SOC 201 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Wrinkle, Stereotype
Document Summary
Stereotyping essentially categorizes all members of a particular group as having a specific set of characteristics. Stereotypes deny the existence of individual differences among the members of a specific social category. It is crucial to distinguish between prejudice and stereotypes on the one hand and discrimination on the other. Prejudice and stereotypes involve attitudes and beliefs; discrimination involves behavior. Moreover, there is no guarantee that prejudiced attitudes will manifest themselves in discriminatory behaviors: What people actually do in relation to groups they dislike is not always directly related to what they think or feel about them. Two employers, for example, may dislike jews to an equal degree. One may keep his feelings to himself and may hire jews on the same basis of any workers perhaps because he wants to gain goodwill for his factory or store in the jewish community. The other may translate his dislike into his employment policy, and refuse to hire jews.
