In-Group Bias: Stereotypes, Prejudice and

DiscriminationCase Studies:

South African ApartheidRwandan Genocide

Jane Elliott’s Experiment

In-Groups and Out-Groups

• Social Identity

– Social categorization divide world into in-group (“us”) and out-group (“them”)

–When do we start categorizing?

In-Groups and Out-groups

• An in-group is a social group commanding a member’s esteem and loyalty; it is the one we identify with.

• An out-group is a social group toward which one feels competition or opposition.

• In-group bias: view our own group more favorably

Glossary

Stereotypes - beliefs about attributes that are thought to be characteristic of members of particular groups. They can be either positive or negative.ex. Women are nurturing, car salesmen are dishonest

Prejudice - A negative judgment or opinion formed about a group without knowledge of the facts.

Discrimination - Treating someone less favorably based on the group, class or category they belong to. Discrimination is prejudice in action.

StereotypesA mental image of a group

based on opinion without regard to individual differences.

Oversimplification or exaggeration about a group of people

They can be either positive or negative.

If individuals differ from stereotype, they are treated as exceptions.

Which of these stereotypes are attributed to males and which ones to females?

Aggressive Dependent Easily InfluencedDominantPassiveHome-orientedTalkativeToughRarely CriesEmotional Cruel

Forms of Prejudice

• Sexism : prejudice based on a person’s biological gender

• Racism: prejudice based on a person’s ethnicity

• Sectarianism : prejudice based on a person’s religious background

and/or political beliefs

• Homophobia : prejudice based on a person’s sexual orientation

• Disability Prejudice: Prejudice based on a person’s physical or

mental abilities

• Ageism: prejudice based on a person’s age

• What forms of prejudice are more preponderant in society today?

DiscriminationDiscriminationDiscriminationDiscrimination

PrejudicePrejudicePrejudicePrejudice

Attitudes and EmotionsAttitudes and EmotionsAttitudes and EmotionsAttitudes and Emotions

Stereotypes, Ideas, and BeliefsStereotypes, Ideas, and BeliefsStereotypes, Ideas, and BeliefsStereotypes, Ideas, and Beliefs

Discrimination in SocietyLegal Discrimination

System of laws in a society allows for discrimination to occur

Institutionalized Discrimination

When discrimination and inequality become part of the social structure

No necessity for dominant group to intentionally dominate minority group.

More difficult to change because it runs deeper than the laws created.

Robert Merton: Patterns of Prejudice and Discrimination

• The Active Bigot– Prejudiced and Openly

discriminatory

• The Timid Bigot– Prejudiced, but is afraid

to discriminate because of society’s pressures

• The Fair-Weather Liberal– Not prejudiced but

discriminates anyway because of society’s pressures

• The All-Weather Liberal– Not prejudiced and does

not discriminate

Case Study: South Africa Under Apartheid

• It was a system of government in South Africa from 1948 to 1990.

• Apartheid means separation: the whites were separated from the black Africans and minorities.

• The white minority ruled the country and the black majority did not have many rights.

How did the world react to Apartheid?

• A lot of countries boycotted South Africa during Apartheid: they refused to buy its products.

• Film and pop stars refused to perform in South Africa

Sports Against Apartheid

• South Africa was absent from international sport events for most of the apartheid era due to sanctions

• A lot of teams and champions refused to compete either in South Africa or against South Africa

Nelson Mandela

• He was the most important anti-apartheid leader

• He spent 27 years in prison for his ideas

• In 1994 he became the first black president after the first free elections in South Africa.

• Used sports as a way to unite the country, especially the 1995 Rugby World Cup

Case Study: Rwandan Genocide

• April 1994

• Fight between two ethnic groups

• Hutu majority conducted mass killings of Tutsi minority

• Around 800,000 people were killed over a period of 100 days

Jane Elliott - Blue Eyes and Brown Eyes Experiment• 3rd Grade Teacher Jane Elliott

• Experiment conducted on the days after Martin Luther King assassination (1968)

• Wanted to explain discrimination to 8 year olds.

• Experiment deals with stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and the creation of in-group bias.