Social Biases Paper
Social Biases George T. Jackson Psych/555 Social Psychology October 24, 2011 Diana Dobier
Social Biases A social bias is a prejudice attitude aimed at a particular race, culture, ethnic group, religion, or sexual orientation. People with limited vision often form negative opinions toward a group of people without knowing who they are. People have to be careful with the thought process because it can lead him or her to make a judgmental statement toward an individual, or a group of individuals, without the person realizing that the statement or comment was prejudicial. In this paper the concept of social biases, a definition of the concept of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination shall be provided. An explanation of the differences between subtle and blatant biases, a brief description of the impact of biases on the lives of individuals, and finally two strategies that an individual can use to overcome social biases will be discussed. Concept of Social Biases Social biases are very harmful to any group of people because it instills hatred and fear. Causing individuals to act out and treat anyone different from him or her in a negative and condescending manner. Social biases have been around for many years, and will continue to exist as long as there are individuals who remain fearful and refuse to let down his or her guards long enough to embrace the difference races, cultures, and ethnic groups. Concept of Prejudice, Stereotyping, and Discrimination Prejudice is an attitude or a belief directed toward an individual or group of individuals who are different. Prejudice entails an emotional reaction toward a group of individuals on the basis of a person’s feelings about a particular group, (Fiske, 2010). Example during slavery African Americans were not allowed to read
Social Biases A social bias is a prejudice attitude aimed at a particular race, culture, ethnic group, religion, or sexual orientation. People with limited vision often form negative opinions toward a group of people without knowing who they are. People have to be careful with the thought process because it can lead him or her to make a judgmental statement toward an individual, or a group of individuals, without the person realizing that the statement or comment was prejudicial. In this paper the concept of social biases, a definition of the concept of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination shall be provided. An explanation of the differences between subtle and blatant biases, a brief description of the impact of biases on the lives of individuals, and finally two strategies that an individual can use to overcome social biases will be discussed. Concept of Social Biases Social biases are very harmful to any group of people because it instills hatred and fear. Causing individuals to act out and treat anyone different from him or her in a negative and condescending manner. Social biases have been around for many years, and will continue to exist as long as there are individuals who remain fearful and refuse to let down his or her guards long enough to embrace the difference races, cultures, and ethnic groups. Concept of Prejudice, Stereotyping, and Discrimination Prejudice is an attitude or a belief directed toward an individual or group of individuals who are different. Prejudice entails an emotional reaction toward a group of individuals on the basis of a person’s feelings about a particular group, (Fiske, 2010). Example during slavery African Americans were not allowed to read
References: Fiske, S. T., (2010) Social beings: Core motives in social psychology (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley and Sons