BIAS Model Of Discrimination

Discrimination:

Discrimination refers to unjustifiable negative behaviour towards a group or its members where behaviour is adjudged to include actions towards, and judgments/ decisions about, group members. Correll et al. (2010) defines discrimination as “behaviour directed towards category members that is consequential for their outcomes and that is directed towards them not because of any particular deservingness or reciprocity, but simply because they happen to be members of that category.” The term “discriminate” derived from the Latin word “discrimire” which means “to distinguish”. Social psychologists try to distinguish discrimination from stereotypes and prejudices. Stereotypes are strong beliefs about a group and its personal attributes.

c) Consensual discrimination involves formation of legitimate status hierarchies.

BIAS Map by Cuddy et al. (2007):

Behaviours from Intergroup Affect and Stereotypes (BIAS) map is an extension of the Stereotype Content model which explains that the dominance and the competitiveness of the group is related to the image of the group viz a viz warmth and competence by the other groups. The warmth dimension of stereotypes leads to active behavioural tendencies whereas the competence dimension leads to passive behavioural tendencies.

Discrimination can be viewed from different theoretical frameworks:

1. The Social Identity Perspective (Tajfel & Turner, 1979): It holds that group members are motivated to protect their self‐esteem and achieve a positive and distinct social identity. This drive for a positive social identity can result in discrimination, which is expressed as either direct harm to outgroup, or more commonly and spontaneously, as giving preferential treatment to the ingroup, a phenomenon known as ingroup

The system divides Hindus into four larger caste categories with their traditional set of inherited tasks: Brahmins (priests and teachers), Kshatriyas (rulers and soldiers), Vaisyas (merchants and traders), and Shudras (laborers and artisans). A fifth category falls outside these larger categories and consists of those known as "untouchables" or Dalits as they call themselves (“broken people”). The casteless group have earned their status “untouchable” from the tasks and labours they inherit which are often too polluting to grant them inclusion in the traditional caste system. Basically the caste system is a pyramid and Dalits are at the lower end. Caste has been conceptualized as a collection of families associated with specific occupation and claiming common descent from a mythological ancestor (Singh & Prasad,