The first method to reducing prejudice is Persuasive Communication which is a type of communication that is intended to influence attitudes, beliefs, or behavior of others. An example of Persuasive Communication in a community would be a persuasive speech given by an ethical speaker. The second method of reducing prejudice is Inter-group education where the goal is about learning and breaking down strategies. Unlike the Persuasive Communication method, the goal is to teach rather than persuade. This can be done in taking classes on an elective basis and other materials free from stereotypes and overall teaching, and learning. An example of this would be a class on diversity or sociology. The third method is Inter-group Contact which involves showing that stereotypes or fear of out-groups is unfounded. Inter-group contact shows that people who are living in integrated public housing projects less prejudiced. An example of this is a neighborhood in Racine that has a low-income level. The fourth method is Simulation Exercise which is experiencing discrimination in a setup so one can learn about the feelings that result from being discriminated against and see how irrational prejudice is. An example of this is a racial test at a local school. The final method is to reducing prejudice is Therapy, with the most common being group therapy. An example of this is the Psychotherapy Groups.
The most promising approach to reducing prejudice is altering the features of society, or a combination of methods is none of the above because interventions that take place. For example; a racial fight would be the hardest time to change racial attitudes. But nowadays more and more places like businesses and schools are offering courses and training on diversity. Unfortunately main of these happen after a crisis happens or develops.
The conditions that make persuasion succeed as a method of reducing prejudice are It must be heard and people must pay attention to what’s being said without this, this method is useless because the message needs to be delivered to the people in hopes of them passing it onto the next person. The second condition is the message must be understood correctly this is important for this method to work as there are many people whom people have communication difficulties such as people with Autism, dementia. Also, there might be language barriers, all of these things could impact the true meaning of the message and could give people the wrong idea making them not wanting to believe in what the speaker is saying. The third condition is receiving the communication should in some way be a positive experience. The importance of this is that it connects the audience to what the cause is and makes the audience more engaged. The final condition is the message must be retained and internalized so that the desired effect lasts.
According to ‘Cognitive Dissonance Theory” suggests that we all have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and behavior in harmony and avoid disharmony. This happens when there is a discrepancy between attitudes or behaviors, and something must change to eliminate it.
Yes, attitudes can cause inequality the Individualist American Ideology is responsible for their disadvantage is also shared by a large number of blacks. But attitudes are not a major cause for inequality but larger-scales it does cause inequality. I think discrimination as someone gets discriminated of the bases of color, region, or caste. Which leads to inequality in things such as freedom of speech, religion, and race.