Identify the phenomenon in which the majority group places the blame…

Identify the phenomenon in which the majority group places the blame on a minority out-group for its social, economic and political problems.

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 4

The correct answer is Option (4) → Scapegoating

Option (1) Self-fulfilling prophecy — Incorrect. Here the group that is the target of prejudice behaves in a way that justifies the prejudice; for example, a group called ‘dull’ stops trying and then performs poorly. It is about the target’s own behaviour, not about blame placed by the majority.

Option (2) Strong social identity — Incorrect. People with a strong social identity and a very positive attitude to their own group boost it by holding negative attitudes towards other groups. That is a source of prejudice, but it does not involve blaming a minority for the group’s problems.

Option (3) Kernel of truth — Incorrect. People keep a stereotype because they think there must be some truth in what everyone says about a group. It explains why stereotypes last, not where blame is put.

Option (4) Scapegoating — Correct. In scapegoating 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 to defend itself, and the result is prejudice against it.

Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 27-05-2023 (Slot 1), and in CUET (UG) 2025 on 22-05-2025 (Slot 1).

NCERT (2025-26): “Prejudice and Discrimination … Social psychologists have shown that prejudice has one or more of the following sources :…

…A strong social identity and ingroup bias : Individuals who have a strong sense of social identity and have a very positive attitude towards their own group boost this attitude by holding negative attitudes towards other groups. These are shown as prejudices.
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.
Kernel of truth concept : Sometimes people may continue to hold stereotypes because they think that, after all, there must be some truth, or ‘kernel of truth’ in what everyone says about the other group. Even a few examples are sufficient to support the ‘kernel of truth’ idea.
Self-fulfilling prophecy : In some cases, the group that is the target of prejudice is itself responsible for continuing the prejudice. The target group may behave in ways that justify the prejudice, that is, confirm the negative expectations. For example, if the target group is described as ‘dependent’ and therefore unable to make progress, the members of this target group may actually behave in a way that proves this description to be true. In this way, they strengthen the existing prejudice.”