1

EELC1013-015 Group 3
Tristia, LIN XIYA(AC403542)
Natalie, LI NANXI(AC403153)
Sophie, ZHU XINYAN(AC403201)

The Causes of People’s Prejudices

Consider the following scenario: When you encounter an individual who is dressed in a
manner that is unconventional or out of the ordinary, do you experience a sense of unease or
discomfort? Do you even perceive their behavior as incongruent with your own expectations,
leading to a negative initial impression of the person? This psychological phenomenon is not
uncommon in life and is known as "prejudice". Actually, this phenomenon is often an
unconscious behavior in our daily lives. Therefore, what factors contribute to the formation
of these biases against a stranger? By definition, Prejudice is an attitude toward a group or a
member of a group based on who belongs to it. But it has a negative impact in most cases, for
example, an "attractive" individual is often perceived in a positive light, while an individual
with less attractive physical characteristics may be more easier to be prejudiced by others.
The formation of prejudice is primarily shaped by social influences, psychology, and the
factor of human nature, collectively leading to the development of prejudices and
discriminatory behaviors within different strange groups of people.

From a social perspective, individuals engage in the external environment, thereby

establishing diverse communities, which are typified by specific In this regard. It is important
to note that when confronted with groups that differ from these communities, there is a
tendency for prejudice to be shaped by the influence of their members. Human beings are
social animals, and from the moment they are born, they are already participated in society.
As they grow older and become more connected to the outside world, people's knowledge
and vision of society expands. Simply categorizing people as members of one’s own social
category or as members of another social category "seems to automatically generate
identification" (Cohrs & Duckitt, 2012, p.4). From the family to the school, to the wider
social environment, and even to the country and the world, people gradually integrate into a
variety of different groups. These groups, in order to shape a definition of social behavior that
not only meets the common interests of its internal members, but also establishes a set of
behavioral norms within the group to facilitate communication and interaction among its
members, each of us is like living in concentric circles. Each group's communication and
interaction is based on different concepts, cultures and educational backgrounds, so each
group has distinct and unique characteristics. For example, a family may have its own unique
family traditions and values, while a school may have its own specific school rules and
educational philosophy. It is these unique characteristics that make each group stand out in
society. At the same time, in the process of integrating into these groups, people tend to
develop a strong sense of belonging and identification with the group to which they belong as
 2

well as with the members within the group. This sense of belonging and identification is not
only emotional, but also manifests itself in positive attitudes and preferences toward the
group. In other words, people will tend to perceive their group as positive and favorable, and
will trust and rely on the members of the group. However, when confronted with an outsider
group, people usually show a sense of protectiveness. This sense of protection arises not only
because of the consideration of their own group interests, but also because of the fear and
uneasiness shown by the lack of full knowledge of the unfamiliar group. This sense of
protection makes people subconsciously regard the unfamiliar group as a party that is
contrary to their own group concept, thus creating prejudice. In addition to this, people's
groups will pass on to their members culturally and politically influenced ideas for the sake
of their interests. In addition, people who have been in the social group for a long time and
have been influenced by their internal members will have a solidified mindset towards a
particular group, which often tends to be negative, thus giving rise to prejudice. For instance,
people of different races can develop prejudices about each other's skin, language, religion,
etc. Such prejudices, if not addressed in a timely manner, can be detrimental to politics and
human rights. The recent conflict between Palestine and Israel is a result of the differences in
religious beliefs and geopolitical discord between the two. The only way to reduce social
prejudice is to"minimize or eliminate social category boundaries", according to Park and
Judd (2005, p.126). It can also be seen that groups and their significant differences through
social interactions are one of the indispensable factors that contribute to prejudice.
An analysis of the causes of prejudice can also be conducted from the perspective of
human psychological perception. Individuals will autonomously develop a cognitive system
during their lifespan, shaped by their unique personality and psychological characteristics.
This system serves people to simplify cognitive processes, enabling individuals to recognize
novel and complex phenomena with greater adeptness. This allows for initial judgments
about new things to be made without knowing the full picture. If this judgment is too extreme
and blind, it can evolve into a prejudice. Myers (2022) points out that the cognitive roots of
prejudice are frequently linked to categorization and uniqueness. While the concept of
“categorization” has already been discussed above from a sociological point of view,
uniqueness bias is a mental model for perceiving the world: unique people, rare or extreme
things are more likely to provoke our interest and attention. According to Thorndike’s (1920)
observation of the "the halo effect", which suggests that when individuals become acquainted
with other person, they frequently find themselves impressed by a particular quality of that
person. At the same time, individuals also direct their attention to those who are unexpected.
The contributions of those who have achieved consistent success are often taken for granted,
whereas the achievement of those who are lesser-known are more applauded and recognized.
This biased uniqueness makes it easier for talented people from the bottom of the social
ladder to stand out from the crowd, making them more distinctive than they actually are.
Individuals tend to accentuate the aspects that differentiate a person from the norm, while
ignoring what they have in common with the majority. This situation facilitates the
correlation of our brain's cognitive patterns. Unique things are more likely to stimulate the
brain to process and remember this information more deeply than regular ones, leading to
 3

excessive attention and interpretation. At the same time, uniqueness bias also affects self-
awareness. There is a tendency to assume that others are reacting to one’s own uniqueness,
which can lead to misunderstandings and discomfort, even in the presence of good intentions.
On the other hand, a renowned social psychologist Lerner (1980) once put forward the
concept of the "fair world hypothesis". He believed that individuals possess a deep belief that
the world they live in is fair, stable, orderly and predictable. Based on this psychological
need, people have developed the theory of cause and effect that "no good deed goes
unpunished". Although this theory creates a seemingly rationalized explanation that allows
everything to be settled, if people rely on this explanation for a long time, they will develop a
stereotypical and one-sided way of thinking. What's more, the theory downplays the suffering
of the underprivileged, causing people to withdraw their empathy and goodwill and turn a
blind eye to the less fortunate, resulting in social indifference.
The generation of prejudice is also associated with human needs. Among the human
history, in response to the demand for functionality within a specific period, there is a
tendency for prejudice to emerge. Just consider, in the ancient times, how our ancestors could
recognize danger in the wild within a second? In dangerous circumstance, time is definitely
crucial. The necessity for rapid response necessitates the classification of information in a
prompt manner, this approach can be perceived as a form of prejudice. As Roets (2011) says,
''People who are prejudiced feel a much stronger need to make quick and firm judgments and
decisions in order to reduce ambiguity.'' This prejudice has the effect of reducing the time
available for making decisions on a daily basis and for dealing with uncertain situations. As a
result, it is common for this bias appear in our daily life. Also, the formation of prejudice is a
common phenomenon in social change and movement contexts, where people seek to
advance their objectives by it. For example, in the Occupy Wall Street movement, "Under the
slogan, 'We are the 99%' the Movement encouraged the middle classes to see themselves as
victims and to act in solidarity against the rich." according to Durrheim et al. (2016, page.17)
In this revolution, prejudice against the rich was generated and embraced by the people, thus
opposing the power-money deals, bipartisan politics, and social injustices of American
politics. Another example is the Cultural Revolution, during which individuals followed their
personal beliefs and biases, resulting in the pervasive influence of revolution across China. It
can be reasonably inferred that when individuals require the creation of prejudice to gather
support for their own agendas, they will actively engage in the production of such prejudice.
In conclusion, the causes of prejudice are complex and encompass social influences,
psychological impacts, and factors of human nature. Social factors encompass the existence
of differences in intra-group identity and group bases, which can give rise to instances of
misunderstanding and the formation of prejudicial attitudes towards others. Psychological
factors pertain to an individual's cognitive processes and their influence on the formation of
the human personality. This enables the development of prejudices against those who exhibit
different personalities. Furthermore, human nature, driven by the necessity to survive and
seek security, represents a significant element in the genesis of prejudice. Based on people's
perceptions and needs, the creation and existence of prejudice is inevitable. However, the
reduction of prejudice is possible through the analysis of its causes. For example, if an
 4

unequal state breeds prejudice, then we can seek cooperation and establish an equal
relationship; if spontaneous prejudice makes us feel pressured, then we can break the
stereotyped thinking and the pursuit of a new perspective of thinking can be undertaken.
Reducing prejudice is a long process. To understand the nature of prejudice and make
changes is a critical step in making the world much better.

Reference
Allport, G. W. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Addison-Wesley google schola, 2, 59-82.
Arne Roets (2011)Research States That Prejudice Comes From a Basic Human Need and
Way of Thinking. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/research-states-that-
prejudice-comes-from-a-basic-human-need-and-way-of-thinking.html
Caitlin Millett, (2015). Human are wried for prejudice but that doesn't have to be the end of
the story.https://theconversation.com/humans-are-wired-for-prejudice-but-that-doesnt-have-
to-be-the-end-of-the-story-36829
Cohrs, J. C., & Duckitt, J. (2012). Prejudice, types and origins of. The encyclopedia of peace
psychology, 3, 880-887.
Myers, D., (2022).Social Psychology. POSTS & TELECOM PRESS.
Park, B., & Judd, C. M. (2005). Rethinking the link between categorization and prejudice
within the social cognition perspective. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 9(2), 108-
130.