Stereotyping

It’s important to discriminate between stereotyping and prejudice. Stereotypes are simple misconceptions that a person applies to a whole group, such as all Quidditch players are pompous or that all Muggle-born witches and wizards are less talented magically than Pure-bloods (this has, however, proven to be false). Prejudice is where those stereotypes come into effect in a negative way and can lead to discrimination.

 

Prejudice

The prejudice against witches and wizards other than pure-bloods has deep roots in family tradition and can be passed down from generation to generation. Some Muggle researchers found that initial prejudices against a certain group can lead to severe mistrust (Uhlmann, Korniychuk, & Obloj, 2018). They also found that initial prejudices can last throughout many generations, even though “enlightened” individuals may be in later generations (Uhlmann, Korniychuk, & Obloj, 2018). This could explain the prejudice against non-pure-bloods in our world, where prejudice can last throughout generations and generations even though more forward-thinking witches and wizards are present in the environment.

 

In-Group Favoritism

In-Group Favoritism is the concept that people tend to like or favor members of their own group more, whether that be race, gender, magical ability, or blood status (Greenwald & Pettigrew, 2014). In contrast, outgroup-directed hostility refers to anger and hostility towards people in a group other than one’s own. Muggle American psychologists Greenwald & Pettigrew (2014) found that in-group favoritism tends to be the cause for discrimination more than outgroup-directed hostility. Therefore, pure-bloods who discriminate against those who are not of their status may be motivated by favoritism towards other pure-bloods; it may not have necessarily originated as purposeful hostility but that has certainly developed over the years and generations.