Examples of Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Examples of Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

As defined earlier, stereotypes are oversimplified generalizations about groups of people. Kite and Whitley (2016) find that stereotypes are opinions and beliefs regarding the behaviors, attributes, and characteristics of members of various groups. For instance, stating that women are shorter than men is a stereotype. Accordingly, to some extent, stereotypes are about an individual’s observation in society. However, this is inaccurate because some women are taller than men. Another common stereotype that Kite and Whitley (2016) have found is that many poor people in the U.S. are African-American residents of inner cities. However, research studies have found that this group category represents only 25% of the poor population. Some people also hold that African Americans cannot swim. This is stereotypical because, at first, even though research may prove this to be accurate, it may be problematic for an individual. Black people are more likely to show limited swimming ability than members of other minority groups. Research showed that Black children’s drowning rate is 5.5 times higher than White children’s rate of drowning (Kite and Whitley). This further leads to stereotypical statements such as Black people do not have buoyancy.

Prejudice refers to attitudes, feelings, thoughts, and beliefs about a particular group of people. One example of prejudice is when one has a negative attitude toward citizens who are not American by birth. Even though the person who holds this prejudicial attitude about people not born in the U.S. does not know all the people who are not citizens by birth, they do not like them because of their foreign status. Another example is when a person sees another as good or bad because they are senior citizens. This means that prejudice can be negative or positive, just like stereotypes.

Discrimination is about treating people differently from other people, primarily based on social group membership (Kite and Whitley). Essentially, this means discriminating, singling out, or unfair treatment of people due to their national origin, disability status, sexual orientation, age, gender, race, or other factors. A good example is seen during the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. when restaurants and restrooms put laws that prohibited Black people from dining in the restaurants or using restrooms that White people used.

Differences between Segregation, Assimilation, and Pluralism

Segregation is the physical separation, in residence, social functions, and workplace functions, of two groups (OpenStax). An example is when Black South Africans were denied civil rights and coercively relocated to places that separated them physically from their White compatriots from 1948 to 1994. OpenStax (2017) calls this kind of segregation de jure segregation. This also happened in the U.S. during the Civil War period when facilities were separated for Whites and Blacks according to Jim Crow laws. On the other hand, assimilation refers to the process through which a minority group or individual surrenders its identity by taking on the attributes of the dominant culture (OpenStax). This is mainly seen with immigrants in the U.S., for instance, when they take on the dominant culture’s language and even celebrate their public holidays. Pluralism, contrary to segregation, is a salad bowl. Essentially, it is a mixture of various cultures where every culture maintains its own identity and still contributes to the beauty of the whole (OpenStax).

In summary, while physically alienating two groups, assimilation and pluralism bring people together. However, assimilation requires that one group embraces the characteristics of another dominant group, whereas pluralism embraces all the contributions of all groups.

Works Cited

Kite, M. E., and Whitley Jr, B. E. Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination. Routledge, 2016.

OpenStax. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, Texas: Rice University, 2017.

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This chapter discusses Race and Ethnicity which are both socially constructed in societies and cultures. The following three terms are defined here as a macro-level analysis in sociology. Please give at least one example of each: Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination. Then explain in your own words the differences between Segregation, Assimilation, and Pluralism in our society today, which are macro-level analyses in sociology and political science as well.

Examples of Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Stereotypes are oversimplified generalizations about groups of people. Stereotypes can be based on race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation—almost any characteristic. They may be positive (usually about one’s own group, such as when women suggest they are less likely to complain about physical pain) but are often negative (usually toward other groups, such as when members of a dominant racial group suggest that a subordinate racial group is stupid or lazy). In either case, the stereotype is a generalization that does not take individual differences into account.

Prejudice refers to the beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and attitudes someone holds about a group. Prejudice is not based on experience; instead, it is a prejudgment originating outside actual experience. A 1970 documentary called Eye of the Storm illustrates the way in which prejudice develops by showing how defining one category of people as superior (children with blue eyes) results in prejudice against people who are not part of the favored category.

Discrimination consists of actions against a group of people, while prejudice refers to biased thinking. Discrimination can be based on age, religion, health, and other indicators; race-based laws against discrimination strive to address this set of social problems. Discrimination based on race or ethnicity can take many forms, from unfair housing practices to biased hiring systems. Overt discrimination has long been part of U.S. history. In the late nineteenth century, it was not uncommon for business owners to hang signs that read, “Help Wanted: No Irish Need Apply.” And southern Jim Crow laws, with their “Whites Only” signs, exemplified overt discrimination that is not tolerated today.