The Root of All Bias
by Eimy Sarduy, Junior, iPreparatory Academy
by Eimy Sarduy, Junior, iPreparatory Academy
The word bias has a connotation that it is an evil rooted deep within society. It stems from the idea of not acting with fairness and equity, but what exactly does that mean? Well, when something is fair, it is moral and indiscriminate. In other words, it is free from favoritism and or bias. Naturally, humans are biased because we judge things to be right or wrong, and many times our thinking and prejudices can be traced back to the values our parents and society instill in us. So, knowing that one’s upbringing can affect their worldview, young people should strive to be independent, critical thinkers who question society’s beliefs as well as one’s own.
The idea of morality or fairness can be best explained by psychology. For those students who have taken AP Psychology or are taking the course now, we learn that Lawrence Kohlberg theorized three stages of moral development: Pre-Conventional, Conventional, and Post-Conventional.
Kohlberg’s Stage 1:
The first stage, Pre-Conventional, revolves around avoiding punishment, which is why children often try to mimic what their parents do. People in this stage are usually nine years old or younger. So, those who are in this phase of moral development quickly move on to the next stage, which is Conventional.
Kohlberg’s Stage 2:
In this stage, children conform to their parents' and society’s idea of justice because they believe that they have to in order to sustain positive relationships with their friends and family . Most people, no matter what age, are stuck in this phase for the rest of their lives.
Kohlberg’s Stage 3:
In fact, according to The Canadian Institutes of Health Research at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, only 25% of people reach Post-Conventional thinking, which means that only 25% of the human population is capable of thinking independently1. Hence, the other 75% develop morals based on what society deems right or socially acceptable.
The first stage, Pre-Conventional, revolves around avoiding punishment, which is why children often try to mimic what their parents do. People in this stage are usually nine years old or younger. So, those who are in this phase of moral development quickly move on to the next stage, which is Conventional.
Kohlberg’s Stage 2:
In this stage, children conform to their parents' and society’s idea of justice because they believe that they have to in order to sustain positive relationships with their friends and family . Most people, no matter what age, are stuck in this phase for the rest of their lives.
Kohlberg’s Stage 3:
In fact, according to The Canadian Institutes of Health Research at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, only 25% of people reach Post-Conventional thinking, which means that only 25% of the human population is capable of thinking independently1. Hence, the other 75% develop morals based on what society deems right or socially acceptable.
Thus, following Kohberg’s Stages, we learn that the majority of the population conforms to societal beliefs and expectations, which leads to biased thinking and prejudices.
Famous authors have tried to emphasize the influence that parents and society have over an individual in terms of what is considered morally right or acceptable. A classic example is Mary Shelly in her Gothic novel Frankenstein. Through her influential line, “fatal prejudice clouds their eyes,” Shelley depicts how society shuns Victor’s “creature,” simply because he does not fit into society’s scheme of what is right or humane. She implies that society has “[clouded]” or biased peoples’ thinking and actions to the point that they act as mere puppets under the control of society whose sole purpose is to carry on flawed norms.
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Another noteworthy author that showcases just how far an individual will go to avoid the scrutinization of society is Robert Louis Stevenson, in his novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Stevenson creates one character that polarizes into two: Jekyll and Hyde. One acts on suppressed urges, while the other is a gentleman in the eyes of society. Jekyll, the gentlemen, uses Hyde to act out the dark impulses (the biases) that he has had to conceal from society, which leads to tragic consequences.
Most people would be shocked to learn that, even as adults, they cannot escape their parents’ influence. Some people will deny the idea that every decision that they have made has been affected by someone or something until they are blue in the face. However, that does not change the fact that every “fair” decision they have ever made has been biased; their parents’ values have corrupted their thinking, so they can't make a truly impartial judgment, even if they might want to.
This all begs the question: If we can’t avoid bias, how can we avoid contributing to society’s prejudice? This paradoxical question has a simple answer: We can’t. However, we can act against our own impulses and try to be open-minded about different perspectives, cultures, and people to create a fairer society. Remember, before we try to change someone’s belief, we have to begin by changing our own perspective, but the same individuals in the society that keep biases alive are the same ones that can contribute to a more fair community and, by extension, world.
This all begs the question: If we can’t avoid bias, how can we avoid contributing to society’s prejudice? This paradoxical question has a simple answer: We can’t. However, we can act against our own impulses and try to be open-minded about different perspectives, cultures, and people to create a fairer society. Remember, before we try to change someone’s belief, we have to begin by changing our own perspective, but the same individuals in the society that keep biases alive are the same ones that can contribute to a more fair community and, by extension, world.
Works Cited
“Moral Development.” The Brain from the Top. University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine. https://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/i/i_09/i_09_s/i_09_s_dev/i_09_s_dev.html