How lay theories (or mindsets) shape the confrontation of prejudice

Rattan, A (2019) How lay theories (or mindsets) shape the confrontation of prejudice. In: Confronting prejudice and discrimination: the science of changing minds and behaviors. Elsevier, London, pp. 121-140. ISBN 9780128147153

Abstract

Even when people disagree strongly with a biased statement and are in a situation conducive to prejudice confrontation, they may not be likely to speak out and address a biased statement. An emerging body of research has begun to identify people’s lay beliefs, or mindsets, about malleability as key to understanding these differences. The goal of this chapter is to introduce the concept of mindsets, explain why these beliefs come to be relevant in situations involving the expression of overt bias, and summarize the evidence of how mindsets shape both people’s confrontations of prejudice and their outlook thereafter. The chapter then reviews the many open research questions that merit further study and discusses the potential applications that arise from understanding the link between mindsets and prejudice confrontation.