2. What are the relevant modulators of prejudice and discrimination and how can these two capacities be reduced?

Key Points:

• Some of the most negative forms of intergroup behaviour are demonstrations of prejudice and discrimination.

• Some theories of prejudice focus on personality, arguing that there are certain personality types that predispose people to intolerance and prejudice.

• The ‘personality’ approach has now been largely discredited, partly because it underestimates the importance of current situations in shaping people’s attitudes, and partly because it cannot explain sudden rises or falls in prejudice against specific racial groups.
• Contrary to personality explanations, by far the best predictor of prejudice is the existence of a culture of prejudice legitimized by societal norms.
• How do prejudiced ‘cultures’ arise?
• Social identity theory and social dominance theory.

• Prejudiced attitudes are often deeply entrenched, may be passed from parents to children and are supported by the views of significant others.
• But societal norms for acceptable behaviour can and do change, sometimes creating a conflict between personal feelings and how they can be expressed.
• New, more subtle measures are required to detect these modern forms of prejudice.