The Nature of Prejudice (Paperback)

by Gordon W. Allport (Author) "In Rhodesia a white truck driver passed a group of idle natives and muttered..." (more)
Key Phrases: realistic social conflict, realistic clash, overlapping normal curves, New York, United States, World War (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

With profound insight into the complexities of the human experience, Harvard psychologist Gordon Allport organized a mass of research to produce a landmark study on the roots and nature of prejudice. First published in 1954, The Nature of Prejudice remains the standard work on discrimination. Now this classic study is offered in a special unabridged edition with a new introduction by Kenneth Clark of Columbia University and a new preface by Thomas Pettigrew of Harvard University.Allport’s comprehensive and penetrating work examines all aspects of this age-old problem: its roots in individual and social psychology, its varieties of expression, its impact on the individuals and communities. He explores all kinds of prejudice-racial, religious, ethnic, economic and sexual-and offers suggestions for reducing the devastating effects of discrimination.The additional material by Clark and Pettigrew updates the social-psychological research in prejudice and attests to the enduring values of Allport’s original theories and insights.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Gordon W. Allport was born in 1897 in Montezuma, Indiana. He received his A.B., A.M., and Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University, did postgraduate work abroad, and returned to Harvard in 1930, where he served as professor of psychology until his death in 1967. During his lifetime, Allport served as president of both the American and Eastern Psychological Associations, director of the National Opinion Research Center, and editor of the Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. His other books included The Psychology of Rumor, The Individual and His Religion, Personality, and Becoming.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 537 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday & Company (January 1, 1958)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201001756
• ISBN-13: 978-0201001754
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,977,209 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspired classic used by Malcom X and Dr. King!, February 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Nature of Prejudice: 25th Anniversary Edition (Paperback)

If you have truely studied Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X then you have probably seen pictures of this book next to them on their desks. Don't think for one minute that you understand prejudice without reading this book first. It explains why prejudice occurs and how it is part of our basic makeup. Mr. Allport also explains how to change these perceptions that generate the discrimination. For any Civil Rights Advocate this is a must read. It puts you inside the mind of those who practice bigotry and discrimination. If you cannot understand them then how can you defeat them.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A bit outdated, May 20, 2006

By	Joan Zoellner "JoanMathNerd" (Arcata, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Nature of Prejudice: 25th Anniversary Edition (Paperback)

While this book has some important ideas, I found it quite outdated, and thus hard to read. Many of the views stated are sexist by current standards, and some of the theories have been discredited since the book was written. I think this book is best read with a contemporary book to indicate what has changed.

17 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, April 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Nature of Prejudice: 25th Anniversary Edition (Paperback)

Allport's The Nature of Prejudice is written in a very comprehensive manner that allows you to reflect upon your own experience in prejudices both internal and external. This book is a classic and sheds light on inter-cultural and intra-cultural understanding in the years to come.