Recognizing one’s own bias alone does not eliminate it

Evidence

Abstracting from these anecdotal examples, Allport concluded that “defeated intellectually, prejudice lingers emotionally” (p. 328). Allport was impressed by the essayists’ self-insight, but was careful to note that self-insight is a necessary but insufficient step toward overcoming prejudice; instead, it serves as a prelude to a period of con- flict during which self-dissatisfaction with one’s biases will motivate efforts to reduce the conflict and bring one’s responses in line with one’s values. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2087

Categorization

• QUESTION: Worth chasing: what mechanisms turn self-dissatisfaction into actual value-consistent behavior — and when does that conversion fail?