Table of ContentsPolicy ProposalBackground and RationaleChanges and ConclusionOn July 22, 2011, Anders Breivik, a Norwegian, killed 77 people during a Norwegian labor party. This was a tragic event for Norway, as it is mainly known for its calm and tranquil nature. This shows that even in the most peaceful places; there are people who would go to great lengths when it comes to their beliefs (Watts, Norwegian's Massacre, 2011). This essay will examine the possible psychological reasons why Breivik killed innocent people. Use relevant theories and explain how prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes can influence Breivik's decisions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Central traits are the makeup of a person's personality which is significant in some way, this could be to analyze whether a person is open or closed. . If a person has a warm personality, they may be considered friendly, cheerful and outgoing. Those caring traits that make people want to be with a person, because it is not threatening or intimidating (Allport, GW 1937). Connecting this to Breivik, it was difficult for the Norwegian police to believe that he was responsible for the attacks, as his neighbors and family claimed that he was a calm person and was a good child. Could this mean that Breivik may be suffering from a personality disorder? Although he was tested if he suffered from a personality disorder, during his journey psychiatrists performed numerous evaluations and tests to find answers that could have led Breivik to kill. Psychiatrists discovered that Breivik had taken anabolic steroids combined with high doses of ephedrine, caffeine, and aspirin on the day of the attacks (Melle, 2013). Maybe the dosages had taken effect and made him paranoid. Stereotypes can also have an effect on a person's behavior towards their personality, giving negative traits to a certain outgroup can lead to negative thoughts, and in Breivik's cause; extremism. It is important to clarify that people are not born with prejudices, but are they born with knowledge of stereotypes? If we consider that one person has a similar set of tastes to another, that in the in-group; but others who don't like that particular thing might be the outgroup. This is of course linked to sexism and racism, among other sensitive topics (berkeleywellness, 2017). According to Fiske et al., there are four groups of stereotypes: paternalistic, admiring, contemptuous and envious. These stereotypes are accompanied by emotions and behaviors; pity, pride, disgust and envy (Fiske, et al 2002). Tying this back to Breivik, his emotions towards his Muslim stereotypes lead his behavior to turn into disgust, as he did not want the Norwegian government to allow Muslim immigrants into Europe. The formation of stereotypes can consist of different factors, one of them being socialization. and education. Stereotypes can be influenced by adults around children from a young age. Perhaps Breivik's parents or other family members were overheard stereotyping, as the older generation is set in its ways; family members might have the same thoughts about immigrants to Norway. Intergroup relations could also influence stereotypes; If friends in a group share the same feelings abouttowards Muslims entering Norway, this may have motivated Breivik in his decision (Olkinuora, 1974). In this case, cognitive functions help make sense of the world; why people stereotype. Cognitive function helps simplify situations and information; this so that the information is easily identified and remembered. When it comes to social functions, there are two types of this category: social categorization and self-categorization. Social categorization occurs when stereotypes can be used to explain events such as: putting a group in a positive light by differentiating the negative traits of a group such as how Breivik groups Muslims versus Norwegian Christians. Self-categorization involves stereotyping oneself and one's group (Hamilton, 2016). For example, fans of a sports team believe that their team is the best and that no other sports team is. Prejudice and discrimination go hand in hand, but they are very different in terms of stereotypes. Prejudice is having a negative attitude toward a person's social group. A prejudiced person does not act on his or her thoughts and does not discriminate against a person. They may think negatively toward a group of people, but they will not shout racist slurs or act in a sexist manner toward someone (McLeod, 2008). However, it is worth clarifying that biases can be negative or positive, although they are more likely to be negative. Perhaps Breivik had prejudices that lead him to discrimination, anyone can be driven to discrimination, especially if influenced by others; such as media (mainstream and others). Internet sources may have had a huge impact on Breivik, as he took a year off from planning his attacks to play World of Warcraft. Perhaps he spoke to people with similar opinions about the game and felt it was his duty to serve his country, even if it was from a negative perspective (Orange, 2012). Discrimination is when a person acts on their thoughts, usually always in a negative way. , towards an individual or group on the basis of gender, racism and more. Behavioral traits of discrimination are typically aggressive and intimidating, leaving victims feeling demeaned and afraid. An extreme example of this would be the way in which Jews were discriminated against by the Nazis; German soldiers behaved aggressively towards Jews, often harming them before they entered the concentration camps (McLeod, 2012). In this case, Breivik sees the same thing that Hitler saw the Jews. It is clear that Breivik is heavily influenced by Hitler's past, as he was seen in court giving the Hitler salute (Ritter, 2016). Stereotypes can turn into prejudice and discrimination, but how? Well, if people are born with the ability to stereotype or gain knowledge from influencers, there is always the possibility that it will develop into something more. Due to personal beliefs and upbringing, stereotypes can turn into prejudice as a person gets older, and then their behavior can turn into discrimination. According to Freud (1923), a person's personality is composed of three traits: ego, superego, and identity. The ego is the center of a person; it is responsible for normal behavioral traits and rules on how to behave. The superego is what helps a person to be reasonable, to think twice before doing something that could be risky. It is also responsible for making the identity person feel guilty.However, DI is responsible for pleasure, usually from unreasonable and unrealistic needs. The DI may be responsible for prejudiced thoughts and the desire to discriminate, but the Superego may limit these feelings, thereby making the person feel guilty. But if a person does not have a healthy psyche, DI can take control and this leads people to discrimination (Freud, S. 1923). According to Albert Bandura's social learning theory, stereotypes are learned. But a study by Sherif (1954), called “The Cave of Thieves” or “Realistic Conflict Theory,” shows that people can be born with stereotypes. This theory was carried out by placing a group of 22 boys in a summer camp; there they were divided into two groups; eagles and rattles. Each group was made aware of the other, competitions were set up and fights broke out and groups sabotaged the other rooms. Prejudicial attitudes developed between groups (Sherif et al). This study shows that prejudice and discrimination can occur at any time and at any age; even in a fun and playful environment. Sherif's theory debunks Bandura's theory, but suggests that stereotyping is an instinct and if placed in the right situation can happen. However, this study had some ethnic problems. The participants did not know the true purpose of the study or that it was a study, and the study resulted in violence that did not protect the participants from physical and psychological harm. Another problem with this theory is that it was biased since the study only looked at white, middle-class boys; there were no participants of any other race, origin, or gender (McLeod, 2008). Another of Bandura's experiments was the "Bobo doll" (1961). This was an experiment to show that children learn through viewing and imitation. A group of children aged 3 to 6 years old were divided into groups. One group saw a video of adults hitting the bobo doll, while the other group did not. This was done to see how the children would react afterwards; the children were all taken individually to the bobo doll and the study showed that the children who were shown the video acted aggressively towards the doll, punching and kicking it. However, even if the other group who was not shown the video would still act aggressively towards the doll; this time, without punching or kicking the doll, but using other objects such as a toy gun. This design was not gender neutral since the study included both male and female participants. That being said, female participants used more verbal aggression than men, while male participants used more psychological aggression. This model was made in a controlled environment, so children had little chance of injury. A limitation of this study is that there is no evidence that the experiment will have long-term effects (Bandura, 1965). Policy Proposal This proposal will explain the possible effects of prejudice and discrimination as well as look for changes in attitudes and how funding can be used. to reduce problems. There are many factors and topics that are discriminated against, such as racism and sexism. This proposal will focus on racial discrimination and its enormous impact on today's society. In Britain, the current situation of racism is linked to Brexit and the UK's exit from the EU. Added to this was a lot of racism during the vote. This could be due to the fact that some, 2010).