December 13, 2023

The Dibble Institute® is offering this workshop to our clients because for us to create healthy relationships, we need to understand our hidden biases so that we might reduce and manage them.

Broadly speaking, group-based bias involves varying degrees of stereotyping (exaggerated beliefs about others), prejudice (dis/liking others), and/or discrimination (unequal treatment of others) that occur above or below conscious awareness. Scholars have labeled the subconscious form of group-based bias implicit or unconscious bias. Implicit bias is primarily seen as an attitude or stereotype held about social groups below conscious awareness. Implicit bias has become very important to understand given the decreased frequency of Americans to freely and openly express negative thoughts, feelings and behaviors regarding other racial groups. Implicit bias is everywhere and affects everyone. We all have implicit bias. The impact of our implicit bias on others, however, significantly depends on our social and professional roles in society. Bias held by educators, police officers, physicians, prosecutors and criminal court judges can significantly affect the life outcomes of large segments of society.

Research has revealed that many Americans show a positive implicit bias toward White Americans vs. African Americans, young vs. old and fit vs. obese. Showing a preference for or against any particular group does not mean that a person is prejudiced or will discriminate, but it does suggest that s/he has been repeatedly exposed to certain associations between specific groups and specific traits/characteristics and have stored them in memory. These associations are often very strong and difficult to undue without deliberate effort or ongoing training. It is possible, however, to implement practices or policies that reduce the likelihood that implicitly biased beliefs will lead to biased behaviors.