ATTITUDES AND THE PREJUDICE

PHENOMENA

Study Unit 15.2

By C Settley

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Define the concept attitude

Explain the three important characteristics/aspects of attitude

Discuss how attitudes are formed

Discuss how attitudes can be changed through: persuasive communication, changing behaviour, changing ideology

Discuss the different social influences on attitude: group violence, crowds and violence

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Define the concepts of the prejudice

phenomena: prejudice, racial prejudice,

racism

Describe strategies to reduce racism

Discuss the following prejudices that are

sustained as deep-seated ideologies: gender

stereotyping, patriarchy and sexism,

feminism and ideological change

ATTITUDE DEFINED

The general feeling (ranging from positive to negative) or evaluation (good or bad) a person has towards self, other people, objects or events. The following are examples of attitude statements:

- doctors and nurses should not be allowed to go on strike

- pregnant women should be allowed to decide for themselves whether to continue the pregnancy or have an abortion

- in selecting persons for employment, there is an urgent need for affirmative action

- sometimes men need to beat their wifes

CHARACTERISTICS OF ATTITUDE

(whatever your attitude to these issues, it will

have the following characteristics):

Relatively stable, enduring disposition, like a

personality trait

It will be evaluative. Regarded as good or

bad

It will guide behaviour

HOW IS ATTITUDE FORMED?

Attitudes form directly as a result of experience. They may emerge due to direct personal experience

Or they may result from observation.

Social roles and social norms can have a strong influence on attitudes.

Social roles relate to how people are expected to behave in a particular role or context.

Social norms involve society's rules for what behaviors are considered appropriate.

Attitudes can be learned in a variety of ways. Consider how advertisers use classical conditioning to influence your attitude toward a particular product. In a television commercial, you see young, beautiful people having fun in on a tropical beach while enjoying a sport drink. This attractive and appealing imagery causes you to develop a positive association with this particular beverage.

HOW IS ATTITUDE FORMED?

Operant conditioning can also be used to influence how attitudes develop.

Imagine a young man who has just started smoking. Whenever he lights up a cigarette, people complain, and ask him to leave their vicinity. This negative feedback from those around him eventually causes him to develop an unfavorable opinion of smoking and he decides to give up the habit.

Finally, people also learn attitudes by observing the people around them. When someone you admire greatly espouses a particular attitude, you are more likely to develop the same beliefs. For example, children spend a great deal of time observing the attitudes of their parents and usually begin to demonstrate similar outlooks.

HOW IS ATTITUDE CHANGED?

CHANGING ATTITUDES BY PERSASIVE COMMUNICATION

How do we change problems in society like teenage pregnancy, reckless driving etc?

By communication

3 important factors:

1) depends on the communicator. Messages are more persuasive if the communicator is attractive, self confident and seen as an expert. Think about the money spent on paying celebrities to advertise products…..

HOW IS ATTITUDE CHANGED?

2) The content of the message. Is it affective

to appeal to reason or emotion? Eg smoking

3) The medium of communication. Posters

and spoken words can be ineffective.

Personal add campaigns.

HOW IS ATTITUDE CHANGED?

CHANGING ATTITUDES BY CHANGING

BEHAVIOR

Theory of cognitive consistency

People want heir behaviour to reflect their

beliefs

When people behave in a way which differs

from attitudes, they experience cognitive

dissonance. Seen as uncomfortable.

ATTITUDE DETERMINES BEHAVIOR

ATTITUDE CHANGE: BEHAVIOUR

POSITIVE/OPTIMIST NEGATIVE/SCEPTICAL

HOW IS ATTITUDE CHANGED?

CHANGING ATTITUDES BY CHANGING IDEOLOGY

Attitudes are formed within the Ideological belief system: ethnic, religious, political groups

INFLUENCES ON ATTITUDE

GROUP INFLUENCES CROWDS AND VIOLENCE

Families

Friendships

Work groups

Committees

Sport groups

We get exposed to many psychological processes when interacting in these groups

Group polarisation: intends to change focus of group, to undertake action eg petitions

Crime, etc

DE individuation: this

situation arouses strong

emotions. A crowd that met

due to anger shared in

order to protest.

PREJUDICE DEFINED

When people hold negative attitudes and

negative beliefs about others

Based on distorted or inaccurate information

Hostile

Discriminative

Directed at particular groups of people

Based on negative stereotypes

CONCEPTS

RACIAL PREJUDICE RACISM

Refers to prejudice

regarding a specific racial

group

Apartheid

A system of ideas and

practices which categorises

people on the basis of

bodily features or skin

colour

STRATEGIES TO REDUCE RACISM

Be supported by the social group or

institution to which people belong

Not be temporary or brief. Allow genuine

knowledge and friendship to develop

Invite people of equivalent status

Involve co operation

GENDER STEREOTYPING

Differences between men and woman.

Primary identity that we carry throughout life

Woman are emotional, men are rational

Men are strong, women are weak

Differences between genders are

exaggerated

While differences within genders are

underestimated

PATRIARCHY AND SEXISM

As with racial prejudice, gender prejudice is not just interpersonal

Deeply supported by the ideological system that gives men greater power and privilege than women. This is called patriarchy or sexism.

This power and status inequality exists in all areas of political, economic and social life

In family life, many women have the stress of raising children while also being employed

Women’s eating habits are controlled by male expectations that women will be thin and attractive. The media plays a role here.

Sexual harassment- rape. Men will claim that the women asked for it by provoking them by the way they act/dress.

FEMINISM AND IDEOLOGICAL CHANGE

Higher rates of depression and mental illness among women than men.

Interpreted as women being overly emotional or having ‘ weaker hormones’.

At the individual level, men and women need to change their stereotyped attitudes and expectations.

At the intergroup level, women must continue their collective efforts, to stand together and make consistent demands.

At the ideological level, people have to change the underlying assumptions and implicit rules which support the view of women as second class citizens