Investigating Ethnic Prejudices among Boys and Girls in a Therapeutic Community for Maladjusted Children and Modifying Some Prejudices

Abstract

The present study replicates that carried out at the Children's Village at Dobbs Ferry, New York. Here ethnic prejudices are studied between black, white and hispanic boys aged 8 to 13, using the Comfortable Inter-Personal Distance Scale (CID). A similar but shorter scale, the Lowenstein Inter-Personal Tolerance Inventory (LITI), is constructed from 10 items. The scale measures racial and other tolerance levels. The test was administered four times to 40 children (20 boys and 20 girls), aged 9 to 16, to discover whether inter-personal tolerance increases, decreases or remains stable following a period of inter-racial contact in a paternalistic but quasi-democratic regime based on a high degree of individual justice and racial tolerance. The experimental group increased in racial/ personal tolerance in general, and this was maintained and increased as the period of assessment continued. It was also indicated by the small number of children leaving the community and returning for assessment. Strong leadership, staff backing and warm but firm treatment of the children, while modifying prejudices and including the children in regular formal and informal discussions, were seen as the primary reasons for greater changes in the experimental than in the control groups.