The existence of undesirable social behaviors such as discrimination against particular individuals remains a significant cause of concern among social psychologists. Research has shown that there are underlying cognitive processes that influence individuals' social behavior (Tajfel et al., 1979). As a result, social psychologists have developed theories that seek to explain the origin of social vices such as prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. The Social Identity Theory (SIT) is among the approaches that provide significant insights into the origins and prevalence of these undesirable social behaviors. This paper will use SIT to expound on the origins of prejudice, discrimination, and stereotypes depicted towards the out-group African-Americans in the media file provided.
In the media file, stereotypes and prejudice towards the African-Americans are perpetrated through the Minstrelsy Entertainment. The comedic performers wore blackface and tattered clothing and imitated the enslaved Africans working in the Southern plantations. The performers were often White men who blackened their faces to belittle the black people. The Minstrels performances stereotyped the Africans as lazy, ignorant, superstitious, and shapeless individuals. The Minstrelsy performances also portrayed the blacks as simple-minded individuals who were lesser humans prone to cowardice and thievery. Other derogatory traits about black people, such as their child-like mannerisms, were also used in the stage performances across the United States. The derogatory jokes about Africans as chicken thieves and how they sang songs to praise their masters further promoted stereotypes and racial prejudice towards black people.
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Following the end of the Civil War, more African-Americans started to participate in the Minstrel performances and adopted the established traditions of blackening their faces. However, some African-Americans such as Bert Williams despised the culture and chose not to wear the blackface during performances. Thriving in an entertainment industry that was already infiltrated by racial prejudice and discrimination was difficult for the black performers. The African-American entertainers were often faced with discrimination where social segregation was dominant. For instance, on one occasion, Williams had to stay in a separate hotel from other crew members. As a black man, Williams faced significant racial discrimination offstage. The issues of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination against the black people weighed heavily on Williams and brought an abrupt end to his career.
Social Identity Theory gives significant insights to explain the origin of prejudice, discrimination, and stereotypes identified above. According to the theory, the social groups into which individuals belong provide a sense of belonging well known as social identity (Tajfel, 1974). Social identity has a significant influence on an individual's self-concept, such as improving the self-esteem of a person. When people perceive themselves as part of a group, they form an in-group, and other comparable groups become the out-groups. An in-group/out-group mentality develops, which results in social categorization (Tajfel, 1974). Social categories such as Students, Whites, and Blacks, among others, emerge, and individuals tend to identify with these social categories. Social categorization results in social comparison where the in-group members compare themselves against the out-group members. The intergroup correlations are characterized by in-group favoritism and out-group discrimination (Turner et al., 1979). The SIT further suggests that in-group members strive to protect their self-esteem and enrich their social identity (Al Ramiah et al., 2010). The determination to maintain a positive social status often results in discrimination of the out-group members. This leads to what social psychologists refer to as in-group bias. SIT suggests that in-group bias is a significant cause of out-group discrimination.
The circumstances presented in the media file bear a significant similitude to the views described in the Social Identity Theory. The Whites and the Blacks belonged to two different social categories based on their races. The White race provided the white people with a social identity that they felt was superior to the black race. The Whites socially compared themselves with the Blacks, and the desire to enhance their social status resulted in discrimination against the blacks. The stereotypes and prejudice towards black people were supposed to strengthen the White people's positive self-evaluation. The derogatory comments about the blacks further enriched the distinctiveness of the White race and its superiority over the black race.
SIT also suggests that a threatened social identity may cause the in-group members to show hostility towards the out-group members posing a threat (Cameron, 2001). History has it that the minstrelsy performances were invented by poor and working-class whites who felt threatened by the black people. Their social identity as white people was threatened; thus, they perpetrated prejudice and stereotyped black people. The social categorization also explains the discrimination against Williams despite being a well-known entertainer. He did not belong to the White race, and his success as a black artist threatened the social identity of the whites. The drive to maintain the white race's dominant social position led to incidences of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination against black people.
Social Identity Theory suggests a significant link between self-identity and self-categorization. The social groups provide individuals with a sense of belonging, which allows for the development of the self-concept (Turner et al., 1979). When this self-identity supplied by the social group is threatened, in-group members are likely to show hostility towards the out-group members. Therefore, a significant way to reduce racial discrimination, prejudice, and stereotyping would be to empower the development of the self-concept outside a social group. This can be achieved by encouraging self-independence, which allows individuals to develop the self-concept independent of the social group. Also, encouraging interracial interactions between the whites and the blacks would significantly improve the intergroup relations between the races and break the barriers created by social categorization.
References
Al Ramiah, A., Hewstone, M., Dovidio, J. F., & Penner, L. A. (2010). The social psychology of discrimination: theory, measurement, and consequences. Making Equality Count: Irish and International Research Measuring Equality and Discrimination. Dublin, Ireland, The Equality Authority .
Cameron, J. E. (2001). Social identity, modern sexism, and perceptions of personal and group discrimination by women and men. Sex Roles , 45 (11-12), 743-766.
Tajfel, H. (1974). Social identity and intergroup behaviour. Information (International Social Science Council) , 13 (2), 65-93.
Tajfel, H., Turner, J. C., Austin, W. G., & Worchel, S. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. Organizational identity: A reader , 56 , 65.
Turner, J. C., Brown, R. J., & Tajfel, H. (1979). Social comparison and group interest in in-group favouritism. European journal of social psychology , 9 (2), 187-204.
