Arjun is in his second year at a college in Pune and is a proud member of its dramatics club. He wears the club's badge every day, calls its members the most talented people on campus and spends nearly all his free time with them. Lately, the more he praises his own club, the more he describes the members of the college music club as dull, unfriendly show-offs. He has never had any trouble with them and has barely spoken to any of them. Nobody in his family or in his club talks about the music club in this way.
Which source of prejudice is best shown by Arjun's attitude towards the members of the music club?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Strong social identity and ingroup bias
Option (1) Kernel of truth concept — Incorrect. Under the kernel of truth idea, people keep a stereotype because they think there must be some truth in what everyone says. A few examples are enough for them. Arjun has no examples, and nobody around him says these things.
Option (2) Scapegoating — Incorrect. Scapegoating means a majority group blames a weaker minority group for its own social, economic or political problems. Arjun is not blaming the music club for any problem or failure.
Option (3) Self-fulfilling prophecy — Incorrect. A self-fulfilling prophecy happens when the target group itself behaves in ways that confirm the negative expectations about it. Here the music club members do nothing to confirm Arjun's views; the prejudice comes from Arjun.
Option (4) Strong social identity and ingroup bias — Correct. Arjun is deeply attached to his own club and thinks very highly of it. He boosts this positive view by holding negative attitudes towards another group. This is prejudice coming from a strong social identity and ingroup bias.
NCERT (2026-27): “PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION … “• Scapegoating : This is a phenomenon by which the majority group places the blame on a minority outgroup for its own social, economic or political problems. The minority is too weak or too small in number to defend itself against such accusations. Scapegoating is a groupbased way of expressing frustration, and it often results in negative attitudes or prejudice against the weaker group.” |