Allport grounded prejudice in dispositional threat perception rather than its situational activation

Evidence

Thus, it was ego strength versus weakness, or a sense of inner security as opposed to insecurity and threat, that comprised the dispositional basis for acceptance of others and tolerance of uncertainty and diversity. This also formed the basis for profoundly different philosophies of life or social worldviews. Allport proposed that the prejudiced or authoritarian person typically saw the social world as a threatening place in which people were evil and dangerous. On the other hand, the tolerant personality had a trusting and affiliative view of the world, with a generally positive and optimistic view of others. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2432

Categorization

• XREF: Directly parallels the Frankfurt group’s finding that a threatening versus trusting worldview separates prejudiced from tolerant personalities.