Prejudice, power and psychology

McGrath, Laura and Reddy, Geetha (2023). Prejudice, power and psychology. In: Mcgrath, Laura and Turner, Jim eds. Exploring psychological worlds: Thinking, feeling, doing, Volume 1. The Open University, pp. 413–455.

Abstract

Why are some groups of people treated worse than others? This is a perennial question which drives much political and social action. Whether providing shelter for homeless people, campaigning to address racism or sexism, or arguing for better representation of disabled people, many political projects aim to redress in some way a view that one group of people in society are less worthy, capable or deserving than another. This is an issue which has also interested psychologists, many of whom have researched the processes which lead to some people being valued less than others.

In this chapter you will be introduced to some key theories which try to explain why there are some groups in society who are consistently treated as less important, and sometimes even less human, than others. To begin with, you will learn about the psychology of stereotypes, prejudice and dehumanisation. You will also learn about how some theorists argue that these ways of thinking have developed to justify the way that power is distributed in society. In addition, you will look at how a specific kind of power relationship – exploitation and domination – is understood to play a central role in the development of some forms of discrimination, particularly racism, sexism and classism. In the final part of the chapter you will look at one approach to working with people who are systematically devalued by their society: community psychology.

Viewing alternatives

No digital document available to download for this item

Item Actions

Export

About