PowerPoint PresentationPresent an original research proposal in a 7-10-slide PowerPoint. Be prepared to defend your research as well as critique at least two learner's presentations in the discussion

Discrimination and Prejudice as the Major causes of Inequality

Vernetta Rucker

PSY-520

Grand Canyon University

February 28, 2018

Inequalities among human beings are highly associated with discrimination and prejudice. This research is conducted to determine how discrimination and prejudice lead to racial, age and gender inequalities. It is so unfortunate that discrimination and prejudice have existed from the past and would probably be among us till the end of the world whereby a particular group of people is disadvantaged (Schmitt, Branscombe, Kobrynowicz, & Owen, 2002). Prejudice refers to the baseless and unjustified negative attitudes towards members of a specific group of the other members of the society. On the other hand, discrimination involves the actions that people take against other groups in society due to inequalities. However, discrimination and prejudice will always continue to affect the society negatively if prevention measures are not taken in advance. In fact, prejudice and discrimination are actions in which some people living in the society are mistreated because of their social class or category. Therefore, it is very crucial to conduct this research in the field of social psychology to understand how discrimination and prejudice affect people and come up with the best prevention measures.

Frankly speaking, it is unfair to treat individuals based on their racial status, age, sex, religion and social class. Good understanding of social physiology will enable people to perceive and evaluate each other according to their way of thinking not according to their social class and what they hold in the society. Although inequalities have occurred almost in all the places of the world, they are mainly caused by discrimination and prejudice. For decades, black people in America were perceived of low classes, and they were forced to do jobs which were of low class due to discrimination (Simpson, & Yinger, 2013). All humans should be granted the same rights because they are equal. Segregation of the blacks and whites is a form of discrimination which is affecting most societies, and therefore it should be dealt with psychologically because there is no human being who is superior to the other.

Null and alternative hypothesis

Null: Given the same chance and platforms individuals regardless of their race, age and gender can perform fairly without many differences. Individuals from different races have shown their abilities to compete with one another. For instance, the former president of the United States Barack Obama was able to win elections twice because all the black and white American people are given a fair platform for running for the presidency. Women from various parts of the world in different societies are able to study and outdo men in some professional fields because all people in the community have been given the same environment and freedom to compete.

Alternative: If all people regardless of their race, age and gender are given the same platform and chances for competition, some people will be disadvantaged because they will not be represented well in the society hence leading to inequalities. In history, the United States has been led by forty-five presidents up to date, and only one African-American became the president despite the fact that each time all the candidates are given the same platforms and chances for competing. Besides, the youths are not able to compete with the old people in the society in politics although they are being allowed to compete fairly by law because of some limitations like money. Although women in American are allowed to run for the presidency, America has never been led by a female president meaning some differences that exist between females and males.

Compare and analyze the literature

According to the works of numerous researchers, the main problem of prejudice and discrimination is because of categorizing people according to groups in the society hence leading to inequalities (Cherry, 2018). However, when people are classified, we tend to minimize the differences between the groups of individuals living in the community and exaggerate on those differences hence leading to inequalities (Cherry, 2018). Some researchers have regarded prejudice and stereotyping as mental mistakes since they are not based on justice and facts according to them. Categorization has been applied to the social to sort people according to their mental groups based on factors like race, gender, and age. Cherry states that prejudice and discrimination affect how people interact and associates with each other (2018). If the society categorizes people regarding race, some groups will think that they are superior hence creating a negative attitude towards the other group. Some research psychologists stated that prejudice is subjectively organizing peoples in an environment hence orienting them to objects and people within it and it can enhance self-esteem (Dovidio, Hewstone, Glick, & Esses, n.d.). Organizing people within an environment creates some inequalities and discrimination concerning gender, religion, age, and race.

Moreover, literature argues that prejudice expressions can be automated and controlled (Crandall, & Schaller, 2004). Information about stereotype beliefs is always available to influence how people perceive the other groups in the society. This information always misleads how people think about specific groups the community. The white people have created a perception that the black people should not lead them because they think that they are superior compared to them. A considerable number of men believes that they should not be led by females in the society according to researchers. However, this is discrimination which has led to a lot of inequalities in the society making women fight for equal rights in the nation. In fact, the attitude of people have towards a certain group of people in the society makes them discriminate and prejudice a certain group in that community. A wide range of research has been done on to portray discrimination and prejudice in different aspects although in most cases researchers have forgotten to describe the main causes and prevention of prejudice and discrimination.

Data collections and techniques

It is essential to come up with a comprehensive data which can make people understand the leading causes and effects of discrimination and prejudice to come up with proper prevention methods. However, detailed data can be achieved through the use of appropriate techniques for collecting the data. The appropriate information which should be obtained in this study includes the information about the world black and white leaders in various categories, the number of males and females in the society who are sharing the same posts, and the ages of different leaders around the world. Information about why do information in some groups in the community should be collected and analyzed properly to know the leading causes of racial, age, and gender discrimination because this will help the researcher to identify the best prevention methods. From different literature reviews, it can be observed that researchers face many limitations to conduct studies on gender, age and racial inequalities (Acker, 2006). Time and confined budget are the significant limitations of these researchers hence they are the most critical requirements of collecting sufficient data. Researchers should take more time to collect enough information which will enable them to come up with quality work. Deep information has not been obtained by the researchers like for instance why many young people are not able to win in elections, and why many women fail in competitions.

For researchers to save time and minimize cost, they should conduct structured interviews with a broad group of people at the same time. This will enable the researcher to get a tremendous amount of information within a short period. In this technique, people respond to the same questions asked by the interviewer instead of filling questionnaires. The structured oral interview is straightforward because a large group of youths, people of the same gender and races can provide adequate information about the causes of inequalities affecting them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, discrimination and prejudice affect racial, gender and age inequalities. It is important to do thorough research on the causes, effects, and prevention of discrimination and prejudice to create a friendly environment for everybody in the society. People should be given similar platforms and opportunity in the society for fare competitions. Members of the community should strive to eliminate inequalities among different groups because all people are equal. Many researchers have come up with different findings to determine the main causes of discrimination and prejudice. However, they have encountered some limitations and financial problems, hence, collecting small information about the field of study. To prevent bias and prejudice, people should increase their contact with members of other social groups, make people aware of their own beliefs and passing laws which will ensure equality for all groups.

References

Acker, J. (2006). Inequality regimes: Gender, class, and race in organizations. Gender & society, 20(4), 441-464.

Cherry, K. (2018). What Is the Psychology Behind People's Prejudices?. Verywell Mind. Retrieved 18 February 2018, from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-prejudice-2795476

Crandall, C., & Schaller, M. (2004). Social Psychology of Prejudice: Historical and Contemporary Issues. Retrieved from https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/bitstream/handle/1808/4095/237-268.pdf%3Bjsessionid%3D3440C98A0866D09ECCC8D76D5BBBB17A?sequence%3D1

Dovidio, J., Hewstone, M., Glick, P., & Esses, V. Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination: Theoretical and Empirical Overview. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b1ce/a4d91d9593ba5b9790c8159bf35004cd8ac5.pdf

Schmitt, M. T., Branscombe, N. R., Kobrynowicz, D., & Owen, S. (2002). Perceiving discrimination against one’s gender group has different implications for well-being in women and men. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(2), 197-210.

Simpson, G. E., & Yinger, J. M. (2013). Racial and cultural minorities: An analysis of prejudice and discrimination. Springer Science & Business Media.