Verified Document

Causes Of Prejudice Essay

¶ … organizational resources are by definition scarce, it is important for sociologists conducting research on the issues of racism and prejudice to employ research techniques with proven efficacy. This paper provides a review of the relevant literature concerning optimal methods for sociological research into the areas of racism and prejudice. A discussion concerning the types of research method that would be the most appropriate for such studies on racism and prejudice, including qualitative or quantitative research, the use interviews, surveys, field research, case study, secondary analysis, or participant observation is followed by an examination concerning how sociologists explain the causes of prejudice. Finally, a summary of the research and important findings concerning these issues are presented in the paper's conclusion. Review and Discussion

To date, sociologists have used a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to study racism and prejudice (Dion, 2002). For instance, according to one sociologist, "We have used methods ranging from controlled experiments in the psychological laboratory to correlational and survey studies...

2). The majority of the studies concerning racism and prejudice have analyzed the reasons and timing of majority- or dominant-group members becoming prejudiced toward minority or subordinate group members (Dion, 2002). Most of these studies, though, have not taken into account the impact that racism and prejudice can have on its victims (Dion, 2002).
The determination of an optimal research approach for studying racism and prejudice would therefore depend on the types of research questions that were involved and what outcomes were desired. If sociologists want to know how many people are involved in racist or discriminatory practices, they would likely employ quantitative research methods such as surveys; conversely, if sociologists were more interested in the lived experiences of people that have been the victims of racism and/or prejudice, they would likely employ some type of qualitative approach such as interviews or case studies (Grinnell & Unrau, 2005).

The analysis of secondary data is a fundamental part of most research…

Sources used in this document:
References

Dion, K. (2002, February). The social psychology of perceived prejudice and discrimination.

Canadian Psychology, 43(1), 1-5.

Farley, J.E. (2005). Majority -- minority relations, 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Grinnell, R.M. Jr. & Unrau, Y.A. (2005). Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. New York: Oxford University Press.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Prejudice Human Beings Engage in
Words: 1879 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

In terms of explicit prejudice, the aftermath of the Holocaust and the subsequent development of psychological theories of prejudice demonstrate the importance of social pressure in deterring explicit prejudices. Explicit prejudice is essentially the blatant expression of implicit prejudices, because all explicit behaviors ultimately have their root in implicit attitudes and ideologies. By increasing social pressure against explicit examples of prejudice, it becomes easier to confront the implicit prejudices

Prejudice Being Chinese and Living
Words: 1322 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

From the other side of the kitchen I observed my manager taking their orders. Another co-worker even started imitating the black customers by speaking in the type of slang they use and making the same kind of movements and gestures. I laughed at him because he was saying what I myself was thinking. And at the time I was relieved that I myself did not have to deal with

Prejudice if You Walk in to a
Words: 2734 Length: 8 Document Type: Essay

Prejudice If you walk in to a bookstore or browse online you will find hundreds, in fact thousands, of essays, books, articles, and speeches about prejudice. Obviously, most of them are against prejudice and before you begin reading any of them, let me tell you that chances are good that they will contain phrases like "don't have prejudice against people," "prejudice results in downfall" or "prejudice is a bad thing,."

Prejudice Against Certain Groups in
Words: 1396 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

As the definition by Black's Law Dictionary emphasizes, prejudice simply means, at least in part, a "partiality" for one reason or another. It seems reasonable to posit that most human resource directors as "partial" towards candidates with superior qualifications in preference to those who do not possess such qualification, just as it is reasonable to posit that a job candidate with a proven track record would likely be a

Causes Crime & Process Change : Choose Country
Words: 3639 Length: 12 Document Type: Essay

Causes crime & process change): Choose country (*Iraq Afghanistan) crime (*Terrorism) relevant country. Obtain statistics crime show crime trends a period 8-9 years (e.g. 1995-2009). Then explain, criminological theories (*Conflict Theory Lableling Theory), crime relevant country (context), occurred place (causal factors), increased decreased years (change). There has been much controversy in the last two decades regarding the issue of terrorism in Afghanistan, given that numerous countries have changed their international

Social Psychology - Prejudice Prejudice
Words: 2192 Length: 8 Document Type: Research Proposal

Early trauma that causes anger often corresponds to higher levels of aggression later in life, especially where the traumas are suppressed and internalized instead of being expressed at the time of their origin and at the source. Furthermore, since many dysfunctional families forbid the expression of anger by children (particularly anger toward parents), individuals who experience significant levels of early trauma that produces repressed anger are often considerably more aggressive

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now