Prejudice - where do they come from and how to deal with them?

Most people question whether they suffer prejudice, answer negatively. In a modern, intelligent and educated society, thinking in prejudice is already considered a mauveton, but according to statistics, only one in ten people can really boast that he does not.

Prejudice - what is it?

The definitions that psychologists can give to this concept can be completely different, but their essence is one - it prevents a person from real and normal perception of the world around him. Prejudice is a person's judgment about other people or events, things, they are often unreasonable and almost always have a negative coloring. Moreover, the facts such prejudices are not confirmed, and they are used without evidence. When a person meets a real refutation of prejudice, he sincerely believes that this is an exception to the rules. Here is a small part of the most common:

Prejudices and their psychological sources

The sources of this kind of thinking are rooted in the days when society was just starting to emerge. The main factor that prejudices arose was different inequality in the social, cultural, and economic features of life. Prejudice has arisen as a misconception about something, because of incomplete or distorted information, often obtained not on its own experience, but on the experience of other people.

It can be summed up that prejudice is in psychology the concept of a prejudiced attitude toward a person, situations, things that could be attributed to a particular category or group. To prove to a person their groundlessness and to give arguments that would convince him of the opposite is almost impossible. Freedom from prejudice is possible only when thinking goes beyond stereotypes.

What is the difference between prejudice and stereotypes?

People judge about something or about someone, relying not only on their experience, but also on the experience of the family, friends, environment, reading literature, films viewed. There are a lot of factors influencing human opinion. Saying "prejudices" and "stereotypes," often mean the same thing, but this is not entirely true.

  1. Stereotypes are judgments in which there is no strong emotional evaluation. This is a reflection of a variety of signs or traits that are often peculiar to everyone who has entered a particular group. Judgments of this nature can be positive and have positive coloring.
  2. Prejudices differ from stereotypes in that their evaluation, both of a separate group, and of a person as an individual, is colored only negatively, even hostile. They are able to attribute only negative qualities. The object of prejudice is that someone stands out from the masses and is different from the majority.

What are the prejudices?

Unqualified belief in someone else's opinions has developed a very long time, long before our birth. This opinion, often erroneous and superficial, gave rise to prejudices, different stereotypes and prejudices. Speaking literally, prejudice is the opinion that lies ahead of reason, it ruled out reasoning and it was done, without logical reflection.

Prejudices come in different areas of life, there are many kinds, each one, in one way or another, affects every person living in society. Faith in prejudice is a private matter for everyone, but sometimes it's worth incorporating logic and moving away from stereotypes, once imposed by someone, maybe not even specifically. Thinking within the framework created by someone, at least, is not interesting.

Social prejudice

Practice shows that the basis of all social beliefs are those observations that really were based on real situations and facts that a person could see in their own lives. Prejudice, as a kind of social attitude, has firmly entered the minds of the masses, to convince the contrary, such people are practically impossible, since very often in their life they soon find confirmation of their prejudices and stereotypes. For example:

Gender prejudice

The role played by a man and a woman in society is also covered with prejudices. Gender stereotypes of prejudice about what they should be in society, at work, in the family is determined by the peculiarities of culture. This has already become a tradition and has become the norm, so far in many countries of the world has not been obsolete.

Racial prejudice

We are talking about a malevolent attitude toward a person of a particular race, sometimes this attitude is hostile and almost comes to the point of absurdity. Develop such prejudices against other people who differ in racial features. To date, the charge of racial prejudice, or even racism, has only negative and negative implications. Accusing a person of this, society makes it clear that he is thinking out of date.

National prejudices

Cooperation between different peoples' representatives plays a very important role in achieving peace. National stereotypes and prejudices were developed over the centuries, and formed from ideas about the people, about the nation as a whole. The characteristics of the behavior of the peoples of another culture, their habits and life are studied and described in different studies. This allows you to better recognize the multi-ethnic people of the planet, helps to establish contact with them. Most of the judgments are very stereotyped, on the verge of ordinary prejudices.

Household prejudices

Judgments imposed by society in relation to one's own behavior or appearance, to various signs or superstitions, food products have firmly entered people's minds. Household prejudice is a negative attitude towards one's own personality. The view itself is negatively colored, this is not a prejudice, but it will become such if convincing evidence and positive facts can not convince a person.

Age prejudices

Every age of a person, from birth to a deep old age, is associated with certain stereotypes that are imposed by society, or someone who has decided that it should not be so. The barrier of prejudice can be destroyed only through tolerance . The features of a person's personality at a particular age should not be perceived as inferiority.

  1. Adults have prejudices that children are unreasonable creatures, because they believe in fairy tales.
  2. Older people believe that young people are completely irresponsible.
  3. Young boys and girls believe that older people can not lead an active lifestyle. Go in for sports, for example.

Sexual prejudice

As a result of these stereotypes lie all the unjustified expectations associated with an intimate life. Good sexual education of a teenager, does not completely protect him from such prejudices. Prejudice toward sex is often confirmed by various information and only strengthened even more firmly, especially among inexperienced young people and girls. Most of the superstitions affect not only the attitude toward sex, but form such a notion as the sexual norm.

Political prejudices

In many parts of one country there are different opinions of people. Sometimes one half of their prejudices and prejudices are not made clear to another group of people. Their thinking is constrained by stereotypes and there is a shift in aggression. It directs all its hostility sometimes against those who are not really a dangerous object. In the fight against such prejudices, monuments of architecture, culture, and religious values ​​are destroyed.

Cultural prejudice

Gestures, emotions - all this is a universal language for people whose culture and customs are similar, but here in other nations whose culture is different, it all takes a completely different coloring, and sometimes acquires the opposite meaning. Prejudices and stereotypes in intercultural communication leave their imprint when dealing with people of other cultures and customs. In order not to get trapped and not to be misunderstood, when traveling around the world, it is better to study the culture of those countries that are planned to visit.

Psychology - how to deal with prejudice?

For a person who aspires to self-development is engaged in self-improvement it is not permissible to think with cliches and clichés. More and more people are trying to go beyond prejudice. A person without prejudice is a free person who is able to see real people look at many things realistically. How to get rid of prejudices? This can be achieved by abandoning thinking within stereotypes and by constantly working on your thoughts and judgments: