The Power of Intergroup Contact in Reducing Prejudice

How can intergroup contact help reduce prejudice?

The "contact hypothesis" occurs only if interracial people who work together have...

Intergroup Contact and Prejudice Reduction

The contact hypothesis suggests that intergroup contact under specific conditions can reduce prejudice. Equal status, common goals, cooperation, and institutional support enhance this effect.

The contact hypothesis posits that under certain conditions, intergroup contact can reduce prejudice between members of different groups. The effectiveness of this hypothesis is particularly observed in settings like the workplace where diversity training is implemented to enhance teamwork and cultural understanding.

A global marketplace has increased interactions between individuals of diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. Such interaction is beneficial as it challenges homophily, which is the tendency of individuals to associate and bond with similar others, limiting exposure to diversity and reinforcing homogenous perspectives.

Historically, even in periods of intense segregation and inequality, such as during slavery in the United States, there was an exchange of culture and relationships between races. However, these interracial interactions were often restricted and frowned upon, especially as laws and societal norms enforced racial separations.

The reduction of racial prejudice through positive intergroup interactions is supported by a meta-analysis conducted by Pettigrew and Tropp (2006). They found that prejudice was significantly decreased when groups met under conditions of equal standing, common goals, and cooperation, especially with institutional support for the intergroup contact.

Applying the interactionist perspective in sociology, we see that personal and societal identities, including race, are shaped by interactions and the social construction of these categories. If people from different backgrounds can work together in a professional setting, where institutional support is present, they can challenge some of these socially constructed ideas, reducing stereotypes and racism.

Ultimately, for the contact hypothesis to be effective, conditions such as equal status, common objectives, intergroup cooperation, and institutional support are necessary. The potential benefits of such interactions underscore the value of diversity in social institutions, and importantly, the need for carefully structured environments that foster positive interactions.