Social interaction Essay Example for Free

Social interaction Essay Stereotyping may lead to prejudice and discrimination. Prejudice is to pre-judge a person or a group of people in a certain way before you get to know the facts. For example in the case of Ms Brown she may feel prejudice towards the people of the new neighbourhood. She does not know them and may judge them all in one way. Categorise all as one instead of seeing individuals. Discrimination is to act on that judgement. In Ms Browns case she may feel prejudice to the natives of the new neighbourhood. They have different life styles which could cause slight conflict between them. What Ms Brown believes to be the right way of life, the people in the neighbourhood may disagree. Prejudice could occur. In order for Ms Brown to discriminate against her new neighbours she must act on that prejudice. Ms Brown may experience frustration when moving house. This could be due to several reasons. Although been a lone parent was Ms Browns choice it may make life difficult at this moment in time as she has the move to do alone. Whilst frustration and aggression are related, frustration does not always lead to aggression. Gross R et al (2000:67) Aggression can be reinforced where as frustration is a natural emotion. Aggressive behaviour can be aroused by other aspects then frustration. How could this effect Ms Browns situation. Elliott in 1977 conducted a study with a class room of children. The aim was to show the children how it felt to be discriminated against. Elliott told the children that pupils with blue eyes were inferior. Within days the experiment showed the children with blue eyes had become withdrawn and school work slipped, whereas the children with brown eyes became more and more aggressive towards blue eyed children. This experiment shows how easy it can be to discriminate against others and how aggression can occur. Ms Brown may have been raised in a racist family; her parents could have reinforced the prejudice towards black people. Social learning theory suggests that behaviour is learned. People are not born aggressive; they adapt aggression through direct experience or by observing others. In reference to M Cardwell et al Psychology for A2 Level Bandura conducted an experiment also involving children. Using a blow up doll, some of the children were exposed to adults behaving aggressive towards the doll. The bobo doll experiment showed that children copied the behaviour of adults. Those who witnessed aggressive behaviour toward the doll carried out similar aggressive acts. Whereas the children who were not exposed to the violence on the doll were not aggressive towards it. This experiment suggests that, people will copy behaviour. Is aggression learned? The social learning theory is contradicted by the Relative Deprivation Theory. This can be explained as, what we believe to be the standard we should receive and the standard we actually get. Moving house is hard work and stressful, things do not always go as planned. Ms Brown may become frustrated with the situation. An experiment conducted by Sherif in 1961, involved a group of eleven and twelve year olds. The children were divided into two groups and housed separately. As a result they became close friends and found a sense of identity within that group. The two groups were brought back together and after several competitions between them they acted very negatively towards each other. Each group felt as though they deserved to win the competitions more than the others. If people feel deprived of something to which they feel entitled, they become frustrated and perhaps aggressive. the Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866; just after the American civil war it attracted mainly poor whites who believed that their livelihood was threatened by the newly freed black slaves. Gross R et al (2000:25) In the case of the ku Klux klan it eventually lead to murdering black people for no reason other than the feeling that maybe white people were been deprived of something because of black people. In 1992, a riot broke out in Los Angeles; it claimed more the 50 lives. The reason behind the riots was the acquittal by an all white jury of four police men who had been accused of badly beating a black motorist. If the police men had received punishment for their actions then the black society would not have felt deprived of justice, then the riots would not have occurred. A sense of perceived relative deprivation can also come about as a result of improvement in the recourses and opportunities made available to a group.