INNATE BEHAVIOR - WHAT IS ETHNOCENTRISM?

According to (Chance. 2009), “learning takes up where reflexes, model action patterns, and general behavior traits leave off. It enables the organism to adapt to situations for which it’s largely innate behavior is inadequate” (p. 24). Since, certain innate behavior may be considered maladaptive within many aspects of our society, it can also have detrimental effects for most people.

One example of how learning can cause maladaptive behavior is when people develop ethnocentrism. This is identified as biased thinking or actions that negatively affect proper interaction between various cultures within our nation. It may also occur because there are different attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviors among these cultures. These undesirable behaviors can also exist for generations and are often learned through social and home environments. One example of this is as follows:

A 45 year old white male has come to my office because he has been extremely depressed for many years. When completing my initial assessment, the client discloses that most of his worry is due to issues that he’s been having at work. This is because most fellow employees are Mexicans and he doesn’t want to work with those people. He also states that they are stealing jobs from Caucasian Americans who deserve them way more. When I ask him why he believes this, he states that his grandfather and father never liked Mexicans because they are all bad. Since, my client feels this way he has also been warned about possible termination due to exhibiting prejudice behavior. His boss has also stated that these personal views are extremely inappropriate within an equal opportunity employment setting. My client understands this policy, however; he still believes that Mexicans do not deserve American jobs.

Since, my client feels this way, I am confident that he may be experiencing ethnocentrism due to opinions which were learned in childhood. This is because he may have been taught that Caucasian Americans are better than other cultures. His skewed way of thinking is also causing problems within his work place and may negatively affect his current employment. This is because the views that he is expressing are considered innate behavior and are not shared or supported by most others in the company.

Reference:

Chance, P. (2009). Learning and behavior. (6 ed.). Wadsworth: Cengage Learning.