Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Combat bias
• Method 2 of 3: Communicate with different people to reduce bias
• Method 3 of 3: Don't support other people's prejudices

Prejudice (social stereotypes), prejudice (negative beliefs about a person or group of people), and discrimination (actions directed against a person or group of people, caused by prejudice) can lead to tensions with others and also cause mental disorders. Prejudice when interacting with members of different races can impair the executive function of the brain. This is due to the fact that individuals with unusually strong prejudices spend a lot of energy controlling their own behavior. To overcome prejudice, you need to not only weaken your own bias, but also fight it on a social level. So, you need to combat prejudice, strengthen your social connections, and learn to deal with your own prejudices.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Combat bias

1. 1 Assess your bias. To defeat bias, you first need to recognize it. Social psychology has tools for assessing implicit feelings and beliefs about others; these are called Subconscious Association Tests (TAS). These tests will help determine your level of internal bias towards certain groups of people.
   • Harvard University has developed TPA on a wide variety of issues, including gender, religion, and racial issues. All of these tests can be found on the internet.
2. 2 Be aware. Prejudice is a kind of obstacle in the way of your views, which prevents you from thinking outside your assumptions and builds an imaginary wall around your objective thoughts. So, your latent and explicit attitude towards representatives of other ethnic groups will clearly predict the degree of your friendliness towards them (verbal and non-verbal).
   • Recognize your own biases and prejudices, and then start actively replacing them with smarter alternatives. For example, if you have stereotypes about a particular religion, culture, gender, or ethnic group (blondes are stupid, women are capricious), then remind yourself that this is a biased attitude towards this group of people, to whom you show your desire for over-generalization.
3. 3 Recognize the negative consequences of prejudice. Try to see and understand the consequences of bias in order to weaken your own prejudices and prejudices towards others. Victims of prejudice or open discrimination often suffer mental devastation.
   • Prejudice and discrimination can lead to low self-esteem and depression, as well as worsened health, housing, education and employment situations.
   • If prejudice is against you, it can cause a weakening of self-control.
   • Remember that your bias towards others can have dire consequences for these people.
4. 4 Relax your prejudices about yourself. Some individuals may suffer from internal stereotypes or self-directed biases. Such situations are caused by negative self-perceptions. If you accept this belief (self-prejudice), it can provoke negative behavior (self-discrimination). As an example, we can cite the following situation: a person believes that the presence of mental problems makes him “crazy”.
   • Identify possible ways in which you are trying to stigmatize yourself, and then you need to make an effort to change such perceptions. For example, the thought “I'm crazy because I have mental problems” can be changed to “Mental problems are inherent in a significant number of people. This does not mean that I am crazy. "

Method 2 of 3: Communicate with different people to reduce bias

1. 1 Surround yourself with different people. Diversity can be a factor that strengthens your ability to deal with prejudice. If you never come across representatives of different races, cultures, sexual orientations and religions, then you will not be able to fully accept all the diversity of our world. We recognize a person at the moment when we stop condemning him, and in return we begin to listen and understand.
   • One way to experience the diversity of the world is to travel to another country or at least to another city. Each small town has its own cultural characteristics that include popular food, tradition and entertainment. For example, the townspeople face problems that are unknown to the villagers due to the environmental conditions.
2. 2 Connect with people you admire. Surround yourself with people who are different from you (by race, culture, or gender) and whom you admire. It is likely that this will help change the implicit negative attitude towards the carriers of other values.
   • Even by looking at pictures and reading about different people who admire you, you can gradually overcome your bias against the groups they represent (racial, ethnic, cultural, religious).
   • Try reading books or magazines written by other groups
3. 3 Don't justify stereotypes when dealing with others. Prejudice arises when your ideas are justified by prejudice and stereotypes. Sometimes this is due to the social acceptance of stereotypes. We have all heard about them in good and bad light. Here are some examples: blondes are stupid, Africans are good athletes, Asians are smart, Mexicans are hardworking. Some of them are positive, but all of them can be easily turned into negative by using biases. If you expect everyone in a team to be the same, you may start judging individuals for not meeting your standards. This is a direct path to discrimination.
   • One way to deal with justifying stereotypes is to disagree with the people who voiced them. For example, if your friend says that “All Asians are terrible drivers,” then this is an obvious negative stereotype that will turn into a prejudice if the person believes in him. You can parry the stereotypical words of a friend by calmly telling him the following: “This is a negative stereotype. Remember to take into account the difference in cultures and traditions. ”

Method 3 of 3: Don't support other people's prejudices

1. 1 Become open and accept yourself. Sometimes, when we become victims of prejudice or discrimination, we have a desire to hide from the world in order to protect ourselves. Trying to hide and hide your nature can not only protect you, but also heighten stress and negative reactions to prejudice.
   • Get to know and accept yourself, regardless of the opinions of others.
   • Determine who you can trust to communicate openly with these people.
2. 2 Join the group. Collective solidarity helps people tolerate prejudice more easily and protect themselves from mental health problems.
   • Any group of people will do, but it is best to join someone who shares a common trait (women, ethnicity, or religious group). This will strengthen your emotional resilience (temper anger or depression, improve self-control) against prejudice.
3. 3 Get family support. If you are the victim of prejudice or discrimination, then social support can play a key role in addressing these issues and furthering your recovery. Family support can help reduce the negative mental impact of prejudice.
   • Discuss these issues with a close family member or friend.
4. 4 Expect positive or neutral results. If you have experienced prejudice or discrimination in the past, then it is quite obvious that you will fear a repetition of this situation. However, the constant expectation of such behavior from others can increase your stress.
   • Don't expect everyone to turn away from you. Try to look at each situation as a new experience.
   • The constant expectation of others being prejudiced can result in your own prejudice. Avoid generalizing or labeling others (about being prejudiced, judgmental, or racist). Remember that if you expect people to be prejudiced, it becomes your own bias.
5. 5 A sane and unconventional approach. Some people take hostility towards prejudice, which can lead to violent behavior and unnecessary confrontation. Don't sacrifice your values ​​to combat prejudice, there are other ways to vent your emotions.
   • Express your attitude through art, literature, dance, music, theater, or other creative ways.
6. 6 Be active. Taking an active part in combating prejudice will help you feel like you are trying to make the world a better place.
   • You can become an advocate or supporter in an organization that fights against prejudice and discrimination.
   • If you do not have time for active participation, then you can donate funds and things. Many homeless shelters are happy to accept canned food, clothing, and other necessities.