Prejudice functions as a psychological crutch providing reassurance, guidance, and confidence

Evidence

Needs for group status or personal esteem, which may be rooted in feelings of anxiety and threat, motivate individuals, according to Allport, to seek a “crutch”: “The crutch he needs must perform several functions. It must give reassurance for past failures, safe guidance for present conduct, and ensure confidence in facing the future. While prejudice by itself does not do all of these things, it develops as an important incident in the total protective adjustment” (p. 396). — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 122

Needs for group status or personal esteem, which may be rooted in feelings of anxiety and threat, motivate individuals, according to Allport, to seek a “crutch”: “The crutch he needs must perform several functions. It must give reassurance for past failures, safe guidance for present conduct, and ensure confidence in facing the future. While prejudice by itself does not do all of these things, it develops as an important incident in the total protective adjustment” (p. 396). — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 122

Categorization

• DEFINE: Quotes Allport’s functional model of prejudice as an ego-protective adjustment.
• corroborated: 4 independent passages support this claim — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 122; , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 122