Motivated reasoning piggybacks on genuine role incongruity rather than fabricating stereotypes from scratch

Evidence

However, stereotypes are not invented from whole cloth to defend people from personal inadequacies or protect their own groups’ privileges. Instead, the processes of role incongruity provide the basic material that then enables motivated reasoning in defense of oneself or one’s group. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 209

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the interactionist position in social psychology: stereotypes have a rational kernel that motivation then exploits. — connects to: System justification theory attributes stereotype endorsement to status-quo legitimization — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology: Key Readings, 140; Motivated reasoning is the motive while confirmation bias is the mechanism — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 100