Domination theory explains institutionalized inequality in societies, where discrimination arises naturally due to human tendencies and belief systems. It classifies three types of social domination: adult superiority, gender hierarchy, and arbitrary hierarchies. People align themselves with viewpoints that favor their self-perception as insiders or outsiders.
Domination theory, also called social dominance theory, is a way of looking at societies that attempts to explain institutionalized inequality. The theory suggests that almost all societies will tend to gravitate towards different types of institutionalized discrimination, including racial, gender, or age discrimination. They believe that these social structures tend to arise naturally due to certain human tendencies which are often amplified by certain belief systems. The experts behind domination theory see social inequality as a self-perpetuating engine that constantly sustains itself by generating beneficial ideas and subsystems.
According to dominance theory, singular discrimination between individuals tends to propagate naturally in the power structure of society. This can lead to all kinds of unequal practices, including unequal treatment by the judiciary and social restrictions that keep the lower classes from gaining a foothold in the upper class. For example, educational institutions can make it more difficult for some groups to gain acceptance, and this can happen on a large scale due to the magnification of individual bias among key decision makers.
One of the most basic aspects of domination theory is how it classifies different types of social domination. According to people who agree with this line of thinking, there are always three basic types of discrimination present in almost any society. First of all, these experts believe that most societies tend to see adults as superior to children and usually create institutions and laws that enforce this idea. Secondly, there is generally some kind of hierarchy based on gender, and this may be spread throughout society in the form of underlying social mores or belief systems that permeate the way most people think. Third, there are other arbitrary hierarchies that societies impose that might be based on regional, cultural or racial elements, and these can be quite variable from one society to another.
Another part of social dominance theory is the belief that people will tend to align themselves for or against the existing social hierarchy, and there is some attempt in the theory to explain how these alignments occur. According to the experts behind the theory, most people will tend to align themselves with viewpoints that favor their own personal way of seeing themselves. Thus, those who see themselves as insiders might generally favor powerful forces, while those who see themselves as outsiders might tend to favor movements that could overthrow those forces.
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