Ethnic Groups

Prepare a 1,400- to 1,750-word paper examining the similarities and differences between your selected ethnic groups. As a part of your examination, address the following items:

• Discuss the concept of conformity and how it relates to your selected ethnic groups.

• Explain the relationship between social perception and social cognition, and how these concepts apply to your selected ethnic groups.

• Discuss the social perceptions that will need to be addressed in order to resolve the conflict between your selected ethnic groups.

Ethnic Group Conflict

Cultural Conformity

Grave differences in religious affiliation continue to distance the two sides. Whereas Palestinians are primarily Muslim (Sunni), the majority of Israelis are Jewish. Religion in both areas has maintained a consistently central role in shaping the cultures and lifestyles in both cultures (Hofman, 1977), and religion is a cultural variable that can contribute or detract from understandings between nations or societies (Cohen, 1990). The intolerant attitudes perpetuated by both groups and various political issues, creates an environment in which mutual exclusivity prevents reconciliation.

Social Perception and Social Cognition

Social perception is the process by which people aim to understand themselves and each other, whereas social cognition is the process by which people interpret, remember, and use information about the world and ourselves. People in all cultures recall experiences to make decisions. Within their cultural milieu, people develop attitudes, beliefs, and judgments through socialization experiences. Social perception is culturally rooted, so people raised in similar environments interpret their experiences in similar ways, although when people are exposed to different religions and lifestyles, they are likely to have radically different world views. The relationship between social perception and social cognition is best described by...