Which theory regarding the psychological motivation behind prejudice and racism refers to the persistent abuse and discrimination based on power differences of being a somebody or a nobody?

• A. Taifel's Social Identity Theory
• B. Rankism
• C. Frustration-Aggression-Displacement Theory
• D. Self-Regulation of Practice

Answer: (B)

Rankism captures the idea that prejudice and racism can be driven by power hierarchies, where being treated as a “somebody” carries privilege and being treated as a “nobody” carries demeaning, abusive consequences. When people emphasize rank or status to justify discrimination, the motivation becomes about enforcing social power differences rather than simply liking or disliking others. This makes it a strong fit for explaining why abuse and discrimination persist across groups based on perceived rank, reinforcing who has status and who does not.

Social Identity Theory explains prejudice through in-group favoritism and out-group bias tied to group membership, which helps account for group-based attitudes but doesn’t center on power-based rank differences as the core driver. Frustration-Aggression-Displacement Theory explains how frustration can trigger aggression toward a convenient target, which describes a mechanism of aggression rather than the structural, rank-based rationale behind prejudice and racism. Self-Regulation of Practice isn’t a standard framework for understanding prejudice, making Rankism the closest fit to the described motivation.