Jane Elliott A Class Divided

Equal Status Contact—The normal classroom is one in which egalitarian treatment prevails. Jane Elliott changed the “definition of the situation.”

Moral degradation

Ethnophaulisms used (“brown eyes” name calling)

She created “stratification.”

She used a physical trait to create a basis for subordination.

She strengthened the stereotype by “generalizing from the individual to the group” and “generalizing from the group to the individual.” Both involve errors of logic.

She engaged in “looping”. She used a person’s protests as evidence of their inferiority. “If we argued with you, you used the argument as evidence of our inferiority.”

The kids were “labeled” taking away their individuality and giving others the opening to mistreat them as a group.

The Thomas Theorem was made evident. “If people define situations as real they are real in their consequences.”

“Selective Perception” was evident. Sometimes we see what we want to see. We select that which fits our pre-conception.

“Self-fulfilling prophecy” was present. Kids were treated as inferior, they felt inferior and they performed in an inferior manner-morally and conceptually.

The “vicious circle of prejudice—discrimination—poor behavior—reinforcement of prejudice” was demonstrated.

Frustration-Aggression (scapegoating) was evident.

Minority group members are sometimes unfairly singled out to be a representative of their group. (woman told she reflected badly on other women.)