~Quintus EnniusPrejudice can be defined as negative attitudes held by members of one group (the ingroup) toward members of another group (the outgroup). One example of prejudice is the feeling of disgust toward and negative evaluations of persons in wheelchairs by those who are not disabled.
Negative attitudes can be directed toward a group or toward a specific individual based on that person's group membership.The important distinguishing feature of prejudice that separates it from other forms of liking and disliking is that prejudice is based on "prejudgment." The perceiver evaluates people on the basis of their social or racial or gender category rather than on the basis of specific information about the person.
A concept closely related to prejudice is ethnocentrism, which is the belief that the ingroup is the center of everything and is superior to all outgroups. Heterosexism operates similarly to ethnocentrism.
