A dominant attitude refers to a prevailing or widespread opinion or perspective in a given context. It is a predominant mindset, approach, or stance that characterizes how most individuals think, feel, and act in relation to a particular subject, situation, group, or culture. Dominant attitudes shape group norms, values, behaviors, and social practices. They represent the mainstream views and orientations that are considered standard or conventional within a society or community.
Some key features of dominant attitudes include:
Widespread acceptance
Dominant attitudes are held by a majority of people within a given social context. They represent viewpoints and orientations that are popular, well-established, and widely shared. Even if not every single individual agrees with a dominant attitude, it is still embraced by most people and seen as normal.
Institutional and cultural reinforcement
Powerful social institutions like government, media, education, and religion shape and reinforce dominant attitudes. These attitudes are embedded within the customs, norms, symbols, language, and belief systems that make up a society’s culture. This cultural conditioning ensures that each new generation learns and adopts the prevailing attitudes.
Privilege and status
Groups that possess more power and status within a hierarchy tend to hold attitudes and assumptions that become dominant. Their greater influence allows them to normalize and spread their particular mindsets. Dominant groups typically try to portray their viewpoints as universal or morally superior.
Resistance to change
Dominant attitudes persist over long periods and are resistant to change. Countering or questioning them is often seen as strange, radical, or dangerous. People who reject dominant attitudes may face ridicule, scorn, discrimination, or punishment for violating social norms. This creates strong pressure to conform.
Intersection with individual attitudes
While dominant attitudes exert influence over most people in a society, individuals still have personal perspectives shaped by their distinct experiences and personalities. A person’s own attitudes may align closely with what is mainstream or diverge from it in various ways. There can be complex intersections between prevailing worldviews and individual viewpoints.
Examples of dominant attitudes
Some attitudes that are or have been dominant in certain cultural contexts include:
– Racial/ethnic prejudices and assumption of superiority
– Gender stereotypes and prescribed roles
– Social class expectations and judgments
– Norms of heterosexuality and cisgender identity
– Anti-immigrant and xenophobic sentiments
– Conformity to authority and social hierarchies
– Materialism and consumerism
– Individualism and self-interest
– Anthropocentrism and human domination over nature
Origins and development of dominant attitudes
Certain foundational factors influence the emergence and propagation of dominant attitudes:
Social power structures
Ideologies and mindsets that benefit dominant groups (e.g. elites, ruling classes, majority demographics) shape the prevailing culture and norms. Those in power institutionalize attitudes that maintain the status quo and their privileged position. Minority groups and dissenting voices often lack influence.
Institutions and socialization
Institutions like media, education, government, and religion actively teach and reinforce dominant attitudes through messaging, policies, rituals, and traditions. This socialization process starts in childhood and continues throughout life.
Shared history and experience
People who undergo common experiences and historical events as a group tend to develop shared perspectives and worldviews. Prevailing conditions, challenges, and realities shape collective orientations.
Repetition and tradition
Dominant attitudes become entrenched through habit, daily practice, and cultural tradition. Persistent exposure across generations normalizes them and gives them an aura of common sense. Disruptive thinking is discouraged.
Self-interest
Dominant attitudes often align with the self-interest of the majority demographic and power holders. Questioning or resisting them means relinquishing social advantages and privileges, so self-interest helps perpetuate the status quo.
Psychological biases
Cognitive biases like confirmation bias, ingroup favoritism, and system justification motivate the retention of dominant attitudes. People unconsciously cling to familiar mindsets and resist or dismiss dissent.
Impacts and effects of dominant attitudes
Prevailing societal attitudes have significant impacts throughout culture and people’s lives:
Policy and law
Dominant attitudes shape government agendas, legislation, and resource allocation. Policy frequently caters to majority interests while ignoring minority needs. Laws often institutionalize dominant cultural norms.
Economic inequality
Attitudes related to gender, race, and social class influence economic opportunities. Those of lower status often face discrimination, stereotyping, and restricted access. The dominant group controls wealth and occupational access.
Social norms and roles
Expected social roles, relationships, and codes of conduct align with dominant attitudes. Those who violate norms regarding gender, sexuality, family, etiquette, etc. risk censure and stigma.
Marginalization of minority groups
Xenophobic, racist, sexist, or heteronormative attitudes marginalize minority groups. They are excluded, typecast, under-represented, and often denied resources, justice and rights.
available opportunities
People have different opportunities based on how they match up with dominant norms, expectations, and social capital. Conformity provides access while dissent leads to exclusion from advancement options.
Self-concept and self-esteem
Dominant attitudes shape people’s identities and self-worth. Those who differ from prevailing norms may internalize stigma and negative stereotypes, harming self-esteem.
Culture and mass media
Arts, entertainment, journalism, advertising, etc. express and normalize dominant attitudes. Stereotyped representations in mass media further ingrain majority perspectives and prejudices.
Interpersonal interactions
People draw upon and enact dominant attitudes in their everyday social interactions. This reinforces mainstream norms while marginalizing those who diverge from conventional roles and conduct.
Resistance to social change
Dominant attitudes create resistance to reforms that would dismantle unfair hierarchies and diversify power structures. Those benefiting from the status quo uphold it through their prevailing mindset.
Challenging and changing dominant attitudes
While dominant attitudes perpetuate due to socialization and institutional reinforcement, purposeful efforts can challenge and transform them over time:
Raising consciousness
Education, training, and awareness campaigns reveal harmful dominant attitudes. They highlight how these mindsets normalize prejudice and inequality.
Increasing representation
Boosting the societal presence, voice, and storytelling of marginalized groups counters dominant narratives. It reshapes mass media, education, and public imagery.
Grassroots activism
Protest movements, boycotts, civil disobedience and other grassroots campaigns publicly challenge problematic dominant attitudes. They bring controversial issues into mainstream discourse.
Policy and legal reform
New laws and regulations can disrupt traditions based on dominant attitudes. Anti-discrimination policies, affirmative action, and funding can reduce inequality.
Impact litigation
Lawsuits holding entities accountable for discriminatory practices based on dominant attitudes pressures change through the legal system. Court rulings can reform unjust policies.
Youth empowerment
Young generations rejecting oppressive dominant attitudes of the past fuel progress. Youth activism hastens attitude shifts across all of society.
Diversifying institutions
Increasing representation of marginalized groups in leadership roles across institutions like business, media, and government shifts dominant perspectives.
Targeting root causes
Lasting change requires dismantling underlying structures that spawn problematic dominant attitudes. This means redistributing power and privilege.
Allowing diverse expression
Freedom for all groups to voice their identities and experiences creates dialogue. This replaces monolithic attitudes with nuance and empathy.
Conclusion
Dominant attitudes exert enormous influence on cultural norms, policies, behaviors, media, and power structures within a society. Although perpetuated through tradition and institutions, they can be challenged through raising awareness and increasing representation of dissenting perspectives. Fundamental changes to underlying inequalities and privileges are necessary to truly transform harmful dominant attitudes. With consistent effort across generations, dominant attitudes can gradually shift to become more inclusive and just.