Favoritism In Pride And Prejudice

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Prejudice causes the rejection of positive experiences and relationships. This idea is present throughout the novel of Pride and Prejudice. Dividing into different groups produces ingroup favoritism which is “...the tendency to respond more positively to people from our ingroups than we do to people from outgroups” (Stangor 1). Society feels more comfortable around others who have shared similarities. Although this is natural, someone who is not a part of the group is treated unfairly. It is frightening to leave social groups and befriend people who are different. Also, ingroup favoritism provides feelings of social identity which is defined as “...the positive self-esteem that we get from our group memberships” (4). If someone surrounds themselves with higher class people, it enhances their self-esteem which causes them to show contempt for the lower class. When a person’s self esteem is threatened, they will act out toward the other group (1-4). …show more content…

Because people place themselves in a particular group, they become emotionally attached to their group; individuality is lost, and they become just a group member not an individual. When their group is threatened, they defend it and in turn act viciously toward outgroup members. Prejudice people become fearful if an outgroup tries to be a part of the ingroup. Moreover, intergroup contact is when someone is exposed to a crowd who is different from them. When one is accustomed to being around different kinds of people, they demonstrate less prejudice. Social dominance orientation (SDO) is the tendency to acknowledge inequality in groups. A person who has high levels of SDO are likely to believe a division of class is necessary (Stangor

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