Perception of people and Stereotypes: relationship between stereotype, prejudice and discrimination

In the following Psychology-Online article, we are going to try to define a series of complex concepts that we all tend to use in many social and work contexts: stereotype, prejudice and discrimination. Let's see below what is the definition of each of them and how we can differentiate them to use them correctly.

If we start from a concept of 3 components (cognitive, affective and behavioral), in the case of a negative attitude towards a group:

• Stereotype: Set of beliefs about the attributes assigned to a group.
• Prejudice: Affect or negative evaluation of a group.
• Discrimination: Partial or negative behavior in the treatment of people by virtue of their belonging to the group or category.

Brighman: The stereotype serves to rationalize the hostility that a prejudiced person feels towards certain outgroups: Justifying function.

Vinacke: Synthesis between the two positions: Stereotypes are the expression and rationalization of a prejudice, although they may also not express a prejudice at all.

1-component attitude concept (cognitive):

• Fishbein and Ajzen: "The stereotype equates to a belief or opinion, and prejudice to a negative attitude towards a group."

Although there is a correspondence between stereotypes and prejudices, there are stereotypes that are not associated with prejudices (positive stereotypes).

Stroebe and Insko: Empirical relationship between prejudice and stereotype, between the attitude towards a group and the evaluation of the traits attributed to it. > Next: History of stereotypes in Social Psychology

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.

If you want to read more articles similar to Perception of people and Stereotypes: relationship between stereotype, prejudice and discrimination, we recommend that you enter our category of Social and Organizational Psychology.