favorably incline you toward your in-group’s characteristics and norms. This creates a
positive in-group prejudice. Conversely, this prejudice promotes a tendency to use
your in-group’s standards to evaluate members of out-groups, both individually and
collectively.^25 As a result, prejudice toward another group or a member of that
group can arise when their attributes are evaluated unfavorably. Due to a lack of
information, misconceptions, suspicion, misinformation, or other irrational feelings,
unfavorable attitudes can easily develop toward other ethnic groups or their members.
Allport provides one of the most widely used definitions of ethnic prejudice:“Ethnic
prejudice is an antipathy based on a faulty and inflexible generalization. It may be felt
or expressed. It may be directed toward a group as a whole or toward an individual
because he is a member of that group.”^26
A more concise explanation is offered by Rogers and Steinfatt:“Prejudice is an
unfounded attitude toward an outgroup based on a comparison with one’s ingroup.”^27
During communicative interactions, prejudicial perspectives are often displayed through
the use of group labels, hostile humor, or vocabulary that stresses the superiority of one
group over another.^28 It should now be evident that negative feelings and attitudes are
an integral part of prejudice.
As with stereotypes, beliefs linked to prejudices possess certain characteristics. First,
they are directed at a social group and its members. While this text focuses on preju-
dices between different cultural groups, negative prejudices can also be directed toward
groups distinguished by gender, age, religious affiliation, sexual preference, and the like.
Second, prejudices involve an emotional evaluation concerning“what is good and bad,
right and wrong, moral and immoral, and so forth.”^29 Prejudices can lead one to adopt
an inflexible position about someone or something, and this intransigence can result in
a heated, loud, and unproductive exchange rather than a reasoned discussion. Finally,
the strength of a prejudice influences its
longevity. A strongly held attitude toward
a group is difficult to change, even when
presented with facts that disprove a prejudi-
cial opinion. The less intense a belief, the
greater the opportunity for success in
changing the prejudice.Functions of Prejudice
Like stereotypes, prejudices are learned and fulfill a variety of functions for the people
holding them. For instance, prejudices can provide an individual a sense of superiority
and power. Four of the more common functions of prejudice are discussed below:^30
1.Theego-defensive functionallows individuals to hold a prejudice while denying to
themselves that they possess negative beliefs about a group. An example is the
statement“I didn’t get the promotion because they wanted to increase the number
of minorities in upper management.”This type of remark allows the speaker to
articulate a prejudicial statement while avoiding self-examination to determine
why he or she was not promoted.
2.Theutilitarian functionenables people to believe that their prejudicial beliefs result
in a positive outcome. This is frequently found in situations where economic gain
is involved. For instance, someone hiring immigrants might think, “ThoseREMEMBER THIS
Prejudice occurs when a person holds a generalization about a
group of people or things, often based on little or no factual
experience.392 CHAPTER 11• The Challenges of Intercultural Communication: Managing Differences
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