preview

Unintentional Prejudice Examples

Decent Essays
Open Document

The subconscious mind develops unconscious bias in daily life, often at a very young age, causing people to make automatic decisions based on selective attention, threat of stereotyping, or intentional blindness. Interaction with people affects human beings in different ways, and it could be an individual with good intentions making wrong decisions based on unconscious processes working in the mind towards a biased state. The capacity to deal with interpersonal relationships is hampered leading to lack of what is known as emotional intelligence. Here are 10 examples of unintentional prejudices obvious to bystanders but which may go unnoticed by individuals participating in making unconscious decisions leading to bias. 1. Selecting a neighborhood …show more content…

Assumptions can lead to implications affecting even intelligent people. Take the example of individuals listening to music on the iPod. The general assumption is an Afro African is likely to listen to rap music. Unintentional prejudice develops by watching a host of talented Afro-American musicians excel in rap. Similarly, we assume persons with tattoos are a rebellious lot often seen in dangerous situations and likely to be an ardent biker. 7. A common stereotyped prejudice is unfriendly attitude towards gay people. Signs are evident only when a person is identified to be one, which demonstrate hidden fears and reservations. The same prejudice extends towards people from different racial backgrounds. 8. People in the minority can probably dine at any restaurant across the United States. However, they may find it a bit difficult to make a taxi stop simply by waving their hands. There are so many instances of unconscious bias in daily life. It has become absolutely necessary to tackle the problem before it crosses over from the classroom to the workplace. Signs of intolerance are increasing day by day. Many are due to prejudices developed over a period of time, and the only solution remains to tackle the problem head-on with professional help who could teach people about emotional intelligence and how to recognize and work upon emotional states leading to

Get Access