Discuss symbolic interactionist theory in terms of racial inequality. Be sure to include references to the contact hypothesis, stereotype threat, costs of privilege, and microaggressions in your response.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Essentially, symbolic interactionist theorists are interested in how the messages we internalize from socialization agents such as mass media affect the ways in which we perpetuate racial inequalities. Allport (1954) proposed the contact hypothesis, which predicts that the more intergroup contact Whites have with members of racial minority groups, the less likely they are to have prejudice beliefs. In addition, there is also the stereotype threat, which describes how minorities' self-concepts and performance on certain tasks are harmed by social stereotypes placed on their group, stereotypes that may portray them as being less competent than other racial groups. Also, microaggressions can be defined as the negative messages that permeate throughout culture in everyday racism. Lastly, the symbolic interactionist perspective is useful for considering the costs of privilege for the majority group. For example, despite the numerous advantages, Whites miss out on the ability to get along with other cultures and diverse groups which is seen as being a marketable skill in the economy.