Culture, Socialization, & Sexual Orientation: Impact on Self-Concept

The term self-concept refers to a stable set of perceptions that people hold about themselves (Adler & Proctor 61). The three primary influences of self-concept are culture, socialization, and sexual orientation. In this regard, socialization shape self-concept since it enables individuals to know the degree to which other people affirm their values. Since a sense of self is shared at a community level, culture is a critical factor that influences self-concept. Sexual orientation, on the other hand, determines how an individual deal with conflicts, handle emotions, and relate with others and thus influence self-concept.

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How Teacher's Comments Affects Children's Self-Concept

The teacher used the terms "inferior" and "superior" groups to demonstrate stereotypes in classroom settings. The use of these words adversely impacted on children's self-concepts since it made them believe that some people deserve better treatment than others. However, the comments enabled kids to understand that their self-concepts should not encourage prejudice.

Definition and an Example of a Self-fulfilling Prophecy

A self-fulfilling prophecy is where an individual's expectations about a specific event make the incident more likely to occur than would otherwise have been true (Adler & Proctor 74). Self-fulfilling prophecy occurred in my life a year ago while I was preparing for a job interview. All the interviewees had the same qualifications in terms of skills, work experience, and education. I had predicted that I would get the job offer regardless of high competition. Whereas others were feeling insecure about their interview skills, I was confident that I would answer all the questions with grace. My expectations were fulfilled when I emerged the winner. However, I had to reinforce my expectations by consulting other workers on the best practices to accomplish tasks.

Definition of Empathy, Stereotyping, and Cognitive Complexity

Empathy is a situation where an individual shares the feelings that other people are experiencing at a specific time. Cognitive complexity, on the other hand, is the ability to construct multiple frameworks that enable an individual to see an issue from different points of view (Adler & Proctor 24). Stereotyping is a practice of categorizing other persons according to a set of attributes that are assumed to belong to a specific group of people.

Eliot's Historical Background

Mrs. Eliot was an anti-racism activist and an educator in topics about discrimination. Mrs. Eliot had a vast experience as a third-grade teacher. The assassination of Martin Luther King prompted Eliot to teach her pupils about the adverse effects of discrimination. As such, Eliot was knowledgeable to teach about prejudice and stereotyping since she was an anti-racist public speaker. However, the experiment about blue-eyed and brown-eyed people was Eliot's first practical demonstration to educate grade-three children on how one feels being discriminated.

Prejudice and Stereotyping in US Societies

The United States is one of the most multicultural societies across the globe. In my observations, minority groups in the country are subject to prejudice and stereotype, ranging from violent hate crimes to racism comments. The social groups that the minority belong determine their identity in the US. Prejudice against unfamiliar cultural groups and immigrants have decreased in the US. In most institutions of higher learning, there are few cases of discrimination and stereotyping based on an individual's social group. Whereas beliefs about racial differences have decreased, prejudice based on class status remains an issue. However, I think the US societies have improved in fighting stereotypes.

Causes for Prejudice and Stereotyping

Several factors trigger stereotyping and prejudice in modern societies. In this case, prejudice is based on factors such as religion, sexual orientation, race, and age. However, there is a direct relationship between knowledge, prejudice, and stereotyping (Matusitz 91). The knowledge gap is a critical factor that causes stereotyping. It is the basis upon which people develop beliefs and attitudes towards specific social groups. Cultural beliefs is another factor that causes stereotyping and prejudice since the characteristics associated with particular cultures leads to a broader social categorization. Institutional discrimination, according to Dovidio et al., also stimulate prejudice from an individual's perspective (11). It refers to the existence of institutional policies that unfairly limit the opportunities of specific social groups and thus making the mainstream society to develop beliefs about such people. Examples are immigration policies and poll taxes.

Solution for the Society's Prejudice and Stereotypes

Two approaches will remedy the country's stereotyping and prejudiced behavior. First, the US should implement an early childhood curriculum that promotes interaction among children of different social groups. This solution will address the problem since it instills a sense of equality at an early age. Secondly, the media and the leaders at different levels of society should create awareness on the harmful effects of prejudice and stereotype. This approach will help address the problem since it promotes social norms that discourage discrimination. The strategy provides a long-lasting solution to discrimination since social norms can be passed to future generations.

My Experience about Prejudice and Stereotypes

Amy Chino, a Chinese businessman in the US, has established a large restaurant that exclusively serves Chinese dishes. Chino has employed several Chinese nations and a few American citizens in his restaurant as one of the approaches to attract customers of Asian origin. Since I came to the US six years ago, I have worked in Chino's restaurant as a cashier and a part-time waiter. However, security personnel rarely admit people of Africa origin, including illegal immigrants. The reason is that it is believed that immigrants are violent and cannot afford Chinese foods. In December 2018, I barred five people of African descent from entering the organization's premises, yet the seats were not fully occupied. The Chinese customers argued that I should allow African clients to the restaurant since all people are equal. They further explained to me how racial prejudice would negatively impact on the business. I was so embarrassed for condoning racism. From then on, I am against prejudice and other forms of discrimination against illegal immigrants in the US.

Works Cited

Adler, Ronald B., and Russell F. Proctor II. Looking out, looking in. Nelson Education, 2017.

Dovidio, John F., et al. Handbook of Children and Prejudice: Integrating Research, Practice,

and Policy. Springer, 2019, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b1ce/a4d91d9593ba5b9790c8159bf35004cd8ac5.pdf. Accessed 20 September 2019.

Matusitz, Jonathan. "Relationship between knowledge, stereotyping, and prejudice in interethnic

communication." PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural 10.1 (2012): 89-98, http://www.pasosonline.org/Publicados/10112/PS0112_07.pdf. Accessed 20 September 2019.