Discrimination
Differential treatment linked to group membership, with consequences for people.
Definition
Discrimination is differential treatment of people on the basis of group membership, commonly studied as unfair or harmful treatment.
How to understand it
The concept directs attention to what people do and how opportunities are distributed. It differs analytically from group-based beliefs and evaluations, although these may contribute. Explaining an action requires evidence about the decision and its context rather than an assumption that every unequal outcome reveals one identical private motive.
A careful account specifies the comparison: who received which opportunity, under what conditions, and on what basis. This makes an allegation interpretable and leaves room to examine evidence. It also avoids reducing the analysis to whether a decision-maker considers themselves a fair person, which is a different question.
Evidence: (Spielman et al., 2020); (Fiske, Prejudice, Discrimination, and Stereotyping, n.d.)
A restricted workshop place
Teaching scenario
In this invented scenario, two applicants meet the same stated requirements for a workshop. The organizer explicitly rejects one because they belong to a student society the organizer dislikes, while accepting the other. The unequal treatment based on membership illustrates discrimination. A separate question concerns what beliefs or feelings motivated the organizer. If only the final attendance list were available, more information would be needed to establish the basis of selection. The story deliberately supplies that basis so the concept can be identified without guessing at hidden intentions.
Constructed for learning. This scenario is not a report of an empirical finding or a diagnosis.
Common confusion: Prejudice
Discrimination concerns treatment and access; prejudice concerns evaluation. The link between them requires evidence rather than automatic inference.
Compare prejudice and discrimination
Evidence: (Spielman et al., 2020); (Fiske, Prejudice, Discrimination, and Stereotyping, n.d.)
Limits of the concept
- Unequal outcomes alone do not identify every mechanism producing them.
- This psychological description does not determine a jurisdiction-specific legal finding.
Evidence: (Spielman et al., 2020); (Fiske, Prejudice, Discrimination, and Stereotyping, n.d.)
Textbook connection
Direct coveragePsychology 2e: 12.5 Prejudice and Discrimination
The subsection explicitly discusses this concept.
Supplementary concepts may extend beyond this section. The source notes below identify the evidence for those details.
Related concepts
Check understanding · Inspect how psychological evidence is built
Sources and inspection notes
Checked October 21, 2026. An inspection date is not a source publication date. Definitions and scenarios on this page are original teaching explanations.
- Fiske, prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping. (n.d.). https://nobaproject.com/modules/prejudice-discrimination-and-stereotypingExpert-authored academic teaching module
Introduction and conceptual distinctions checked; categories used as an introductory analytic framework. Inspected on 21 October 2026.
- Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/12-5-prejudice-and-discriminationCourse textbook subsection
Title, URL, and relevant subsection text inspected on 21 October 2026. Used for concept checking and course navigation; no textbook exercises or illustrations reproduced.