Contempt Tendency and Group Prejudice Test | Social Dominance and Implicit Bias Assessment

1. What Are 'Contempt Tendency' and 'Group Prejudice'?

Contempt tendency is a psychological disposition to belittle or look down on others or groups, often expressed as believing that certain people are 'inferior to oneself,' 'unworthy of respect,' or 'deserve to be at a disadvantage.' Group prejudice is the holding of fixed, oversimplified views about members of a particular group, views usually based on characteristics such as identity, ability, morality, or social status. Together they form an implicit yet far-reaching social attitude that quietly shapes our interpersonal interactions, resource distribution, and even public policy preferences.

It is worth noting that contempt and prejudice do not always appear as open discrimination or hostility. More often they take the form of 'subtle superiority,' 'taken-for-granted neglect,' or 'well-intentioned stereotypes,' which is why psychology calls them 'modern prejudice' or 'implicit bias.' This test is designed to help you become aware of these attitude patterns that you may not have recognized in yourself.

2. Key Theoretical Foundations

The design of this test integrates two of the most influential theoretical frameworks in social psychology:

• Social Dominance Theory (Sidanius & Pratto, 1999): this theory holds that societies form hierarchies based on age, gender, and 'arbitrary groups' (such as race, class, and religion). The higher a person's Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), the more they accept inequality between groups and support policies that reinforce it. People high in SDO are more likely to feel contempt for low-status groups, believing they 'deserve to be that way.'
• System Justification Theory (Jost & Banaji, 1994): this theory reveals people's inherent, unconscious motivation to defend the fairness of the existing social system, even when this sometimes conflicts with their own interests. This motivation can lead people to rationalize the existing hierarchy and thus feel indifference or even contempt toward the hardships of disadvantaged groups.

In addition, research has found that contempt tendency is closely related to the psychology of 'Hubris' and the mechanism of 'Moral Disengagement,' allowing individuals to maintain a positive self-image while looking down on others. The question design of this test is inspired by these classic theories and adapted locally.

3. The Four Core Dimensions Measured by This Test

To comprehensively assess contempt tendency and group prejudice, this test contains 16 questions built around the following four dimensions:

• Competence-Status Contempt: do you tend to believe that people with weaker abilities or lower social status are 'not trying hard enough' or 'inferior by nature'? This dimension reflects the tendency to attribute social inequality to individuals' internal factors.
• Morality-Values Detachment: when others hold moral values or lifestyles different from yours, do you easily feel aversion, rejection, or even disdain? This measures the strength of group prejudice based on moral differences.
• Perceived Group Competition: do you believe that different groups (such as different classes or regions) are essentially in a zero-sum competition? People who score high are more likely to view 'their' gains as 'our' losses, breeding antagonism and contempt.
• Emotional Coldness-Dehumanization: do you lack empathy for the suffering of members of certain groups, tending to see them as 'background' or 'symbols' rather than living individuals? This is the deepest and most hidden form of prejudice.

4. Why Is It Worth Taking?

This test is not meant to label you as 'prejudiced' but to offer an honest mirror:

• ✔ Become aware of implicit attitude patterns you may never have noticed
• ✔ Understand how social dominance orientation and system-justification motives shape your daily judgments
• ✔ Manage your first reactions more clearly at work, in social settings, and in public discussions
• ✔ Get scientific advice on reducing unconscious bias and improving empathy

Whatever your score, awareness itself is the beginning of change. Research shows that simply becoming aware of your own biased tendencies through a test is enough to set positive self-adjustment in motion.

5. Scoring and Result Types

Each question is scored from 1 to 5 (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Based on your scores across the four dimensions, the test places your contempt tendencies and prejudice pattern into one of the following four types:

• Equalitarian Empath: contempt tendency is extremely low; you can view different groups equally and have strong empathy for others' hardships.
• Cautious and Detached: overall prejudice is low, but you keep your distance from certain moral or cultural differences, tending to let everyone 'stay in their place.'
• Competitive Defensive: you are highly sensitive to group competition and easily see resource distribution as a zero-sum game, holding defensive contempt toward 'outsiders.'
• High-Dominance Contemptuous: social dominance orientation is pronounced; you tend to accept hierarchical differences and often show open or implicit disdain toward low-status groups.

The final report provides your total score, your specific score on each dimension, and cognitive-adjustment and empathy-training advice tailored to your type.