PSYCHOLOGY

Critically evaluate psychological theories of prejudice and assess how they inform our understanding of social work practice and society

Critically evaluate psychological theories of prejudice and assess how they inform our understanding of social work practice and society

Introduction

Prejudice has caused enormous loss and suffering across the history on planet earth and it is very important to understand how it affects social work practice and society. The term prejudice refers to prejudged negative attitudes, believes, thoughts and actions for a person or group. The prejudice can occur either in same group or any other outside communities (Marilynn, 1999). The common example of prejudice are negative feelings and disguise towards beggars on streets, patients of AIDS, persons from certain ethnicity and class such as black and white, gender differences, religion, age and nationality of a person. These negative prejudgments also mean the negative behavior for persons joining specific individuals and groups such as homosexuals who are generally in many societies are victims of prejudice. Hence, prejudice generally results in dislike and disguise for specific individuals and groups on persons pre-actions and prejudgments. However, the prejudice cannot be directly associated similar with liking and disliking (Whitley & Kite, 2010). Prejudice is form of prejudgments where an individual draws irrational conclusions for particular individuals and groups on particular tags associated with them such as social and racial norms or on the basis of the gender. Several researchers e.g. Marilynn also relate prejudice with ethnocentrism, which is general belief of individuals who believe that one section and ethnicity group in the society is superior to another sector or group. Heterosexism is found to be associated with ethnocentrism (Marilynn, 1999).

Discrimination

Discrimination is generally considered as result of prejudice. Discrimination is negative action and behavior towards on individuals or groups on basis sex, race, social class and the like. While the prejudice is negative and irrational opinions, discrimination is negative behavior towards those opinions which reinforces to create social and economic inequalities for others. Thus, discrimination can be said as action of prejudice.

Prejudice leads to discrimination in a way that a person who thinks badly about certain individuals and groups, tends to treat everybody same, regardless of their qualities or failings (Terrence Higgins Trust, 2012).

Social Exclusion

Similar to discrimination, social exclusion is also result of prejudice. Some studies even found that discrimination and social exclusion are interdependent on prejudice and each other. Social exclusion refers to what happen to people when they suffer from interdependent problems such as bad financial conditions, unemployment, low income, bad health, high crime environment, family breakdown, poor skills and the like. Social exclusion is multi-dimensional problem which has serious impacts on society. Thus social exclusion, which is based on grounds of prejudice, leads to higher social security, spurt in crime and low productivity. The poor sections of society are then generally neglected for their social and economic rights.

Prejudice leads to social exclusion for instance for the patients of certain communities who are not provided with equal health ...