Inner conflict between values and prejudice generates guilt that motivates change

Evidence

More than simply discomforting, Allport anticipated that this type of inner conflict would lead to the experience of prejudice with compunction (i.e., accompanied by shame, guilt, and regret). Such self-inflicted punishment Allport believed would serve as a powerful motivating force to reduce the conflict. He cautioned, however, that the process of resolving the conflict would be both difficult and fraught with internal tension. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2082 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Allport argued that although “self-insight … does not automatically cure prejudice” (p. 328), many people who come to recognize discrepancies between their actual behavior and their egalitarian ideals will experience compunction, which motivates change. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 121 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Explaining away inconsistent evidence can be challenging and requires a vigilance that may be taxing to social perceivers. An alternative strategy is to accept negative beliefs about outgroup members as valid while simultaneously viewing oneself as egalitarian and fair-minded. Because these views are likely to collide, Allport suggested that people who use this type of strategy would need to alternate between their conflicting views of outgroup members. Indeed, Allport suggested that this was likely the most common strategy used to address the threat of inner conflict because it allowed people to maintain a fair and just self-concept yet still respond in prejudiced ways. Using this strategy, people vacillate between their egalitarian values and their prejudiced beliefs based on situational factors that make one or the other salient. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2096 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Motives are constituted by projecting beyond a situation toward change — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness: An Essay on…, 1072; Guilt works as motivation whose intensity tracks the cost of required action. — Michael T. Schmitt, Daniel A. Miller, Nyla R. Branscombe, and Jack W. Brehm, The Difficulty of Making Reparations…, 61; Collective guilt motivates intergroup change only under favorable conditions. — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 89 (+16 more)

Broader Connections

• Recognizing one’s own prejudice triggers guilt that motivates prejudice reduction #corroborates (0.95) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2082
• Recognizing gaps between one’s actual behavior and egalitarian ideals motivates change through compunction #corroborates (0.92) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 121
• Prejudiced people mostly manage inner conflict by vacillating between values #complicates (0.75) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2096