Break Down A Prejudice Every Single Day

During each and every day, without being aware of it, we say things that clarify our prejudices  against other people, groups of people or situations. Therefore, you may understand why it’s time to start breaking down a prejudice every single day.

The word “prejudice” has its origin in the Latin word “praeiudicium”, which can be translated to “previous judgment”. Therefore,  prejudice is the act of judging things or people without really knowing them.

Prejudice is a habit where you have negative attitudes towards someone or something that tends to be generalized. There are two consequences due to prejudice:

• We develop a mental form that helps us organize information in an incorrect way.
• It generates not only negative evaluations but also  negative emotions.

Different types of prejudice

There are many different types of prejudice: religious, political, racial, gender, etc., but we can highlight two major groups:

Social prejudices

These prejudices have their origins in differences in social positions and the desire to justify and maintain these differences.

Social prejudice leads one to believe that a man in a suit and tie is more reliable than a man who looks poor. This information remains in our consciousness, regardless of whether it is true or not.

Prejudice against races

These prejudices spring from the color of other people’s skin.

A group of psychologists from New York University, led by  Elisabeth Phelps, conducted a study that found that many people make decisions based on unconscious prejudices against other races. 

The study asked 50 people of different ethnic backgrounds to rate the reliability of individuals from different races, represented in over 300 photographs, on a scale from 1 to 9.

They found that the perceived reliability of each person was closely linked to race. These unconscious prejudices, Phelps believed, play a role when we are in a situation where we need to quickly evaluate a stranger about whom we do not have much information.

The characteristics of prejudice:

All prejudices share the following characteristics:

They have a devastating effect

They are value judgments about groups of people based on insufficient and incomplete information. Sometimes prejudice persists, even though we have all the information we really need.

They imply a resistance to change

Prejudices are very difficult to eliminate  because people have a belief in their excellence. This sense of conviction does nothing but prevent change.

Break down a prejudice every single day!

A good recipe for survival and happiness is to break down a prejudice every single day.

How can you do that? Here are some  tips:

Take time to get to know people

Before you say or think anything about anyone, take the time to get to know them well. Find out who they are. It may be a very pleasant surprise for you if you give them a chance. You often learn more from differences than you do from similarities.

If you do not like people criticizing you for no apparent reason, without knowing them; do not do it against them either. Respect others in the same way that you want to be respected.

Learn to develop empathy

Think about how the other person feels, and put yourself in their place. We do not know how life has treated other people, and we often come to conclusions without sufficient information. Listen carefully and appreciate the opportunity to understand and to get to know other people better.

Discover your own prejudices, and promise yourself to change them

Reflect on what you really think about people who belong to a certain group of people or race, and promise yourself that you will change

Appreciate differences and learn from the differences

Differences are enriching. The more different people you know, the more reflections and views you will get, and the more ideas they will contribute about topics that you might not know about, or know so much about.

Accept differences 

It is impossible to understand and share everything, because each group has their own customs, but maybe someone else from another group does not understand your customs. You do not always have to understand the differences, you just have to accept them.