Normative Theory Of Socialization In Childhood

There are many ways socialization during our childhood fosters positive or negative prejudices towards others. Its roots in history is an indication that these attitudes are continually passed down from generation to generation. Prejudices do not have to stem from an incident that occurred to the person who upholds the attitudes. It often is an intellectually lazy notion in that the belief, whether positive or negative, is just a factual component of the stereotyped group and should not be questioned. The lack of inquiry can play a part in cognitive rigidity because the belief about a group is not applicable to all of the members of that group which creates a false conception. If someone comes along that would call these negative attitudes into question, whether than completely doing away with the stereotype, that person would be viewed as an exception of that group and the belief would still be maintained. This is considered a component of stereotypes because of the new information being resisted.

If a child exists in a society that is more accepting of differences among others, than that child may not adhere to prejudices as much as a child that exists in a social setting that encourages the complete opposite attitude. Children in social settings that promote less tolerance of others may fall into the phenomenon of in-groups and out-groups. Children may have more of a preference for their particular in-group based on similarities in attitudes, beliefs, appearances, goals, and other cultural components. Out-groups may encourage hostility because of the lack of knowledge of that group which could lead to the out-group being perceived as threatening. This phenomenon is not a naturally occurring element and is taught and maintained by the environment the child is surrounded