How do we form perceptions and opinions about
the people around us – whether right or
wrong?
Emotions, experiences, social influences and
historical legacies all play a part.
But is the fundamental source of prejudice
something that’s deeply ingrained in the
human psychology?
The American psychologist, Gordon Allport
published The Nature of Prejudice in 1954.
It was an influential study that explored
the root causes of a stubborn problem.
Allport considered all factors related to
prejudice, but came to the conclusion that
stereotypical categorisation is present historically,
throughout all types of cultures.
He put forward a theory – the ‘least effort
principle’ – to explain this, suggesting
that all human brains use stereotyping as
a normal cognitive function to process information;
a kind of mental shortcut to understand the
world.
Was Allport right?
Do our minds stereotype people thanks to an
inbuilt blueprint?
Let’s consider a job position, and the selection
process that determines who will fill that
role.
A manager will be making judgements about
job applications, based on a limited number
or factors, under time constraints.
They’ll rely on résumés, references, test
scores and interviews.
Short of giving every candidate a trial period
in the position – using up valuable money,
business resources and time – there is no
way of guaranteeing the best person is chosen.
So, how does the manager decide?
Allport’s ‘least-effort principle’ is
used.
Assumptions are made about each candidate,
using the limited information that the manager
has been presented with – how a candidate
was dressed, how punctual they were or how
well their résumé was written.
If the candidate was scruffy and unkempt,
the manager might assume they were disorganised
or haphazard.
If they were late for the interview, a manager
might assume that they have bad time keeping
skills.
All of these assumptions are stereotyped perceptions,
based on preconceived ideas rather than on
fact.
It could be that the ‘scruffy’ candidate
was in fact very organised or the late applicant
was held up through no fault of their own.
But in the case of the job applications, stereotypes
‘fill in the gaps’ and enable the manager
to make a decision without using valuable
business resources.
Although stereotyping is used by the brain
to reach conclusions, it is often not a reasonable
or accurate way to form an opinion.
Allport therefore theorised that stereotypes
were the foundation of prejudice – which
was in turn the primary cause of discrimination.
The suggested that – contrary to much of
the writing of the time – there was no reasonable
basis for prejudice.
It was an idea of profound implications for
law and society.
Gordon Allport’s text is seen as a classic
– it provides relevant insight into the
prejudices that still permeate modern society
today.
A more detailed examination can be found in
the MACAT analysis.
