Equality and Diversity - Building a Culture of ... - Equality Authority

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Perceptions, Stereotypes
and Prejudice Worksheet
Read the descriptions below and provide one or more example of each
based on your discussion and work during the last few classes.
Perceptions are how we see people and
events. Often two people will see things in
two different ways and both will believe
their view is correct. Our perceptions are
influenced by our world view, the stereotypes
we have learned, and the values we hold.
Example(S):
Example(S):
Stereotypes are views we form of people
based on their membership of a group
e.g. gender, occupation, nationality, ethnicity
etc. Stereotypes are usually negative,
although not always e.g. all Africans have a
great sense of rhythm, all women can
cook. Stereotyping involves:
Forming an idea about a group of people,
based on superficial knowledge
A fixed and inflexible view about a group
of people
Seeing everyone in a group as the same
We are all socialised into certain stereotypes
and this then influences our perceptions of
others. For example, if we believe that young
males wearing hoodies are up to no good, then
when we see a young male with a hoody, that
is the only aspect of his appearance that we
notice. In general, our stereotypes of groups
who are different to us tend to negatively
influence our perceptions of them and how we
interpret their behaviour and values.
Prejudice can be defined as ‘bias which
devalues people because of their perceived
membership of a social group’. Prejudice is a
strong influence on how we behave towards
others, and often leads to discrimination.
Prejudice is often strongest against people from
minority or less powerful groups in society.
There are two kinds of prejudice.
Benevolent prejudice is not hostile, but
involves pitying, marginalising or patronising
certain groups – for example, older people,
young people, women, people with disabilities.
Hostile prejudice involves regarding certain
groups with fear, aversion or even hatred,
or as a threat – for example, some people
are prejudiced against people from minority
ethnic groups, cultures or religions, people
with disabilities, people who are gay, lesbian,
bisexual or transgender.
Example(S):
sECTION 2 Exploring Perceptions & Stereotyping 41