prejudice

In addition, extremely prejudiced people seem to share a cluster of personality traits – an authoritarian personality. Authoritarian people think of the world in rigid "either-or" categories. They are rigidly conventional and are hostile toward people who violate conventional values. They are preoccupied with power and toughness. They are submissive to authority and, in turn, are likely to bully those with less power than themselves. Destructive and cynical, these individuals fear, suspect and reject all outgroup members – even from fictitious groups. If you aren’t one of "us," you must be one of "them" – the enemy.We need to remember that the studies were done with imaginary people and situations. There was also a subtle pressure in experiments for subjects to be unbiased. However, personal biases are more evident in real life. The study was repeated in 1974 with a little twist. New college students were asked about whom they would prefer as roommates in a dorm. Half were told that this was an imaginary situation, while the rest were told that these choices would be used to determine their real roommates. Racial factors were more important in the choice of actual roommates than the choice of imagined roommates. However, similarity of attitudes and beliefs was still important for both groups. It is easier to give "lip service" to racial equality than to actually practice it.