The Psychology of Prejudice

by Todd D. Nelson

This comprehensive, research-based text examines the major theories of prejudice and stereotyping through an engaging narrative that reads like a well-crafted story rather than an empty series of statistics. Though the focus of this book is on empirical studies, author Todd D. Nelson has synthesized the data and presented it in a way that will excite readers. His goals were two-fold: To create a strong central text (as opposed to a simple collection of readings) for professors teaching a course in prejudice, and also to facilitate student interest in the subject. The Psychology of Prejudice is intended to stimulate critical thinking about what causes, maintains, and reduces prejudice and stereotyping, while also relaying the historical background on the birth of research on stereotypes.

Genres: Psychology, Science, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2005

Reviews

[Cooper Henson]

wait i lowkey work with the secondary author of this book

[Mark Isaak]

I am not qualified to say how accurate, thorough, or dated this book is (except to note that it was published in 2006); my relative ignorance of the subject was the reason I read it. It is not a particularly easy read. Nelson says in the preface that he uses conversational language, and though there are places where you can see he tried, I sincerely hope his actual conversations are not so formal and stilted. In a few places, a lack of editing for clarity was obvious (as when one sentence partly contradicts the previous one). Still, the book is not opaque, even to non-psychologists. The coverage follows where most of the research has been, which means it's mostly about racial prejudice. There are additional chapters on sexism and ageism, plus a few pages on discrimination based on sexual orientation, obesity, and disability, but hardly a word about religious, ethnic, or class prejudice. Nelson goes into detail about what is not known, which appeals to the scientist in me but is not what I want from a textbook that reviews what is known. There is good material in the book to be learned, but I'd recommend anyone else start with a newer book.

[Linda]

A fairly thorough synopsis on the many differing forms of prejudice, stigma and discrimination in the world, most particularly the U.S. What I find interesting, however, is the notion that a reduction in prejudice can be brought about by extensive exposure as well as intense motivation--this is only ironic because many authoritarians, who tend to rank higher in prejudice (both implicit & explicit), believe that people can change with proper motivation. Seems like a big never-ending loop to me.

[Amanda]

Used in Prof. Inzlicht's class.