Personality traits determine whether adolescents accept or reject learned prejudice

Evidence

The need for status on which to base high self-esteem leads children (and adults) to compare themselves with people who are lower in social standing, making children more willing to adopt the racial hierarchy and social groupings of their peers. Once their values and selfidentity become stable, adolescents adopt a level of prejudice that is compatible with their personalities – children who are affectionate, trusting, and democratic may learn about others’ stereotypes and prejudices but personally reject them during adolescence as being incompatible with their self-identity. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1981