Which term best describes unjust actions toward a group, often codified in organizational procedures?

• A. Thoughts, attitudes, and feelings about a group not based on actual experience
• B. The process of learning by observing others
• C. Unjust treatment of a group in actions or policies
• D. Oversimplified beliefs about a group

Answer: (C)

Discrimination is the unjust treatment of a group in actions or policies, and it often shows up when bias is built into organizational procedures. This goes beyond thoughts or feelings about a group (which would be prejudice) and beyond oversimplified beliefs (stereotypes) or the way we learn behaviors by watching others (observational learning). When bias translates into actual practices, rules, or policies that disadvantage a group, it becomes discrimination, and when these biased practices are embedded in institutions or organizations, we talk about institutional discrimination.