Download Ch. 10 S. 2

Ch. 10 S. 2: Patterns of Intergroup Relations
Obj: Distinguish between ____________________ and ________________; describe the
most common patterns of minority-group treatment.
Discrimination and Prejudice
________________ and ________________ are common features of the minority-group
experience. Although the words are often used interchangeably, discrimination and
prejudice are two separate but related conditions. Discrimination is the denial of equal
treatment to individuals based on their group membership. By definition, discrimination
involves _________________. Prejudice is an unsupported generalization about a
category of people. Prejudice refers to attitudes. In daily conversation, you might say that
you are prejudiced for or against someone or something. Sociologists generally focus on
negative forms of prejudice.
• ____________________ – can be found either on an individual level or on an individual
level or on a societal level. Discriminatory acts by individuals range from name-calling and
rudeness to acts of ______________. In their most extreme forms, such acts can lead to
physical harm or even death. For example, between 1882 and 1970, more than 1,170
African Americans were lynched by white mobs in the US. In many cases, those lynched
had not committed a crime. Rather, they were attempting to ________, use the same public
facilities as white Americans, or had become too successful.
Societal discrimination can appear in one of two forms-legal discrimination or institutionalized
discrimination. ______________ discrimination is upheld by law.
________________________ discrimination, on the other hand, is an outgrowth of the
structure of a society.
Institutionalized discrimination is far more resistant to change. Over time, ____________
access to the resources of society pushes some minority groups into less-powerful
positions. Once this occurs, it is not necessary for the dominant group to consciously
discriminate against these groups to maintain a system of ______________. Discrimination
thus becomes a part of the social structure. Therefore, institutional discrimination is selfperpetuating and can occur even when the society takes legal steps to end discriminatory
__________________.
• _____________ – negative forms of prejudice often involve stereotypes. A
________________ is an oversimplified, exaggerated, or unfavorable generalization about
a group of people. When stereotyping, an individual forms an image of a particular group.
For example, a stereotype held by some Americans was that all __________ people were
hot-tempered. If individuals are found to differ from the stereotyped group image, they are
thought to be exceptions to the rule, rather than proof that the stereotype is wrong.
Stereotyping can have grave consequences for society. If people are told often enough and
long enough that they or others are socially, mentally, or physically inferior, they may come
to _____________ it. It does not matter whether the accusations are true.
Robert K. Merton suggested that a false definition of a situation can become a
______________________ prophecy. A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that results
in behavior that makes the prediction come true.
If members of a ________________ group are considered incapable of understanding
technical information, they will not be given technical training. As a result, they will lack the
skills needed to gain ___________________ in highly technical occupations. This lack of
employment in technical fields will then be taken as proof of the group’s inability to
understand technical information.
For the dominant group in society, ______________ serves as a justification for
discriminatory actions. Once individuals come to believe negative claims against members
of a minority group, they may find it easier to accept open acts of discrimination. Prejudicial
beliefs that serve as justifications for open discrimination often take the form of
________________ - the belief that one’s own race or ethnic group is naturally superior to
other races or ethnic groups. Throughout history, racism has been used as a justification
for _______________ such as slavery and genocide.
While prejudice and discrimination are related, they do not always go hand-in-hand.
According to Merton, individuals can combine discrimination and prejudice in four possible
ways.
• The ______________ bigot is prejudiced and openly discriminatory.
• The ______________ bigot is prejudiced but is afraid to discriminate because of societal
pressures.
• The _________-weather liberal is not prejudiced but discriminates anyway because of
societal pressure.
• The ________-weather liberal is not prejudiced and does not discriminate.
Sources of Discrimination and Prejudice
Various ___________________ have been offered for the development of discrimination and
prejudice. Sociologists often organize these explanations into three broad
___________________; sociological, psychological, and economic.
• __________________ explanations – most sociological explanations of discrimination and
prejudice focus on the social environment. This environment includes the accepted social
norms of society and the process through which these norms are learned –
_______________. In some societies, prejudices are embedded in the social norms. Such
norms describe the ways in which members of the society are expected to relate to
members of certain out-groups. People become prejudiced simply by internalizing these
___________.
Even if prejudice is not a part of the ______________ of society at large, it may be a norm of
groups within society. People often become prejudiced to maintain their ______________
membership. They may also become prejudiced through their identification with a reference
group that encourages and supports such ________________.
• ______________________ Explanations – Individual behavior provides the focus for
psychological explanations of prejudice and discrimination. One such explanation suggests
that people are prejudiced because they have a particular kind of personality. In a survey of
a broad sample of American society, a team of psychologists lead by Theodore
_____________ found that prejudiced people share certain characteristics. These
characteristics made up what Adorno called the authoritarian personality.
_______________________ are strongly conformist, have a great respect for authority,
and are highly likely to follow the orders of those in authority. They also exhibit a great deal
of anger and are likely to blame others for their problems.
Another psychological explanation suggests that prejudice may be the product of
________________ and anger. When individuals have problems but cannot confront the
real causes of those problems, they often turn their frustration and anger on innocent
groups. The practice of placing the blame for one’s troubles on an ________________
individual or group is called ____________________. By focusing on scapegoats, people
sometimes gain a sense of superiority at a time when they are feeling powerless.
Minority groups often become scapegoats for a variety of reasons.
• First, they are easy to __________________ because of their physical feature, language,
style of dress, or religious practices.
• Second, they lack power in society and may be unlikely to ______________ back.
• Third, they are often concentrated in one geographic area and therefore are easily
accessible and an easy target.
• Fourth, they often have been the target of scapegoating in the past, so a certain amount of
hostility toward them already exists.
• Finally, they often _________________ something – such as an idea, attitude, or way of
life – that the scapegoater does not like.
• ______________________ Explanations – According to economic explanations, prejudice
and discrimination arise out of _____________________ for scarce resources.
For example, during the second half of the 1800s large numbers of _______________
workers immigrated to the West Coast of the US. In the beginning, they were welcomed as
an inexpensive source of labor. However, when jobs become scarce many white workers
began to view the Chinese immigrants as economic competitors. Many white Americans
reacted to this competition with open __________________. This discrimination was
______________________ with the passage of laws restricting Chinese immigration.
______________ theorists suggest that the dominant group, to protect its position,
encourages competition for resources among minority groups. This competition creates a
____________ labor market, in which workers are set against each other along racial and
ethnic lines. In the struggle for jobs, the various minority groups come to fear, distrust, and
__________ one another.
Patterns of Minority Group Treatment
______________ policies toward minority groups within a society vary widely. The most
common patterns of minority _________________ include cultural pluralism, assimilation,
legal protection, segregation, subjugation, population transfer and extermination.
• __________________ Pluralism – One response to ethnic and racial diversity is cultural
pluralism. This policy allows each group within society to keep its unique cultural
__________________. Switzerland provides an example of cultural pluralism in action.
Switzerland has three official languages – French, German, and Italian – one language for
each of its three major ethnic groups. These groups live together peacefully and are
extremely loyal to Switzerland. Furthermore, none of the groups has taken to a
_________________ or minority role in Swiss society.
• ____________________ – In many societies, racial and ethnic minorities attempt to hold
onto some of their unique cultural features. However, official policies do not always favor
such efforts. For example, at one time in the US it was hoped that the various groups that
make up American society could be blended into a single people with a _______________
culture. This hope formed the basis of the image of America as a “melting pot.” the blending
of culturally ____________ groups into a single group with a common culture and identity is
called assimilation.
In most societies, some assimilation occurs ________________. Over time, the various
groups within society _________________ many cultural traits as a natural outcome of
daily interaction. On the other hand, attempts to ____________ assimilation often lead to
conflict.
• ___________ Protection – Many countries have taken legal steps to ensure that the rights
of minority groups are _______________. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting
Rights Act of 1965 are examples of such legislation in the US. __________________
action programs are another example of legal efforts to achieve equal rights.
• Segregation – Policies that physically separate a minority group from the dominant group
are referred to as ________________. Under segregation, the minority group is forbidden
to live in the same areas as the dominant group and cannot use the same public facilities.
Sociologists recognize two types of segregation. ________________ segregation is based
on laws. Segregation based on informal norms is called ________________ segregation.
• Subjugation – Some countries engage in ___________________ – the maintaining of
control over a group through force. __________________ – the ownership of one person
by ________________ – is the most extreme form of subjugation. Examples of slavery can
be found throughout history.
Population Transfer
Sometimes the _________________ group in a society separates itself from a minority group
by transferring the minority population to a new territory. This ____________ can be carried
out indirectly or directly. With indirect transfer, the dominant group makes life for minorities
so miserable that they simply leave. ______________ transfer, on the other hand, involves
the use of force. In some cases, people are forcibly moved to new locations within the
country. An example of direct transfer in the US is the resettlement of American Indians on
reservations during the 1800s.
Extermination
The most extreme response to the existence of minority groups within a country is
extermination. When the goal of extermination is the intentional destruction of the entire
targeted population, it is referred to as _______________. This kind of extermination has
been attempted many times, and sometimes achieved, throughout history.
In the last years of the 1900s, some dominant groups have ________________ population
transfer and extermination in a practice called ______________ cleansing. This practice
involves removing a group form a particular area through terror, expulsion, and mass
murder.