【正文】 are tragic things when they meet each other. In history, there were many examples of how one nation or group of people refused to attend an 江蘇科技大學(xué)外國(guó)語(yǔ)學(xué)院研究生課程論文 7 important peace conference. Discrimination From verbal abuse to avoid, if prejudice developed, it bees discrimination. Discrimination refers to treat other groups of people unfairly in behavior, including job opportunities, residential housing, political rights, educational opportunities, churches, hospitals and other type of social institution. There are three kinds of discrimination: ethnic discrimination, institutional discrimination, and total discrimination. Ethnic discrimination means that certain people undertake to exclude other members of the ethnic groups because of the ethnocentrism. Institutional discrimination refers to the rights of ethnic groups or individuals are deprived because of the limitation of social custom and the law. Total discrimination means the unfair treatment in the field of education and employment. Physical Attack The next level of expression is physical attacks. It often accelerates in hostility and intensity if it is left unchecked. For example, we can see the Ku Klux Klan?s atrocity to black people. In Germany, the neo Nazi attacks the immigration. We also can see the burning churches, many of them in Black munities. From these we can conclude that physical attacks occur when minorities are the target of prejudiced activity. Functions of Prejudice A good way to understand the nature of prejudice is to examine its functions or uses. Prejudice serves at least four functions. Utilitarian The first function is the utilitarian or adjustment function. We should adjust to the plex world. If holding certain prejudiced attitudes helps them to adjust, then they will maintain those attitudes. 江蘇科技大學(xué)外國(guó)語(yǔ)學(xué)院研究生課程論文 8 One reason that people hold prejudice is that it is rewarded in tangible and moary ways. If jobs are scarce, prejudice may be a way to reduce petition for those jobs and, consequently, the valued resources they entail. EgoDefensive This function is to protect people?s views of themselves. If some individuals want to think of themselves as good businesspeople even though they are not particularly successful, they may view those in another and more successful group as cheaters or schemers. This attitude protects the individuals? selfimage and does not necessitate examination of their reasons for failure in the business world. Also, it protects a positive view of one?s in group. People learn to value highly the viewpoints put forth by their ingroup, and it is easier to reject outgroups than it is to admit that they may have their own worthwhile standards and points of view. ValueExpressive It is to project or demonstrate the individual?s selfimage. For example, if people believe themselves to be standing up for the one true God through their religious attitudes, then other groups must be incorrect in some way. If one?s ingroup has attained creature forts through the use of valued high technology, then one may see out group members who have no knowledge of this technology as backward. The valueexpressive function of prejudice can plement the egodefensive function. The former projects or shows an image to the world, whereas the latter protects that image through attitudes that shift the blame for difficulties to others. Easy knowledge The knowledge function of prejudice involves the way information is learned and anized. Some prejudiced attitudes serve to provide 江蘇科技大學(xué)外國(guó)語(yǔ)學(xué)院研究生課程論文 9 knowledge about the world as seen by the ingroup, such as the knowledge that certain outgroup members are not desirable business parents or romantic panions. Such attitudes help people make decisions when faced with choices in the business world or in their personal lives. An important point for understanding prejudiced attitudes is that the acquisition of knowledge requires time and energy. Given this investment, people have a natural tendency to see others who have not acquired the same knowledge as undereducated or ignorant. Another important point is that, when interacting in other cultures, at least in one international context, sojourners will almost always be placed in the category of outgroup members, although often the exact reasons may be unclear. The reasons for such placement will differ from culture to culture, and many of these reasons will be unfamiliar and thus strange to sojourners. If sojourners make an effort to understand the reasons, they may be able to behave in ways that will minimize the negative consequences of their o