A prejudice is usually a vagrant opinion without visible means of support. It is troublesome when you cannot filter out unwanted sensations. It is pain to have static on your car radio or to get through life when you have someone bombarding you with threatening letters and phone calls over a six-month period. These sensation and perceptions can work against each other. Not only do you have competing sensations to wade through and sort out, but you may also have to compete with your own expectations. Jeri was hungry as she drove home from work. Her stomach growled and she found her mouthwatering. As she tried to keep her eyes focused on the road and the traffic, she found them wandering to billboards portraying, in living color, barbecued steaks sizzling on the grill, hamburgers and French fries. The music on the car radio stopped and the announcer told her about how $18.81 could get her a steak and lobster, at Fitzgibble’s luxury restaurant. Soon, she hears very little music and began only to hear food commercials. Soon, she heard very little music (Aaliyah – One in a Million) and began to only hear food commercials. She saw little of the other billboards, but never missed one advertising food, milk, ice cream, or a well-dressed couple eating by candlelight.

 Chuck was a new employee, unsure of himself in his new job. His insecurity made him very sensitive to any comments about his performance. He found himself listening to the conversations of his fellow workers and managers. He waited for somebody to talk about him, and any time his name was mentioned—whatever the topic of conversation—he “heard” it as an evaluation of him as a person and a worker. He found his sensitivities spreading to include any references to Southeastern Europeans. He even interpreted Mrs. Harrigan’s comments to Mrs. Lowry about her vacation Serbia, as a comment about Southeastern Europeans, and thus about him. He whose vision is defective always sees less than those with good eyesight; but he who is hard of hearing always hears something extra. This selective perception, or set, and while it can work for you in many cases (like looking for a particular shirt in your closet, and not paying attention to the others), it can work against you when your own security needs are so strong that they distort or limit your perceptions of the World and the people around you. We think in generalities, but we live in detail. 

When Carlos heard any comments even remotely connected with him as being directly related to him, he was generalizing; he lumped everything he heard into one group and labeled it as hostile or critical of him. Generalization is not always a bad thing to do. Sometimes, however, generalization can be useful in forming concepts—a vital part of thinking and reasoning. We generalize about many things in life. We can use the word care when we look at or talk about a BMW, Mercedes, Cadillac, or Lincoln. They do not necessarily look alike, but they all have a common quality, something we might call “carness.” Each has its own unique characteristics, but all they have in common is they are transportation vehicles with four wheels, a steering wheel, an engine, brakes, seats, and so on. In this sense, they are all automobiles or cars. Such generalization is helpful, so we do not always have to define a car when we are conversing. However, suppose your car gives you great mileage, low emissions, and makes you happy every time you look at it. If your experience with your car makes you cheerful and you love all cars, of the same make, you are being somewhat prejudice (however, prejudice is not always bad). Some people might generalize even further and day all cars in general are nice, and they go out of their way to buy a particular brand.