Prejudice is a usually negative attitude towards perceived characteristics towards members of a group that are unjustly generalized to all the members. Like other attitudes, it has three components: cognitive, affective and behavioural, and may be implicit (modern racism). Stereotypes are cognitions or beliefs about the members of other groups, which may change with conditions and intergroup relations. They are usually overgeneralizations and are often inaccurate, although validity may arise from self-fulfilling prophecies. The stereotype content model posits warmth and competence as basic dimensions of stereotypes. Innate fear of the unusual or the unfamiliar may be a primitive basis for prejudice. The acquisition of prejudice begins in the home, augmented by parents, peers, teachers and media. Some individuals are authoritarian personalities, likely to be prejudiced, ethnocentric and hostile. Under appropriate conditions, prejudice can be reduced by intergroup contact but interaction may be hampered by intergroup anxiety. Victims of prejudice may respond with aggression, low self-esteem, changes in group identification or self-stereotypes. The stereotype threat effect impairs performance by the stereotyped group. Sexism is usually directed at women, may be implicit and has various adverse effects.
KEYWORDS: authoritarianism, discrimination, modern racism, prejudice, sexism, stereotype, stereotype content, stereotype threat