Stigma (social stereotypes), prejudice (negative beliefs that you hold true about a person or group of people), and discrimination (actions against a person or group of people based on prejudice) can trigger environmental tensions and psychological problems. Having prejudice and interacting with different races can actually reduce the brain's executive function. It is the result of the idea that a person who experiences prejudice in his daily life must devote a lot of energy to managing his behavior. In order to completely overcome prejudice, you must work to reduce your self-prejudice and strive to eliminate prejudice on a social level. You can overcome prejudice by criticizing your biases, increasing social connections, and dealing with prejudice in a healthy way.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Criticizing Bias
Step 1. Assess self-bias
To combat self-bias, you first need to know what biases you have. In social psychology, there are various tools used to assess the feelings and implicit beliefs about various people. This is called the Implicit Association Test (IAT). This test will show the level of bias in yourself towards certain groups of people.
You can take IATs created by Harvard University for a variety of topics including sexual orientation, religion, and race. These tests can be found online
Step 2. Take responsibility
Prejudice is like glasses that block your point of view because it can prevent you from thinking beyond your own assumptions and create a virtual wall around the object of your thought. Your implicit and explicit nature towards someone of a different race, for example, can influence how friendly you are to them (both verbal and nonverbal).
Acknowledge your biases and prejudices and keep trying to replace them with more reasonable alternatives. For example, if you have stereotypes about a certain gender, religion, culture, or race (Bataks are hot-tempered, women's moods are volatile), remind yourself that they are biased against a group and you are just generalizing
Step 3. Be aware of the negative effects of prejudice
To reduce prejudice or bias in yourself, you may be able to identify and understand the impact your bias has on others. Being the victim of prejudice and blatant discrimination can have a severe impact on mental health.
- Feelings of prejudice and discrimination can lead to low self-esteem and depression and decreased opportunities for adequate health care, housing, education, and employment.
- Perceiving prejudice from others can reduce self-control.
- Remind yourself that if you have a bias towards another person, it could lead to bad consequences for that person.
Step 4. Reduce self-stigma
Some people may have instilled stereotypes and prejudices against themselves. Stigma against yourself is formed when you think negatively about yourself. If you agree with that thought (self-prejudice), it can trigger negative behavior (self-discrimination). For example, a person may believe that his mental disorder is a sign that he is "crazy".
Identify the possibility that you are stigmatizing yourself and keep working to change that belief. For example, instead of thinking, "I'm crazy because I've been diagnosed," you could change it to, "Mental disorders are normal and almost everyone has them. That doesn't mean I'm crazy."
Method 2 of 3: Increasing Social Connections to Reduce Bias
Step 1. Surround yourself with a variety of people
Diversity can also be a contributing factor to the ability to deal with prejudice well. If you are not exposed to different races, cultures, sexual orientations, and religions, you cannot fully accept the diversity that exists in the world. We stop judging and start listening and learning when we know someone.
One way to experience diversity is to travel to another country or even another city. Each small town has its own culture, including food, traditions, and popular activities. For example, people who live in cities may have different experiences than people who live in villages, simply because they live in a different environment
Step 2. Approach people you admire
Try hanging out with people who are different from you (racially, culturally, gendered, sexual orientation, etc.), whom you admire or respect. It might help change the implicit negative attitude towards people from different cultures.
- Even looking at pictures or reading about various people you admire can help reduce the bias you have towards their group (whether that's based on race, ethnicity, culture, religion, sexual orientation, etc.)
- Try reading a magazine or book written by someone different from you.
Step 3. Avoid justifying stereotypes when interacting with other people
Prejudice can occur when pre-existing ideas are justified through stigma or stereotypes. That may be because sometimes stereotypes are considered socially acceptable. We've all heard stereotypes, whether they're good or bad. For example, the Batak tribe is quick to anger, the Chinese are smart, the Ambonese are used to being security guards, etc. If you suspect that a group of people are all alike, you may judge someone negatively if that person doesn't live up to the standards you have in mind and could lead to discrimination.
One way to avoid stereotypes is to express disagreement when someone makes a stereotypical comment. For example, if a friend says, "All Asians can't drive." It's definitely a negative stereotype and can trigger prejudice if the person believes it. You can counter your friend's stereotypes by gently confronting them. Say, "That's a negative stereotype. You have to consider different cultures and traditions too.”
Method 3 of 3: Confronting Other People's Prejudice
Step 1. Be open and accepting of yourself
Sometimes when we feel threatened by prejudice and discrimination, we want to hide from the world so we don't get hurt again. Hiding and concealing one's identity may be self-defense, but it can also increase stress and negative reactions to prejudice.
- Know yourself and accept yourself regardless of your beliefs about what other people think of yourself.
- Identify who you can trust with personal information and with whom you can be open.
Step 2. Join a group
Group solidarity can help a person become more resilient in dealing with prejudice and protect himself from mental problems.
You can join any group, but it is more helpful if you join a group that fits your uniqueness (such as groups based on gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, etc.). It can help you become more emotionally resilient (less upset or depressed and more in control) when dealing with prejudice
Step 3. Get family support
If you feel prejudice or discrimination, social support is very important in dealing with and recovering from those feelings. Family support can reduce the negative impact of prejudice on mental health.
Talk to your family or close friends about the injustice you feel
Step 4. Expect a positive or neutral result
If you've felt prejudice or discrimination before, it's only natural to worry about feeling it again. However, expecting someone to be prejudiced against you or suspecting someone else's actions can trigger increased stress.
- Don't be afraid of rejection. Try to view each situation and interaction as a new experience.
- To expect others to have prejudice against you is actually prejudice too. Try not to generalize and label other people in a certain way (including prejudice, judgment, racism, etc). Keep in mind that if you're judging someone and suspect he or she will be biased, you may have a bias.
Step 5. Deal with prejudice in a healthy and creative way
Some people may have negative ways of dealing with prejudice, including aggressive behavior and unnecessary confrontation. Instead of sacrificing your values to deal with prejudice, use ways of dealing with prejudice that can help release or process your emotions about prejudice.
Express yourself through art, writing, dance, music, play, or anything creative
Step 6. Get involved
Being active in reducing prejudice can make you feel like you've made a difference.
- One way is to become an ambassador or volunteer in an organization that aims to reduce prejudice and discrimination.
- If you can't volunteer for an organization, you can donate money or even groceries. Many street children's homes accept canned food, clothes, and other goods.
