Analyzing Social Psychology Theories on Racial Discrimination Essay

This essay delves into the theoretical perspectives of racial discrimination, examining the core concepts of Realistic Conflict Theory and Social Identity Theory. It explores how these theories explain intergroup hostility, prejudice, and discrimination based on factors such as competition for resources and social categorization. The essay compares and contrasts the two theories, analyzing their assumptions, historical context, and methodological issues. Furthermore, it considers the impact of in-group favoritism and the psychological needs that contribute to discriminatory behaviors. The paper also touches on the role of stereotypes and the evolution of social psychological theories in understanding racial discrimination, and the paper includes the Robbers Cave experiment and other research to substantiate the theories and their validity.

Running head: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
Theoretical perspective of racial discrimination
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction
The human civilization as a whole is divided in to many different societies. This division
mainly occurs due to the presence of certain characteristic features which distinguishes one
community of people from that of another. For instance, due to geographical boundaries, the
societies of the world remain divided (Willmott, 2016). Each geographical place have their own
societies which have their own traditional values and customs. The individuals belonging to that
society have the main objective of pursing those activities which leads to the continuance of the
values of their own community (McKenzie & Gabriel, 2017). However, in this regard, it needs to
be noted that there exists certain practices and cultures in a society which might adversely affect
the growth of the human civilization. Such instances are broadly known as discrimination. One
of the most concerning discriminations which exists in the context of the entire human
civilization is that of racial discrimination. This arises from the view point of the people that the
‘white’ colored individuals are more superior to the ‘black’ skinned people. There are no
practical reasons for the presence of such a discrimination and it is more of a social outlook.
This, in turn, has affected the growth and progress of a particular race or community of people
that is the ‘black’ skinned people (Dost-Gozkan, 2017). In other words, people all over the
world, who are ‘black’ skin toned, face a variety of disadvantages because of the presence of
such sociological outlook. Furthermore, the preponderance of such cultural values even in the
modern society which harps on equal rights and right to equality has raised a concern for the
survival of the human society (Platow et al., 2017). The purpose of this paper is to understand the
meaning of racial discrimination. To this extent, it has sought to analyze two important theories
such as that of the Realist Conflict Theory and the Social Identity Theory. The assumptions of
the two theories and their relation to the idea of racial discrimination have been outlined in the

2THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
paper. To substantiate the theories and their validity, other theories have also been looked in to
such as that of the Social Dominance theory, Scapegoat theory and the Contact hypothesis. The
paper concludes by understanding the issue of theoretical perspective of racial discrimination.
Idea of racial discrimination
The aspect of racial discrimination refers to the presence of that inequality which exists
as a result of the skin tone of the individuals or their ethnic or racial origin (Lundy & Darkwah,
2018). In other words, the individuals are differentiated based on the community they are born
in. The individuals are discriminated in the sense that they are not given a respectable position in
the society, the people of the other communities refuse to conduct any kind of business with
them, leading to their financial degeneration and that they are not given a proper share in the use
of natural resources of the world. All of these forms of discrimination contributes to the
degradation of the status of the individuals in the society in the sense that they do not get an
equal access to all those materials of life which would help them to increase their standard of
living (Hogg, 2016). The social forms of discrimination, further, affects their mental set up
whereby they are made to realize that they are the ‘inferior’ group of people of the community
and hence, do not deserve the respect of being treated in an equal manner.
Racial discrimination can also occur by the acts of the government. The government of a
nation state of the world may indulge in discrimination by forming an explicit law or regulation
which contributes to the issue of racial segregation (Böhm, Rusch & Baron, 2018). This occurs
in the way of disproportionate allocation of the natural resources of the country or in the
disparate form of enforcement of the rules formed by its legislatures. Attempts are made by the
other institutions of the government to overcome or compensate for the existence of such forms
of racial discrimination. For instance, affirmative actions are meant to provide certain advantages

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to the disadvantaged groups in a community by giving them partial preference in matters of
government education or employment.
In this respect, it can be seen that the issue of racial discrimination is quite concerning
and adversely affects the living standard of the individuals who are discriminated against
(McCarthy & Rhodes, 2018). Their self-confidence is eroded and this leads to the generation of
an inferiority complex amongst the population.
Comparison of Realistic Conflict Theory and Social Identity Theory
The similarity in between Realistic Conflict Theory and the Social Identity theory rests in
the fact that both delve into the inner workings of the group dynamics that can prove to be
crucial in the event of carrying out teamwork. Both the theories lay stress on the fact that the
people feel motivated of deriving the clear image about their social identities with the help of
comparison with that of the other social categories. There exist differences in between the
realistic conflict theory and the social identity theory. The social identity theory provides the
cognitive description regarding how the intergroup conflict can arise whereas the realistic
conflict theory helps in addressing effects of the conflict. Social identity theory espouses that the
conflicts are not realist but on the basis of the irrational needs of the identity. The realistic
identity theory on the other hand brings out the fact that the intergroup hostility arises owing to
the conflicting goals and the competition in between the people.
Realistic Conflict Theory
The realistic conflict theory is a mode of social psychological behavior which attempts to
define the conflict existing within a group (Platow et al., 2017). The main purpose of the theory
is to understand the emergence of intergroup hostility as a consequence of conflicting goals and

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the continued competition over limited resources of the society. The theory is also able to explain
the feelings of discrimination and prejudice that the people of the intergroup holds towards the
out-group. The conflict amongst the members of the group exists as a result of a perceived or
actual scarcity of the natural resources which includes that of financial resources, military
protection, political power and that of social status (McKenzie & Gabriel, 2017).
The Realist Conflict Theory states that there may exist emotions of resentment in the
event that the groups perceive the competition over the hold of natural resources as having a zero
sum fate (Lundy & Darkwah, 2018). The duration and the intensity of severity of the conflict is
dependent upon the perceived valuation and limitation of the resource under question (Dost-
Gozkan, 2017). According to this theory, positive and healthy relationship can only be restored
when a superordinate goal is in place. Thus, the people of the community need to come together
to fight for a common purpose or objective.
Linkage to racial discrimination
The Realist Conflict Theory was first coined by Donald Campbell (Platow et al., 2017).
The theory developed in the 1960s from the recognition given by Campbell to the tendency of
the various social psychologists to reduce the aspect of human behavior to that of hedonistic
goals. Campbell advocated that the hedonistic assumptions are not adequate enough to explain
the relationship in the intergroup. He was of the idea that there was an over simplification of the
human behavior as advocated by the social exchange theorists who tried to find similarities
between animal behavior and that of interpersonal interaction.
An experimental research was executed in order to understand the frame work of Realist
Conflict Theory. Carolyn Wood Sherif and Muzafar Sgerif carried out the Robbers Cave

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Experiment in 1954 and it constitutes one of the most successful demonstrations of the theory
(Lundy & Darkwah, 2018). Within the study, the researchers disguised themselves as personnel
of the camp in order to observe twenty two boys of eleven and twelve years old who were
strangers to one another and yet had a comparable back ground. The research was conducted in
Oklahoma in the Robbers Cave state Park for a period of three week, which focused on the
intergroup behavior.
The experiment was categorized in to various stages. In the first stage, termed ‘in-group
formation’ the candidates were divided in to two equal groups based on the shared similarities. In
the second stage termed ‘friction phase’ the groups were encouraged to compete with each other
for gaining the wider share of a given resource. This led to the members of the group to develop
hostile and conflicting emotions for the individuals of the other group (Dost-Gozkan, 2017). The
third stage termed ‘integration stage’, the grouse were required to work together for the
achievement of tasks which required them to participate in intergroup cooperation. This helped
to reduce the tensions faced as a result of the competition.
From this experiment, certain conclusions can be made. It was seen that it is only during
the process of competition that the members of any group develop feelings of hostility towards
the members of the competing groups (Dost-Gozkan, 2017). Such hostility is based on the
perceived differences in their ethnic and cultural back ground and the customs and traditions
followed by them. This led to the emergence of the idea that such discriminations exist because
of the sociological differences that are perceived by the individuals of the society.
Social Identity Theory

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The aspect of social identity refers to that portion of the self-concept of an individual
which is derived from a perceived form of membership within a social group. The greatest
contribution to Social Identity Theory was made by John Turner and Henri Tajfel in the period
after 1970s (Böhm, Rusch & Baron, 2018). The Social Identity Theory emerged to explain and
understand the issue of intergroup behavior.
In 1979 Tajfel propounded that the characteristic of a group such as that of the aspects of
family, social class, the football team they like, all were considered to be important sources of
self-esteem and pride (Scheepers & Ellemers, 2019). He believed that group identity gives a
sense of social identity or a sense of belongingness to the social world. In this context, it needs to
be noted that the Social Identity Theory has divided the human civilization in to ‘us’ and ‘them’.
This is based on the process of sociological categorization. Tajfel as of the idea that the process
of categorizing the society is based on the aspect of stereotyping which refers to the placing of
people with similar back grounds in to a particular category or group. This entire process is
based on a normal cognitive mechanism which is the tendency of the society to group things
together.
The advocators of the Social Identity Theory are of the idea that the pure intergroup
behavior and the interpersonal behavior are not likely to be found in any real social situations.
Rather, there is the assumption that the behavior of the individuals is expected to be shaped by
compromise between the two extremities as observed in the society (Berlivet, 2018). In this
regard, it can be stated that the Social Identity Theory is found to focus on the various social
structural factors that are found to have an influential impact on the behavior of an individual
along with the changes in behavior that may take place in the society.
Linage to racial discriminations

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The Social Identity Theory works on the principle of in-group favoritism. This occurs
when an individual of a society gives preferential treatment to the other members of the society
who belong to the same social group. In other words, the favoritism occurs as a result of shared
ethnic or cultural back ground. The theory attributes the need for in-group favoritism to a
psychological need for validation and positive distinctiveness (Scheepers & Ellemers, 2019). It is
also found to describe the ideal situation where the aspect of in-group favoritism is most likely to
occur.
Social identities are considered to be a valuable feature of the self where the individuals
of the society are found to sacrifice their own self-interest in order to maintain the self-
perception of belonging to a particular social group (Scheepers & Ellemers, 2019). For instance,
the most relevant example of Social Identity Theory can be seen in the case of party politics or
showing support to a particular football club. The supporters of any party or football team are
found to be reluctant to make any kind of wager against the success of their own team or party
because of the presence of diagnostic cost the wager would incur to their identification with the
given aspect.as a consequence of this, the fans or the supporters of the party would reject any
kind of favorable wager against any identity relevant outcomes.
In this context, it can be seen that the Social Identity theory is dependent upon the idea of
the self and the similarities that people that are found within the group that they are ascribed to.
This leads to the rise in the idea of ‘us’ and ‘them’ where ‘them’ are considered to hold all those
values and traditions which are incompatible with the development of the concerned group of
people.
Social Dominance theory

8THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
The Social Dominance theory provides a theory of the relations which exists in an
intergroup and lays emphasis on the maintenance and harmonious relationship of the individuals
involved based on social hierarchies (Vargas-Salfate et al., 2018). In accordance with the dictates
of the theory, the inequalities which can be observed in the group are maintained through the
existence of three primary behavior of the intergroup. These include that of the forms of
institutional discrimination, behavioral asymmetry and that of aggregated individual
discrimination. The theory lays down that the aspect of shared cultural ideologies which leads to
the legitimizing of the myths and customs, provide a base for the intellectual and moral
justification for the inter-group mannerism and behavior (Sidanius et al., 2017).
The Social Dominance theory was first advocated by Jim Sidanuis and Felicia Pratto, in
the year 1990. They were researchers of psychology and professors. The theory began with the
proposed observation that the social groups of the human beings have an inclination to be
organized in accordance with the group based cultural and social hierarchies in communities
which produces excess of the economic production (Romm, 2017). These hierarchies are
observed to have a three form social structure which means that the hierarchies are found to be
based on the age of the people, the gender and the arbitrary set. In other words, the elders of the
communities wield more power and dominance than the younger generation and the male
members of the society have a higher status and more power and authority than their female
counterparts. The arbitrary based hierarchies are usually based on the culture and ethnicity of the
people, their nationality, religion and other similar aspects.
Scapegoat theory
The Scapegoat theory within the sociological perspective refers to the inclination to hold
someone else responsible for the occurrence of one’s own negative issues and problems (Joly,

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2016). This idea has its roots in the Old Testament of the Bible. A goat was used as a scapegoat
upon whom Aaron gave all the sins of the people of Israel and banished the goat to live in the
wilderness. The goat itself did not have any failures as such but it was held responsible for the
negative occurrences in the society.
The process of scapegoating therefore, results in the generation of the feelings of
prejudice towards the individual who is blaming. The concept of scapegoating allows an
individual to maintain the positive self-image while getting an avenue to explain the occurrence
of a misdeed or a failure. For instance, when a poor individual fails to get an employment
opportunity, they often end up blaming the unfair nature of the system which usually prefers the
rich or the affluence individuals of the society (Rothgangel, 2016). This leads to the rise of
feelings of resentment and hatred towards the people who do get the job, thereby leading to a
division in the society. However, if the system indeed is unfair in nature and allows people to
succeed financially because of their rich or influential social status and indulges in nepotism,
then that social situation would not be termed as scapegoating.
Contact hypothesis
The contact hypothesis within the field of social psychology states that the feelings of
hostility and prejudice which exists amongst the members of a group can be resolved if the
individuals tried to interact with one another (Guimond, 2017). The theory was fist advocated by
Gordon Allport. The main objective of Contact hypothesis was to find out how the prejudices
and conflict existing in the society can be minimized.
Allport suggested that the ideal situation where Contact hypothesis can occur needs to
have four important conditions (Wittenbrink, Correll & Ma, 2019). These include the equal

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status of the individuals. In other words, the members of the two different groups need to have
the same status in the society with respect to their social standing and economic health. Allport
was of the idea that if the individuals of one group were treated as subordinate then it would not
lead to the effective reduction in the extent of prejudice experienced.
The second important condition required is that of a common objective goal for the
individuals to pursue (Adorno et al., 2019). This would encourage the individuals to work
together with each other, gradually leading to the reduction in the extent of hostility felt as they
would be required to help out their fellow members in times of crisis.
The third condition required for the presence of Contact hypothesis is that of the tendency
for cooperation (Wallace, 2017). Allport opined that it is only the condition of cooperation that
would act as a positive reinforcer for the individuals to work together in a harmonious manner.
The final condition required is that of the support of the institutions of the society
(Adorno et al., 2019). For instance, the leader of the various groups and the authority members
should find out ways to establish contact amongst the members of their respective group. Thus,
the onus lies on them to find out the measures through which the prevailing hostility and
prejudice can be minimized for the peace of the society.
Comparison of the different theories
The various theories which try to explain the process of racial discrimination as it occurs
in the society have been analyzed in detail in the previous section. However, it is important to
note the differences among such theories to understand their theoretical implications for the
society

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The main implication of the social dominance theory is that the social hierarchies of the
individuals consist of hegemonic group ideology at the top while there exists negative reference
group at the bottom of the hierarchy. The powerful roles of the society are likely to be fulfilled
by the members of the hegemonic group for instance, that of an elderly ‘white’ skin toned male
member of the community (Rothgangel, 2016).
This can be differentiated from the scapegoat theory. It is important to note that the whole
idea of scapegoating refers to the standoff for the failure of oneself so that they do not have to
come to terms with their own weakness and inability to succeed in life (Badea & Sherman,
2019). When compared to the social dominance theory, it can be seen that the theory advocates
the idea male members hold the high status position in a community and they are more dominant
and authoritarian than the female members. The iron law of anarchy states that it is due to this
reason that the male individuals are likely to hold more political power. Thus, the scapegoat
theory looks in to the social division of power while the social dominance theory looks in to the
cultural and gender discrimination of power.
The contact hypothesis theory states that the feelings of hostility and prejudice which
exists amongst the members of a group can be resolved if the individuals tried to interact with
one another The studies undertaken in the 1950s observed that contact with the individuals
belonging to another social group that is those who did not share any cultural back ground or
ethnicity with the concerned group, could reduce the level of prejudice experienced with such
contact.
This can be differentiated from the Realistic Conflict Theory which opines that only one
community of people in the society can emerge as the winner by exercising dominance over the
control of the natural resources while the other group is considered to be the loser.