Prejudice is a negative attitude or judgement towards people because of their group identity, formed without a fair assessment of them as individuals.
A stereotype concerns what someone assumes a group is like. Prejudice concerns a prejudged attitude, such as dislike, suspicion or contempt. The two can reinforce each other, but they are not simply different names for the same thing.
For example, an assumption about a group's behaviour may be used to justify mistrust before any personal interaction. Such attitudes can discourage contact, cause hurt and make cooperation more difficult. They may lead to discrimination: unfair treatment linked to group identity. A belief or attitude alone does not prove that a particular discriminatory action occurred.
Disagreement with a person's actual proposal is not automatically prejudice. Examine the reason given: is it a relevant concern supported by evidence, or a judgement about the person based on group membership?
Worked example: Judging neighbours before meeting them
A resident reads an introduction from new neighbours and learns that they follow a different religion. Before meeting them, he says he distrusts them because of that religion. He offers no evidence about their conduct.
- The resident expresses a negative judgement before assessing the neighbours as individuals. Their religious identity is the reason he gives for his distrust.
- That is evidence of prejudice. It could make an ordinary neighbourly interaction more difficult even though no misconduct by the neighbours is described.
- The account does not tell us whether he then denies them an opportunity or treats them unfairly. Keep the attitude distinct from any action that still needs evidence.
Watch out for this
Any disagreement is prejudice, and every prejudiced attitude proves that discrimination has already occurred.
Examine the basis of the judgement and then look separately for behaviour. A relevant disagreement differs from a negative judgement based on group identity.
Check your understanding
A team leader says she dislikes working with people from an ethnic group before meeting the new team. The account gives no allocation or selection decision. Which conclusion is supported?
- The statement is a fair assessment of the new members' work.
- The statement shows prejudice, while a claim about a specific discriminatory decision would require more evidence.
- Every member of the new team must now have been dismissed.