Prejudice is a preconceived opinion to which a person makes all the following conclusions. It is a belief that prevents an adequate perception of reality. Prejudice is self-sustaining; after people mentally create a logical rationale for an idea, they have difficulty parting with it. Biases are extremely challenging to change using the usual rules of logic or rational thinking as a person is not inclined to notice what is opposed to the belief system. Any prejudice is supported by the least educated and, therefore, less reflective individuals.
Prejudices can be not only national or local but also gender. For instance, being a man and being a woman are socially constructed roles. The peculiarities of culture determine gender stereotypes, and prejudices about what they should be in society, work, and the family (Paluck et al., 2020). The statement “All those women on welfare have it made. All they do is stay home and make babies while the rest of us have to work and pay taxes to support them” shows particular biases against women on welfare.
There are several strategies that help resolve prejudice. First of all, a person who has such a bias needs to learn to track emotions, using disidentification, mental control, and self-observation (Forscher et al., 2017). This is useful to determine the reasons for this prejudice. Secondly, it is essential to consider the world without judgment and categorical statements (Forscher et al., 2017). In this case, women on welfare should be regarded as the same part of society as those who work and pay taxes (Forscher et al., 2017). People’s life scenarios can be different; all of them should be accepted. It is crucial to learn mental flexibility, disposing of the dual dividing concept – good-bad considering the world as a unity of all forms and states. Consequently, it might prevent distinguishing benefits and adverse outcomes.
References
Forscher, P. S., Mitamura, C., Dix, E. L., Cox, W. T., & Devine, P. G. (2017). Breaking the prejudice habit: Mechanisms, timecourse, and longevity.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 72, 133−146. Web.
Paluck, E. L., Porat, R., Clark, C. S., & Green, D. P. (2020). Prejudice reduction: Progress and challenges. Annual Review of Psychology, 72, 533−560. Web.