In our textbook, prejudice is defined as: " a form of thinking whereby an individual forms an unfavorable attitude directed towards groups of people, based on insufficient or incorrect evidence about these groups". Prejudice has been a part of society for as long as society has been. There are many different theories on the reasons for why people form prejudices. The theory of social categorization states that it is human nature to put people into categories based on certain characteristics. Which is also how we form stereotypes. Stereotypes give us a preconceived notion of how people of a certain group are going to act before we have experienced it firsthand. Basically, stereotypes are generalizations. They may apply to some members of a particular group but definitely not everyone. Another theory, illusory correlation, states that we tend to notice unusual behavior that occurs in minority groups rather than the same behavior that would occur in a majority group. The th

If we think back to the fifties and sixties, the amount of prejudice and racial discrimination has been reduced dramatically. However, as much as society tries to stress the importance of equality there is still a great amount of discrimination still going on in the world. So, how can we reduce prejudice effectively? I believe that a major part in this process is educating people from young ages about prejudice and how they need to be open to all types of people. Schools need to be culturally diversified so that child can experience other types of people firsthand. I know that isn't as easy as it sounds, especially when we put into perspective financial situations and where schools are located, but I think it is important that from a young age that people experience all types of cultures. Another way to educate people is by stressing that people are all different, whether it is from the way they dress or they way that they talk. Instead of looking down at other people's differences we need to be taught to celebrate them.

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Some common words found in the essay are:
Interpersonal Perspectives, African American, types people, experience types, people prejudice, people experience, experienced firsthand, form prejudices,
Approximate Word count = 698
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)