Americans internalize contradictory prejudice and egalitarian norms and feel the conflict

Evidence

Because people are forced to follow a contradictory set of internalized rules about how to think, feel, and behave, it can be difficult for people to know what to do. Conformity to social norms about treatment of ethnic groups leads to prejudice in some cases but antiprejudice in others. Because most Americans conform in various situations to both norms, they feel the conflict (Devine, ch. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1904 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Thus, cultural norms provide no easy answers to questions such as how White and Black Americans should treat each other, or whether race and cultural differences ought to be respected or derided. Allport (1954/1979) wrote, “Anti-attitudes alternate with pro-attitudes. Often the see-saw and zig-zag are almost painful to follow … such inconsistency is bewildering … it must be awkward to live with” (pp. 326–7). Because people are forced to follow a contradictory set of internalized rules about how to think, feel, and behave, it can be difficult for people to know what to do. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1904 (#expands, via linked claim)

Allport (1954/1979) wrote, “Anti-attitudes alternate with pro-attitudes. Often the see-saw and zig-zag are almost painful to follow … such inconsistency is bewildering … it must be awkward to live with” (pp. 326–7). Because people are forced to follow a contradictory set of internalized rules about how to think, feel, and behave, it can be difficult for people to know what to do. Conformity to social norms about treatment of ethnic groups leads to prejudice in some cases but antiprejudice in others. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 1904 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: American culture simultaneously preaches equality and demands competition to be unequal.; Egalitarian values clash internally with prejudice, producing conflicted rather than pure attitudes.; American egalitarian creeds clash with prejudice to produce chronic moral unease (+11 more)

Broader Connections

• Conflicting pro-equality and anti-equality norms make Americans feel genuine internal conflict #corroborates (0.97) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1904
• Americans internalize contradictory pro- and anti-prejudice norms simultaneously. #expands (0.95) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1904
• Contradictory cultural norms force individuals into conflicting prejudiced and egalitarian stances. #corroborates (0.92) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 1904
• Local subgroup norms, not national culture, sustain prejudice in the US #complicates (0.72) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1911