Stereotypes function simultaneously as both causes and consequences of prejudice

Evidence

The apparent inconsistencies in Allport’s thinking, however, stem in part from the complexity of the phenomenon. A prominent example concerns the role of stereotyping in prejudice. Early on in The Nature of Prejudice, in chapter 2, he implicated stereotypic thinking as a foundation for prejudice. He observed, “The category saturates all that it contains with the same ideational and emotional flavor” (1954/1979, p. 21). Later, in chapter 12, he wrote that stereotypes are “primarily rationalizers. They adapt to the prevailing temper of prejudice or the needs of the situation. While it does no harm (and may do some good) to combat them … it must not be thought that this attack alone will eradicate the roots of prejudice” (p. 204). Allport explicitly addressed the apparent contradiction in these statements, embracing stereotypes as both causes and consequences of prejudice: “The stereotype acts as both a justificatory device for categorical acceptance or rejection of a group, and as a screening or selective device to maintain simplicity in perception and thinking” (p. 192). Fifty years later, after thousands of studies on stereotyping, the extent to which stereotypes are cause or consequence of prejudice remains a subject of lively debate. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 101

Categorization

• DEFINE: Allport’s dual-position resolution of stereotyping’s role is a key conceptual framework: stereotypes as justificatory rationalizers AND as perceptual screening devices.
• XREF: Directly frames the reader’s vault work on how Islamophobic and antisemitic stereotype content both generates and post-hoc justifies prejudice — bridges cognitive and motivational-process claims.
• QUESTION: Worth chasing: which empirical stream (if any) has since resolved the cause-vs-consequence debate about stereotypes within prejudice?
• corroborated: 5 independent passages support this claim — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 101