Reducing Otherness: Blurring Category Boundaries to Decrease Prejudice. People tend to believe that members of social groups share an underlying essence or nature that makes them who they are. This es

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Reducing Otherness: Blurring Category Boundaries to Decrease Prejudice. People tend to believe that members of social groups share an underlying essence or nature that makes them who they are. This essentialist thinking often shapes how we navigate our social world, with research identifying a host of (mostly harmful) attitudinal and behavioural outcomes (e.g., prejudice, stereotyping). The proposed research examines the discreteness bias, a neglected aspect of essentialist thinking, to improve our conceptual understanding of its role and modify destructive perceptions of groups stigmatised on the basis of sexuality, mental health, and race. The proposal offers a promising new approach to reducing prejudice and maladaptive, internalised self-beliefs by blurring group boundaries and promoting continuum thinking.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 5205 - Social and Personality Psychology. Lead: A/Prof Ilan Dar-Nimrod