...In the professional field of psychology, social biases have become an evident part of society. The United States of America has played an important part of how each individual seeks the world and portrays diverse views. Within each culture, a melting pot affect has taken place. Every individual has been brought into the world with different views and how to encounter the world’s greatest issue with prejudices, discrimination, stereotypes. Race, gender, age, ethnicity, and religion are prime examples of biases. As a reader, one may envision prejudice, discrimination, and stereotype are the same words just used in different context; however, the definitions illustrate the opposite. According to Fiske (2010), all facets of biases include category-based responses, which are directed towards other individuals (Fiske, 2010). Social biases can negatively affect an individual’s life, employment status, and outlook and quality of life. It is important to understand and research the many reasons why social biases are negative and how to conquer and modify one’s behavior to better prepare for the future. Define the concepts of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination According to Myers (2005), social biases are a typical occurrence in any type of group collaboration that involves negative evaluations of each group (Meyer, 2005). Many social psychologists frequently associate cognition to stereotype, affect to prejudice, and behavioral to discrimination. The first type...
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...Bias comes in many forms, including race, age, gender, and ethnicity and can be universal or location specific (Fiske, 2010). Biased individuals believe the biases they are applying to others are right without regard for the truth (Fiske). Prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination are all somewhat similar; however, they are also very different. Each form of bias is performed by one individual or group of individuals judging another individual or group of individuals prior to obtaining factual knowledge of the individual or group (Fiske). However, each form of bias is performed with a different focus. An individual behaves in a prejudicial manner when he or she has an emotional reaction to another individual or group of individuals based on preconceived ideas about the individual or group (Fiske, 2010). For example, a White individual refusing to drink from the same water fountain as a Black individual based solely on racial bias represents prejudice by the White individual. The White individual has no factual information to support not drinking from the same water fountain; however, he or she has a preconceived idea of the Black individual and therefore refuses to use the same drinking fountain. According to Fiske (2010), stereotyping is the application of an individual’s own thoughts, beliefs, and expectations onto other individuals without first obtaining factual knowledge about the individual(s). Many times, stereotypes are created after multiple occurrences of a similar...
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...Social Biases University of Phoenix Dr. Kinsey August 20, 2012 Social Biases In today’s society social biases can be a problem because many people may look down on another person or group. People and groups can look down on another person believing he or she is better than the other. This type of social influence that some groups may have can generate common biases. Social biases can hinder interaction between people and become very damaging to people (Fiske, 2010). “Just as aggression research reveals the basic social psychology of processes that can prove deadly, the research on bias reveals processes that are demonstrably unhealthy and sometimes deadly for both agents and targets of bias” (Fiske, 2010, p. 428). Characterizing a specific way of thinking or the way a person is being view is sometimes called bias. People’s behavior and attitude which may be influenced by judgment can be displayed as bias. Many people do not realize they are bias, because it is not common to know you the person is bias. Others may identify a person being bias but one may not realize they are bias. In this paper I will define the concept of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. Explain the differences between subtle and blatant bias, and identify some common bias and ways to prevent bias in today’s society. Concept of Social Bias Social Bias is “prejudice attitudes toward particular groups, races, sexes, or religions, including the conscious or unconscious...
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...Social Biases name Psych 555 date instructor Social Biases Bias comes in many forms, including race, age, gender, and ethnicity and can be universal or location specific (Fiske, 2010). It is described as favoring thinking of particular way, or something to watch. Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination are all forms of biases because of the treatment the individual receives from others (Fiske, 2010). Bias is defined as “a particular tendency or inclination, especially one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question; prejudice” (Bias, n.d.). Social interactions between some groups might create common biases. Social biases may be harmful and interfere with human interaction (Fiske, 2010). Define concepts of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination Prejudice is a baseless and usually negative attitude toward members of a group. Fiske (2010) states “prejudice entails reacting emotionally to an individual on the basis of one’s feeling about the group as a whole” (p. 429). Prejudice can be based on a number of factors including, nationality, religion, sexual orientations, age, race, and sex. The most commonly seen prejudice in society is racism, sexism, ageism, religious prejudice, homophobia, and nationalism. Every race, culture, country, and community has a stereotype. By stereotyping a group, it has become a way to oversimplifying the group. Stereotyping is often negative and exaggerated; it is a set of generalizations about...
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...Next, we’ll discuss the merits of Unconscious-Bias and Implicit Associations. The merits of these two ideas seem pretty obvious to me. Since this theory says that some prejudice is due to these biases and associations, if people are more aware of their own biases and implicit-associations, then maybe that awareness can reduce prejudicial behavior. One way to do this is with The Implicit-Associations Test. The Implicit-Associations Test is a wonderful tool to help people understand their own personal biases. One interesting example of unconscious-bias can be seen in a study done on overweight patients. In this study, the patients were tested on their preference between overweight and thin people. They were also tested on their association to...
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...realizing it. This prejudice or favoritism is bias. Biases affect not only our judgment but also our behavior, beliefs, and perception. Biases are selective, learned, culturally determined and can be inaccurate. Biased thinking leads to misunderstanding, wrong decisions, and to costly consequences. Bias can prove very destructive and is the foundation of stereotypes, prejudice and, ultimately, discrimination. A stereotype is an exaggerated belief, image or distorted truth about a person or group — a generalization that allows for little or no individual differences or social variation. A prejudice is an opinion, prejudgment or attitude about a group or its individual members. Prejudices are often accompanied by ignorance, fear or hatred. Prejudice begins with attachment to a close circle of acquaintances or an "in-group" such as a family and is often aimed at "out-groups." Discrimination is behavior that treats people unequally because of their group memberships and often begins with negative stereotypes and prejudices. Once learned, stereotypes and prejudices resist change, even when evidence fails to support them or points to the contrary. (Willoughby, 2007) When I think of bias I think of blatant ways that it manifests itself, but bias can be so subtle that it is hidden and hard to spot. If I change my conscious attitudes and beliefs this may indirectly change my hidden attitudes and beliefs. If I become aware of my hidden biases, I can suppress and...
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...Social norms are perhaps even more problematic in that they help individuals maintain their prejudice towards members of other groups by controlling the expectations and prejudices of society, which also judges or discriminates against members of certain groups and their behaviors, and may even affect the how individuals develop their sense of self, including self-esteem, self-identity, and self-worth (Hall, 2010). However, in knowing this information, it’s possible to decrease stereotypes and increase cultural sensitivity by utilizing the principle pathways of controlled processing of information in order to alter the perceptions and expectations that result in...
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...Hiring Ethical and Legal Implications Hiring Ethical and Legal Implications Every business has the potential to succeed; however, many do not. The ability to hire and retain high-quality employees is one cornerstone to maintaining a successful business. The hiring process has many legal and ethical pitfalls that managers must avoid during their selection process. In addition to the moral quandaries managers face, their hiring decisions also have vast social implications. Hiring managers must make decisions without prejudice, discrimination, or stereotyping the candidate. Often the ethical dilemmas that present themselves are not obvious examples of prejudice or bias. A hiring manager must be able to recognize the potential for discrimination or bias and resist making decisions are unethical or morally unjust. Legal Issues The federal government prohibits several hiring practices. The Civil Rights act of 1964 “prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin” (“Federal laws“, 2009, para. 1). Hiring managers cannot discriminate by age according to the Age Discrimination Act of 1963 (“Federal Laws“, 2009). In addition to those prominent acts, employers are also federally prohibited to discriminate against individuals with disabilities and based on genetic information (“Federal Laws“, 2009). Employers are also prohibited from choosing candidates based on their “birthplace, ancestry, culture, or linguistic characteristics...
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...Juror 10 passionately exclaims, "You're not going to tell us you believe him (the defendant) knowing what he is. I lived among them my whole life, you can't believe a word they say"(Rose 31). The reader can assume that the validity of the boy's story is determined by his ethnic and social background. Juror 10 judges a whole group based on past personal experiences of his. You can infer that he does not accept "them" because instead of referring to himself as "them", he states that he merely "lived among them". Because of who this boy happens to be, he was on the brink of death. The reader is now questioning whether if the boy were of a more "trusted" social class, would the trial have been easier to decide. Juror 8 breaks the ice by claiming, "It's difficult to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this."(Rose 85). The reader can assume that Juror 8 suffers from personal biases, but tries his best to leave them out. Juror 8 is explicitly showing that "person prejudices" greatly affect court cases, and would've have likely caused the defendant to be sent to death if his unpopular opinion wasn't...
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...Ethical Issues in Management-Diversity Brenda Wilson Stringer MGT/216 Organizational Ethics and Social Responsibility August 23, 2010 Paul Nesbitt Management involved many ethical issues, and diversity is a major issue in management. The extent of cultural diversity within a company is referred to as the workplace diversity. “Diversity is defined as acknowledging, valuing, understanding, accepting, and celebrating the differences of people with respect to age, gender, ethnicity, class physical and mental ability orientation, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistant status (K. A. Green, M. Lopez, Wysocki & K. Kepner, 2008).” The demographics of a business market place allow the business to better understand its diversity. A company knows the breadth of knowledge that a diverse workplace, and states that they’re “Equal Opportunity Employer” who do not discriminate. By having diversity in the workplace, it helps maintain and stops discrimination. “Discrimination occurs whenever something other than qualification affects how an employee is treated (L. Trevino & K. Nelson, K., 2007. P. 69).” Discrimination involves age, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual preference, religious beliefs, and any other quality that varies from the accepted norm. During the decision making process for hiring, promotions, and layoffs occurs is when discriminations are involved. The “glass ceiling” is a good example of promotions involving discrimination...
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...the testimony which was heard in court. The group went through the common stages of group development as presented in the text; forming, storming, norming, and performing (Robbins, & Judge, 2010) while personal prejudices, personality differences, and tension mounted as the process evolved. After a first vote, juror 8 is the only individual who would like to explore if there is a reasonable doubt in this case. The remainder of the jurors have expressed indifference and have conformed to the group belief that the boy is guilty without further discussion. They are irritable secondary to the environmental conditions, and they are eager to return to their personal responsibilities. In spite of the aggressive atmosphere caused by Juror 8’s decision he uses reason to try to delve deeper into the case and testimony. His use of reason forces the rest of the group, who have fallen victim to groupthink, to investigate other facts and points of view that were not presented in the courtroom. He has a sympathetic personality, and uses another method of appealing to higher values within the group to attempt to influence the members. The use of higher values and reason allows for more open discussion amongst the group and for the discovery of the personal biases and how the personal experiences of each juror has lead them to quickly decide on the boys guilt. Juror 8 maintains a calm, professional rapport with the group and through his methods is able to emerge as the natural leader...
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...Why do we as a society still need Affirmative Action? Affirmative Action is an action or policy that ensures steps are taken for the purpose of eliminating the present effects of past discrimination (Dressler, 2013). Discrimination is one of the biggest problems people face in the workplace and it must be dealt with forcefully. Affirmative action also ensures that qualified individuals have equal access to opportunities, are given a fair chance to contribute their talents and abilities and ultimately have a positive impact on all members of our society. The main reason that we as a society still need affirmative action is that discrimination still exists. Discrimination is prejudice in action which takes specific actions toward or against the person based on a person’s group (Dressler, 2013). Affirmative action has a critical connection to creating diversity in our workforce and in our educational institutions across the nation. Affirmative action programs have encouraged women to enter traditionally male-dominated fields with higher salaries and provide other ethnicities with access to educational & professional opportunities they would otherwise have been denied despite their qualifications. Even though there have been great improvements in opportunities for women and a person of color, discrimination is a subject fought daily. On the other hand, there’s a widespread perception that minority students have an easier time of getting into school. Although we have made...
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...Association, 2003). I agree that psychologist can hold many different beliefs concerning others. The beliefs can sometimes hinder a person from growing emotionally, and cognitively. In my opinion it is important for the professional to be familiar with the diversity that may exist in their patients and remain professional in their attitude and beliefs. This can include cultural heritage, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status just to name a few. Sometimes, it is difficult to suppress those feelings but repeated “attempts at suppression lead to improvements in automatic biases” (Plant & Devine, 1998). Guideline 2: Psychologists are encouraged to recognize the importance of multicultural sensitivity/responsiveness to, knowledge of, and understanding about ethnically and racially different individuals (American Psychological Association, 2003). I believe this is a very true statement base on personal experience. I believe that it is important to have knowledge of multicultural sensitivity for a better understanding of the clients in the psychology field. It is necessary to understand the culture and environment that a person has grown up to understand their behavior. I agree that by attending diversity trainings and being aware of the differences in people, the psychologist or mental health professional can make a patient feel much more comfortable. When patients are comfortable and do not feel as though they are being criticized or the victim of...
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...America May 28, 2012 Abstract An understanding of the subtle bias that affects our society is a form of humanistic deception. Although the norms in America appear to be uniform; we will see that biases are influenced by various social factors such as stereotype, prejudice, discrimination, and labeling including the Attribution Theory. This paper will compare and contrast scientific literature to gain more insight into the subtlety of this social construct. I am seeking not to understand the reason why we as social beings are bias, but to simply show that this distorted truth exist. Subtle Bias as a Social Construct In America My theory of unconscious bias along with the self-affirmation process that accompanies it clouds our worldview in our present society. We all do it no matter how accepting we appear to be or even claim to be. Irrational thoughts are usually based on a worldview that illustrates our interpretation of the world we live in (Wilson, 2001). This worldview is a set of assumptions and beliefs that we hold on to that guide our behavior. It helps us to make sense out of our lives. It determines what we think about human nature, causes of emotional issues, and where bias comes from (Entwistle, 2004). There is always some form of discriminatory behavior or covert prejudice prevailing within our essence. Unfortunately, there is a strong manipulative force who affects the relationship between self and our cognitive decisions which fosters the quality of our everyday...
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...Ethical Issues in Management Juanita Bell University of Phoenix Ethical Issues in Management What is business ethics? According to wiseGEEK (2003-2010), business ethics “Is the behavior that a business adheres to in its daily dealings with the world.” (What is Business Ethics? para.1). The ethics of a organization may be discrete, however ethics do not just apply to how the business communicates with the world, but also includes the business’ one-on-one relations with individual clients and employee’s. There are many ethical issues involved in management. Diversity has become a major issue in the management world. Workplace diversity refers to the extent of cultural diversity within a company. “Diversity is generally defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status (K.A. Green, M. López, A. Wysocki, & K. Kepner, 2008)”. Diversity in business allows a business to better understand the demographics of its marketplace. Many advertise themselves as “Equal Opportunity Employers”, meaning they maintain a diverse workplace and will not discriminate. Though many ethical issues can be found with in the workplace, the most common is discrimination. Discrimination is one of the main issues currently stopping diversity. “Discrimination occurs whenever something other than qualifications...
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