How do racial stereotypes affect self-esteem and consciousness?

How do racial stereotypes affect self-esteem and consciousness?

( by Neha Soni )

We live in a century where people have access to choose their leader, within minutes we can do a transaction of money through our mobile phones but still some people put others down.

Racism is a term where some people feel that a particular race is superior to others. Some people who are born in that so-called inferior race are deprived of opportunities, discriminated based on their biological traits.

In this society, we form different kinds of stereotypes and when we want to break it, society doesn’t allow us. But does this race difference affect people psychologically? Yes, it does. It takes the toll on a person when it comes to his/her appearance, culture, country or background.

Ways by which racism takes place:-

1. By calling out different names according to skin colour

2. Making opinion based on culture

3. Biased towards own country people 

4. Blaming people judgementally (Big example is the recent case of George Perry Floyd Jr. death)

Why are people racist? 

It’s a matter that folks ask all the time. If we’re all a part of the humanity, why are people racist? No race is superior or inferior. We’re all the identical. There are many reasons why people can have racist attitudes.

1. They take on the views of people around them – people attitudes are shaped when they are young. When their family members or friends express racist opinions, it’s common that they will take on those views themselves. The problem is that, unless they do something about it, views stay with them for a lifetime.

2. They hang around with people “like them”- It’s normal to want to spend time with people that have the same interests, background, culture and language. It creates a sense of belonging that is important. The downside is that it can also set up differences between other groups and, over time, this might lead to thinking that their group is better than others.

3. They are quick to judge- they often put labels on people. When someone dresses like some way, they think that he must be into this music. When

someone goes to that school so they must be rich. They can also stereotype people from different racial backgrounds as “lazy”, “brainy”, “aggro”… etc.?

4. They blame others for their problems- once they feel angry or frustrated, they often rummage around for somebody else accountable for his or her problems. As a community, they'll do the identical thing. People that look or talk differently to them are a straightforward target. You’ll be able to hear it happening today in comments like, “those people take our jobs” or “they get government hand-outs all the time”. Nearly all the time, these statements are wrong. There aren't any reasons or excuses for racism. It’s just wrong. And In many cases, racism is against the law.

How racism affect self-esteem? 

Self-esteem is defined as “people’s thinking of their worth i.e. the extent to which they view themselves pretty much as good, competent, and decent”. Self-esteem influences a broad range of situations, including those involving conformity, attraction, persuasion, and education. Self-esteem involves a generalized judgment about personal value or merit. They also contend that intrinsic, personal standards and values, contrasted with external comparisons, promote a more positive sense of educational and social competence yet as a stronger sense of self-worth. 

There are many ways in which people try to feel better about themselves; as individuals and as a group. Seemingly, everyone likes to believe that their racial group is unique but people tend to overestimate the level of positive attributes present in the group. On the other hand, when it comes to negative qualities, people tend to underestimate those. Racism can develop because of limited information. Also, racism towards other groups often leads to feelings of anxiety when we encounter the members of other racial groups. When we are anxious, we tend to avoid what makes us anxious. We simply avoid contact with individuals by hiring someone else for a job, striking up friendships with someone else we feel more comfortable with, and sitting down at the lunch table with those who seem to be more like us. On the other hand, racism may also help us feel better about ourselves, we avoid challenging our thinking. 

In other words, we become defensive and protective of our opinions and only reluctantly question our thought patterns. And these ways of thinking helps protect not only our self-esteem, but also privileges and benefits that we have as members of a racial group. For example, racist discrimination which in the past has limited slots available to minority groups at universities has benefitted the majority population by making more slots available to its members. 

So, maintaining our racist views of others allows us to feel better about our group and to avoid challenging unfair social practices that benefit us. 

Conclusion:- 

By changing our behaviour, for example, putting ourselves in close situations with members of other racial groups, we increase our familiarity with these individuals. As we become more familiar with them, we naturally see that we are more alike than different. Not all contact will lead to positive attitude changes. It seems the contact is best if structured; encounters among equals who are cooperating to achieve a common goal. These kinds of behavioural activities are some of the most effective ways to change prejudice against people of other races.

LIGHT DE LITERACY (LDL)

We at Light de literacy (LDL) provide free education to underprivileged students to help them to build their careers.

LDL is an NGO, run by a group of socially active, determined & educated youths who have been working for children living in slums since 2012. This NGO shows the vision for the future guided by the motto Educate * Empower * Enlighten.

Disclaimer:-

The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Light de Literacy and LDL does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.