Discuss five of the seven ways that a person can "break the prejudice habit" and become more open and tolerant of others

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer will include any five of the following: (1) Beware of stereotyping. When we stereotype, we tend to see out-group members as very much alike, even when they are as varied as our friends and family. People who are not prejudiced work hard to actively inhibit stereotyped thoughts and to emphasize fairness and equality. A good way to tear down stereotypes is to get to know individuals from various ethnic and cultural groups. (2) Seek individuating information about each person rather than seeing a person as only a member of a group. When you meet individuals from various backgrounds, focus on the person, not the label attached to her or him. (3) Reject "just-world beliefs" that people get what they deserve. This faulty thinking amounts to blaming people who are victims of prejudice and discrimination for their plight. (4) Avoid the creation of self-fulfilling prophecies that can occur when you treat a person based on a stereotype and the person finds it easier to just meet your expectations. (5) Avoid unnecessary social competition, which is the rivalry among groups with each regarding itself as superior to others. A person who has high self-esteem does not need to treat others inferior in order to feel good about himself or herself. Similarly, it is not necessary to degrade other groups in order to feel positive about one's own group identity. In fact, each ethnic groups has strengths that members of other groups could benefit from emulating. (6) Understand that race is a social construction. Race is a matter of social labeling, not biological reality. Members of various groups are so varied genetically and human groups have intermixed for so many centuries that it is impossible to tell, biologically, to what "race" any given individual belongs. (7) Look for commonalities in others and strive to cooperate.