Index Policy Proposal Context and Justification Edits and Conclusions On July 22, 2011, Anders Breivik, a Norwegian, killed 77 people at a Norwegian labor party. It was a tragic event for Norway, as it is mostly known for its calm and peaceful nature. This shows that even in the quietest places; there are people who will do anything when it comes to their beliefs (Watts, Norway's Massacre, 2011). This essay will examine the possible psychological reasons why Breivik killed innocent people. Using relevant theories and explaining how prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes can influence Breivik's decisions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Central traits are the formation of a person's personality that is significant in some aspects, this could analyze whether a person is open or closed. If a person has a warm personality, they might be considered friendly, cheerful, and outgoing. These caring traits that make people want to be close to a person because they are not threatening or intimidating (Allport, GW 1937). Linking this to Breivik, it was difficult for the Norwegian police to think 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 Breivik has a personality disorder? Although he was tested whether he had a personality disorder, along the way psychiatrists did many evaluations and tests to find any answers that may have led Breivik to kill. Psychiatrists found that Breivik had taken anabolic steroids combined with large doses of ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin on the day of the attacks (Melle, 2013). Perhaps the dosages had taken effect and made him paranoid. Stereotypes can also influence a person's behavior towards their own personality, giving negative traits to a certain outgroup can lead to negative thoughts, and in Breivik's case; extremism. Is it important to state that people are not born with prejudices, but are born with knowledge of stereotypes? If we look at it so that one person has a similar set of likes to another, the one in the group; but others who don't like that particular thing might be the outgroup. This of course is related 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 arise from emotions and behaviors; pity, pride, disgust and envy (Fiske, et al 2002). Connecting this to Breivik, his emotions towards Muslim stereotypes lead his behavior to become disgust, as he did not want the Norwegian government to allow Muslim immigrants into Europe. The formation of stereotypes can be made up of several factors, one of which is socialization. and education. Stereotypes can be influenced by adults surrounding children from a young age, perhaps Breivik's parents or other family members were heard stereotyping, as the older generation is set in their ways; family members may have the same thoughts about immigrants in Norway. Intergroup relations might also influence stereotypes; if friends in a group share the same feelings about Muslims entering Norway, perhaps this motivated Breivik in his decisions (Olkinuora, 1974). Cognitive functions help make sense of the world, in this case; because people are stereotyped. Therecognitive function helps simplify situations and information; in this way the information can be easily identified and recalled. When it comes to social functions, there are two types of this category; social categorization and self-categorization. Social categorization is when stereotypes can be used to explain events such as; putting a group in a positive light by differentiating the negative traits of an outgroup such as how Breivik divides Muslims from Norwegian Christians. Self-categorization consists of stereotyping oneself and one's group (Hamilton, 2016). For example, fans of a sports team believe that their team is the best and that any other sports team is not. Prejudice and discrimination go hand in hand but are very different in terms of stereotypes. Prejudice means having a negative attitude towards a person's social group. A person with prejudicial opinions does not act on their thoughts and does not discriminate against a person. They may think negatively about a group of people, but they will not shout racial slurs or behave in a sexist manner towards someone (McLeod, 2008). However, it is good to state that prejudice can be negative or positive, but more likely negative. Perhaps Breivik had prejudicial thoughts that lead him to discrimination, anyone can be driven to discrimination especially if influenced by others; such as the media (mainstream and others). Internet sources may have had a huge impact for Breivik as he took a year off while planning his attacks to play World of Warcraft. Perhaps he talked to people with similar views about the game and thought it was his duty to serve his country, even if he had a negative view (Orange, 2012). Discrimination occurs when a person acts on their thoughts, usually always negatively, towards an individual or group based on gender, racism and more. The behavioral traits of discrimination are usually aggressive and intimidating, leaving victims belittled and scared. An extreme example of this would be the way Jews were discriminated against by the Nazis; German soldiers acted aggressively towards Jews, often harming them before they entered concentration camps (McLeod, 2012). In this case Breivik sees the Jews the same way Hitler saw the Jews. It is quite clear that Breivik is heavily influenced by Hitler's past, as he was seen in court doing the Hitler salute (Ritter, 2016). Stereotypes can turn into both prejudice and discrimination, but how? Well, if people are born with the ability to create stereotypes or gain knowledge of them from influencers, then there is always the possibility that it will develop into something more. Through personal beliefs and upbringing, stereotypes can turn into prejudices as someone gets older, and then their behavior can turn into discrimination. According to Freud (1923), a person's personality is made up of three traits; the Ego, the Superego and the ID. The ego is the center of the person; it is responsible for normal behavioral traits and rules for how to behave. The superego is what helps a person to be reasonable, to think twice before doing something that might be risky. It is also responsible for making the ID feel guilty. However, the ID is responsible for pleasure, usually unreasonable and unrealistic needs. The ID may be responsible for prejudicial thoughts and the desire to discriminate, but the superego can limit these feelings, making a person feel guilty. But, if a person does not have a healthy psyche, ID can take controland this leads people to discriminate (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 under a stereotype. This theory was realized by placing a group of 22 kids in a summer camp; there they were divided into two groups; the eagles and the rattlesnakes. Each group was informed about the other, competitions were organized and fights broke out and groups sabotaged each other's rooms. Prejudicial attitudes have developed between groups (Sherif et al). This study demonstrates that prejudice and discrimination can occur at any time and age; even if set in a fun and playful environment. Sherif's theory debunks Bandura's, suggesting however that stereotypes are an instinct and, if put in the right situation, can occur. However, this study had some ethnic issues. The participants did not know the true purpose of the study or that it was a study, and the study erupted into 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 had white, middle-class boys; there were no participants of other races, origins, or genders (McLeod, 2008). Another of Bandura's experiments was the “Bobo Doll” (1961). This was an experiment to demonstrate that children learn through vision and imitation. A group of children aged 3 to 6 years were divided into groups. One group was shown a video of adults punching the Bobo doll, while the other group was not. This was done to see how the children would react; the children were all brought individually in front of 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 though the other group who was not shown the video would still have acted aggressively towards the doll; this time without punching or kicking the doll but using other objects such as a toy gun. This model was not influenced by gender as the study used both male and female participants. That said, female participants used more verbal aggression than male participants, while male participants used more psychic aggression. This model was made in a controlled environment, so children had little chance of getting hurt. 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 research attitude changes and how to use funding. 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 how it has had a huge impact on today's society. In Britain, the current racism situation is linked to Brexit and the UK's exit from the EU. Along with this came a lot of racism during the vote. This may be because some people who voted to remain in the EU suggest that people who voted out are racist, this is prejudice. To assume that a group of people who oppose your views is racist or discriminatory is to be prejudicial and to discriminate against yourself. While this is just one example of what is happening in today's society, racism and discrimination have existed for centuries (Hunt, A., & Wheeler, B. 2017). Context e, 2010).