There are a wide variety of prejudices that exist in societies around the world, as well as consequences and behaviors influenced by those prejudices. Prejudices affect the daily lives of millions of people around the world. Importantly, prejudice greatly influences what people hope for in the future. Some people who act according to their prejudices do so with violence, crime, generating expenses for society, such as the cost of lawsuits and social services provided to victims.
When prejudices are not recognized or confronted, they can negatively affect not only the lives of the victims but also that of those who have the prejudice, and ultimately society. In this Psychology-Online article we tell you how prejudices affect society.
Since prejudices are present in all societies in a complex way, at the very least, they will always have a series of consequences, albeit in subtle ways. For example, when people are highly aware of the prejudices that others have towards them, the prejudice has a self-fulfilling effect. This means that people behave how others expect them to behave. Similarly, people who are prejudiced treat others differently based on how you expect others to behave or how you want others to behave.
These behavioral expectations they are often based on stereotypes. Stereotypes are oversimplified biases related to physical characteristics or behavior, generally exaggerated, that supposedly applies to each member of that group.
Furthermore, people behave differently when interacting with one another, depending on whether or not they expect hostility from others. Studies have shown that a person who is a victim of stereotypes held by others can end up behaving like the stereotype. More generally, one person is likely to behave as the other person expects them to behave. All of these behaviors mean that prejudices affect everyday interactions that occur in a society.
Types of social prejudices and stereotypes
The consequences of everyday prejudice go beyond simply modeling relationships between people.
People are attacked by value judgments based in:
- The color of the skin
- Social class
- The gender
- Sexual orientation
- Political views
- ...
That constant exposure to ridicule and discrimination leads to a low self-esteem. Those who are victims of prejudice feel insecure about their place in society. They develop hatred and anger directed both towards those who are prejudiced against them and inwardly for having the supposed traits that attract such prejudices. Such prejudices are destructive to individuals and society. In addition, they also prevent such people from living up to their true potential.
The prejudices of some people affect other people who are the object of them and condition your life. Social prejudices determine what those who suffer prejudice think about the world, the people around them, how they feel about themselves, that is, life in general. Prejudices can have individual and social consequences:
Low performance
People who are exposed to stereotypes tend to guide their behavior based on them affecting their performance. A concept called "Stereotypical threat”Explains this phenomenon. Numerous studies have found that when a member of a minority group is reminded of a stereotype about her group, she is more likely to underperform. A woman reading a book stating that women are innately bad at math when she has that doing math problems will likely worsen your result more than it would otherwise way. The stereotypical threat is so strong that sometimes minorities do not need to be reminded of a stereotype.
Physical health problems
It should come as no surprise that discrimination is stressful for those who experience it. Doctors already know that stress increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, cancer, diabetes, and a host of other health and medical problems throughout life. New research suggests that discrimination-related stress can be even more dangerous.
A 2008 study found that, among African Americans, race-related stress was a better predictor of health than other sources of stress. Racial minorities are more vulnerable to chronic health problems and terminal illnesses. Perhaps this is the direct result of a life of stress.
Mental health problems
Discrimination is inherently stressful and stress increases a person's risk of developing depression, anxiety and similar mental health problems. Rates of anxiety are significantly higher among women than men, and women are more than twice as likely as men to develop stress post-traumatic. Although there are several factors that play a role in these differences, discrimination could be one.
Consumption of drugs
Discrimination can be a factor that increases the probability of drug use. One study found that having experienced gender discrimination increased the likelihood that a woman would she used drugs, even when the woman did not report experiencing stress as a result of such discrimination.
Self-sabotage
When people doubt their ability to perform well, they can develop explanations that do not harm their self-esteem to explain the poor performance. A common mechanism is the self-sabotage. For example, a student who worries about her ability to do well on a test might go out drinking the night before in order to justify the poor result with a hangover. Several recent studies have shown that the experience of discrimination increases the likelihood of self-sabotage and this in turn is linked to other mental health problems.
In addition to looking at the reasons for biases, research has also focused on the different ways biases can be reduced or even eliminated. Here are some things that can be done to prevent or reduce prejudice:
- Empower people to be more empathic with members of other groups is a method that has proven to be effective. By imagining themselves in the same situation, people can think about how they would react and gain a greater understanding of other people's actions.
- Pass laws and regulations that require a fair and equitable treatment for all groups of people
- Get support and increase public awareness on social norms against harm
- Make people aware of inconsistencies in their own beliefs
- Greater contact with members of other social groups
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
