How does competition influence prejudice?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Prejudice can arise when the ingroup perceives a competitive threat, either to the group as a whole or to the individual within the group. This can lead to feelings of anxiety and insecurity, and a need to assert dominance over the perceived outgroup. However, research has also shown that competition can reduce prejudice when it is based on arbitrary or meaningless distinctions (such as assigning people to different t-shirt colors), because it creates a sense of interdependence and cooperation between groups. Therefore, option A is also partially correct, since imagined competition can reduce prejudice, but not as consistently as actual competition. Option B may be true in some cases, but it is not a universal explanation for prejudice. Option D is not supported by empirical evidence, as research has shown that competition can increase prejudice in both children and adults.

How Does Competition Influence Prejudice