Prejudice

Prejudice - (1): preconceived judgment or opinion (2): an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge

In a general context, this word refers to one making a decision prior to actually analyzing any concrete information, hence the structure of the word – “pre” and “judge”.

However, in more a pertinent sense – at least to the dynamics of socio-psychology, it is often used to refer to racial prejudice. In that sense, it defines the hostile attitude towards a particular group based on race – although that is not the only “qualification” that can be used. It can also pertain to sexual orientation, nationality, socio-economic background, etc.

There are three main theories regarding the establishment of a prejudicial attitude in people.

Arousal approach - following the psychdynamic perspective, some psychologists attribute prejudice to a buildup of frustration, with this attitude serving as a "blow-off valve of sorts".

Personality approach – the second classical perspective concerns the influence of personalities on prejudiced perceptions. Psychologists who favour this outlook attribute it to personality traits (defects?) such as authoritarianism, dogmatism, closed-mindedness, dominant orientation, etc .

Intergroup approach – lastly, another group of psychologist attributes this attitude to the inherent need of people for group interaction and a sense of belonging. In this case, this feeling is misdirected, and according to social identity theory, when one is identified as part of a group, that person will adapt “…some general characteristics including ethnocentrism, in-group favoritism, intergroup differentiation and so on”, which are the main causes of prejudice.