Análise Psicossocial do Preconceito contra Povos Indígenas de Goiás: Contato, Sentimentos Intergrupais e Identidade Social

Abstract

This study investigated in a sample of 823 public high school students the influence of two intergroup feelings collective guilt and shame , the levels of identification of non-indigenous to the brazilian nation and the role of contact between indigenous and non-indigenous in the existence of prejudice against indigenous. The collective guilt focuses on the effect of harmful acts, that is, the person feels he/she is responsible for what happened. On the other hand the collective shame implies protection of self-image and therefore the individual perpetrator of harmful acts tend to avoid the damaging event. The results indicate that the prejudice of non-indigenous against indigenous is high and there is a positive correlation between non-contact situation with prejudice. On the other hand, there is a negative correlation between guilt and prejudice and between identity and prejudice. Finally there were higher prejudice, guilt and shame in noncontact situation. These results are discussed emphasizing both the social relevance of this work and its implications for relations between indigenous and non-indigenous people in Brazil.