民族本质论对民族认同和刻板印象的影响

？thesimpleunderstandingofethnicitybylaypeopleiscalledthelaypeople’stheoryofethnicity,twotheoriesareusedtointerprettheethnicitybylaypeopleintheireverydaylife.oneofthetheoriescontendsthatethnicityisdeterminedbynonmalleable,deep-seatedessenceandtheessencewouldgiverisetostablepersonalitytraitsandabilitiesacrosssituations,thisiscalledtheessentialisttheoryofethnicity.theothertheory,however,deniestherealexistenceofethnicessence,ethnicityisasocialconstructionthatisarbitrarilycreatedduetosocialandpoliticalreasonsinhistoricalcontexts,whichistermedthesocialconstructivisttheory.somewesternstudieshaveshownthatpeoplehavedifferentinterpretationaboutethnicitycausedifferentgroupperceptionsandgrouprelations.itisnecessarytotestandextendtheseresultsinanothersocialbackground,likethechineseone.first,351studentsfromdifferentethnicgroupsparticipatedinstudy1.theycompletedaquestionnaireaimedatassessingtheirattitudestowardsinter-groupperception,ethnicidentity,laypeople’stheoryofethnicity,andout-groupcontactattitude.theresultsshowedthat:(1)thestrongeressentialistbeliefaparticipanthas,themoresensitiveheorsheisaboutgroupdifference;(2)essentialisttheoryaffectspeople’sinter-groupidentity,i.e.thedeeperonebelievesinessentialism,thetenserheorshefeelsaboutin-groupidentityandbias,themorepassiveattitudeisholdtowardsout-groupcontact.second,104hanstudentsparticipatedinstudy2.anexperimentalmethodwasusedtoteststereotypingdifferencesagainsttheminoritiesinrelationshiptolaypeople’sethnictheories.participantswererandomlyassignedtoreadthearticleadvocatingtheessentialistviewofethnicityorthearticleadvocatingthesocialconstructionistviewofethnicity.theresultillustratesthat:participantsintheessentialistethnicityconditionshowedstrongerstereotypedimpressions,especiallynegativestereotypingthandidthoseinthesocialconstructionistcondition,butparticipantsinthetwoconditionsdidnotdiffersignificantlyontheirpositivestereotyping.inconclusion,theessentialisttheoryofethnicityhasagreatinfluenceonethnicidentityandethnicstereotyping.practicalimplicationsoftheseresultsimplythatlaypeople’stheoryofethnicitycanbeusedasavehicleforreducingprejudice.specifically,wecanteachpeopletoholdmoresocialconstructivistbeliefandlessessentialistbelief.