Difference Between Prejudice and Discrimination
Prejudice is having particular attitudes about an entire group of people, such as all Mexicans are lazy or all Asians are good at math. While prejudice is most often associated with negative stereotypes, it can also be associated with positive stereotypes, such as being good at a particular activity. In both cases, the prejudice limits the ability of the holder of the prejudice to make realistic assessments of individuals by instead substituting the stereotypical prejudice (Carl, 2011).
Discrimination is the action or set of actions that arise from prejudice and which results in unfair treatment of the group in question. Because African-Americans were held to be inferior, laws and practices were put into place that limited where they could live, how much they could interact with whites, and which controlled other aspects of their lives. Discrimination is also found in the immigration laws of the United States, in company employment practices, and in day-to-day actions such as renting houses or apartments (Kendall, 2010).
Discrimination can occur on an individual basis, but also on an institutional basis. Affirmative action seeks to redress institutional discrimination, as do laws relating to civil rights. Institutional discrimination can be difficult to change since it involves changing institutional cultures and norms, as well (Andersen & Taylor, 2011).
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