Stereotypes

Introduction Social Psychology According to Abraham Maslow, a human needs five basic things in their life and one of them is society where human want to feel the sense of belonging. Thus, human need society to feel belong in a group. Society can provide the affiliation feeling based on basic human desires for approval, support, security, friendship and information. Society also provide a guideline for a person to react in an information where Kulik, Mahler and Moore, 2003 refer as social comparisons. Social comparison is comparing your own actions, feelings, opinions or abilities to those to others. If one ever comparing an action, for example comparing notes before taking an exam one is fulfilling the social comparison needs (Festinger, 1957), thus, social comparison is making judgements on oneself through evaluation with others. In order to satisfy the need of human desire for social, one will try to affiliate with another. Affiliation usually occurs when one is attracted to another. There are a few types of attraction that brings people together. The first one is the interpersonal attraction where the feeling of similarity to another person. One usually will look for someone who is understanding, with the same interest and overall, like oneself in return. The second type of affiliation is physical proximity. One usually chooses friends who are nearer. Proximity promotes attraction by increasing the frequency of contact between people (Coon & Mitterer, 2009). For example, one will be more involved in friendship with classmates or co workers. Thirdly, one will be attracted to the physical attraction. Beautiful people always being regard more than just average looking one. At times, people tend to feel beautiful people is also likeable. Thus, one will be attracted to know them. However, beautiful are one to perceive. Some people may admire film star-looks and some may think average looking people are beautiful. People who are with aptitude, with skills are more likeable. For example, a doctor will be more approached since people generally think doctors are more intelligent. Therefore, those who people perceive with more knowledge and competence are much likeable. Prejudice According to Kenda Cherry, prejudice is a baseless and usually negative attitude toward members of a group. Common features of prejudice include negative feelings, stereotyped beliefs and a tendency to discriminate against members of the group. Prejudice is harmful because it can lead to discrimination. Discrimination is where a group of people or even individual, did not get the equal amount of treatment. Unequal treatment is dangerous to society since it affect the society structure and creates a huge gap between a group and individual. For example, discrimination towards the women will cause the man dominated world which will oppress the women and exploit them. This will also cause an imbalance and the rupture of family institution when men can enjoy women freely without having a commitment. The same goes with the segregation or the apartheid where African-American or so known as the ‘black’ people whose being separated with the western or the ‘whites’. Discrimination will only brings trouble and may create dispute in it when people rise up and fight the act. Prejudice has a few types which are first is racism, sexism, classicism, homophobia, nationalism, religiously prejudice and ageism. The first one, racism, is where one race thought negatively of another race. The apartheid act is the example for racism. Secondly, the sexism is where one, individual or a group refuse to accept another sex. Classicism is where people only mingle with those in the same class and has negative thoughts on those who are not of the same class. Next, the homophobia is where an individual or social group refuse or perceive those who are attracted with the same sex are bad. The Nationalism is where people have bad thoughts on other nations meanwhile the prejudice in religious speak for itself. Ageism is the group of people or individual have bad perceptions toward those who they have age gap with. There are a few reasons why prejudice is developed. The first one is usually because of generalization. Generalization is the people put a person into a category. For example  Social prejudice Stanley Milgram lost letter experiment Milgram(1933-1984) was an American psychologist who was known best in his justifications for acts of genocide in Nazi holocaust. Stanley Milgram’s ‘lost letter’ experiment was carried out in 1965, the post World War II where the Nazi create a controversy in holocaust. Milgram developed this to measure and finding out how helpful people can be to strangers who are not present, as well as their attitudes towards different groups. Hypothesis The lost letter experiment was to test whether society have different opinion or prejudice on another social group. Research method His experiment was rather unorthodox where he did not use any common methodology in his research but instead, he post 400 sealed, stamped and self-addressed envelops in public places. The envelops were addressed to many unit including Mr. Walter Carnap, Medical Research Associates, friends of communist party and friends of Nazi party. The lost letter technique however becomes a new research method to investigate social prejudice or their subconscious feeling towards a group. Variables In an experiment, to test a hypothesis, an experimenter needs to define the variables of a hypothesis. There are two variables that should be tested upon that is the Independent variable that is the cause of the hypothesis and the dependent variables that is the effect of the experiment. In Milgram’s experiment, the independent variables are a few. One is the sealed letter. Second is the different entities addressed. This can be proved where the letters and the entities addressed is the cause of the resulting prejudice. Mr. Walter Carnap and Medical Research Associates both received about 72% and 71% respectively the lost letter back but the friends of communists and Nazi both only received back about 25% of the lost letter. Conclusions In the nutshell, the experiment has achieved what the researcher was targeting. Most of the people that found the letter commonly only post it to the desirable people. Thus, it proved that people relatively have negative perception towards friends of communist party and friends of Nazi party due to the experience they have encountered. After the post war experience, many people will perceive the group negatively. The letter actually symbolized the ordinary things usually being done by people but the chores were inserted with prejudice and stereotyping. Social prejudice and stereotyping is very hard to be distinguished through normal surveillance or other research method.  THE CLARK DOLL TEST The study focused on stereotypes and children’s self -perception in relation to their race. Kenneth and Mamie Clark are two African-American psychologists. Mamie Clark decided to do the effect of segregation between the black and the white on children. Hypothesis The children are affected by the segregation act which can be shown in choosing with different coloured dolls which symbolizes the white and the black Research method The two psychologist couple used two different coloured dolls and ask the children to pick one of them they like best. Then the couple will ask the following questions; Show me the doll that you like best or that you would like to play with. Show me the doll that is the ‘nice’ doll. Show me the doll that looks ‘bad.’ Give me the doll that looks like a white child. Give me the doll that looks like a coloured child. Give me the doll that looks like a Negro child. Give me the doll that looks like you Variables The variable that the psychologist couple wanted to test was the dolls as the independent variables. The dependent variable is the chosen doll and the answers that the children gave for each of the question given. Conclusions The Clarks found that the black children prefer the white dolls than the black one. Black children in general wanted themselves have a lighter shade of skin.  Stereotypes among the Malays A survey has been conducted for a week to figure out the stereotype towards the largest race in Malaysia; the Malays. The Malays has been known for many types of generalizations such as a lazy race, over-privileged and etcetera. The survey conducted to find out whether the stereotype is largely perceived or it is just a mere rumour that some racist do. The survey is also being conducted to see how people including the Malays perceive each other. Research method A twenty copies survey was distributed around University of Selangor. The respondents are the students of Unisel themselves. The survey was conducted about a week with multiple races to avoid biasness. An informal interview also was carried out throughout the research period. Variables The independent variable in this research is the survey itself with the questions given to be tested where the effect or the dependent variable is where it is can bee seen the generalizations given and how the respondents feel about the race that is being inquired on; the stereotyping and prejudice. Results After the analysis, it is found that most people do put others in a group and generalize them. Some also refuse to answer the question whether the respondent often put people into a group. Although the survey was carried out in 20 copies survey, some were not returned back. Most of the students find the Malays are friendly and some, generous and the worst quality of the Malays however a tie between lazy and being over-privilege. Others also perceive the worst Malays’ quality is superstitious. When given a scale of 1 to 5, one is the worst 5 is the best, apparently most of people put 3 and above to judgemental, friendliness and helpful. When asked about solutions, respondents have given many answers for example respecting ach other and have more confidence. During the short informal interview, most of the people said they don’t mind working with the Malays as long as they are capable of doing the required work. Conclusions In the nutshell, the Malays apparently are not what rumours said to be as a lazy, incompetence race. The Malays are perceived as a friendly and generous race but slightly judgemental.  Reference