “us” versus out-groups of “them.” This tendency to divide the world this way lays the foundation for prejudice against so-called outsiders.

Uncertainty

Prejudice often emerges when people feel under threat or experience rapid social change. Blaming other groups helps manage feelings of uncertainty and anxiety.

Ignorance

Lack of interpersonal contact and friendship with those seen as different exacerbates prejudice. Stereotypes fill the void when there is no firsthand knowledge.

Why Is Prejudice Harmful?

Beyond representing intellectual laziness and close-mindedness, prejudice results in tangible harm both to individuals and society as a whole.

Impacts on Targeted Groups

Those targeted by prejudiced attitudes endure significant stress linked to mental and physical health issues:

• Higher rates of anxiety, depression and psychological distress
• Increased risk for high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and more
• Poorer health behaviors like overeating, smoking, and drug abuse

Ongoing discrimination also leads to:

• Unequal access to jobs, housing and education
• Higher rates of poverty and incarceration
• Lower social status and feelings of helplessness/hopelessness

Societal Costs

Prejudice doesn’t just hurt individuals. It also:

• Undermines social cohesion and national unity
• Stifles economic growth by sidelining human potential
• Can spark cycles of resentment, protest and conflict
• Threatens equal access to democratic rights and liberties

In other words, prejudice prevents societies from fully tapping their human resources and capitalizing on diversity.

Overcoming Prejudice

While not easy, taking steps to counter prejudice can help create more just, peaceful and productive communities. Useful strategies include:

• Education – Formal schooling and awareness campaigns that challenge stereotypes
• Contact – Intergroup cooperation and friendship to overcome “us vs. them”
• Role models – Exposure to those who disprove negative assumptions
• Laws – Anti-discrimination rules to promote equal treatment
• Media – Responsible outlets that avoid perpetuating biases
• Self-awareness – Identifying and re-thinking one’s own prejudices

On an individual level, being more mindful, avoiding generalization, and getting to know people as individuals rather than as members of a group can help break the prejudice habit.Prejudice may be common, but it is not inevitable. With concerted effort at personal and societal levels, more just and inclusive communities are possible.

Resources for Learning More About Prejudice

• Harvard University’s Project Implicit offers tests for hidden biases as well as resources for overcoming them.
• The Anti-Defamation League provides anti-bias education programs that promote respect and understanding.
• Teaching Tolerance is an organization that produces anti-prejudice classroom resources for teachers from K-12.
• The Southern Poverty Law Center monitors hate groups and provides education to counter bigotry.