Expulsion is a form of intergroup conflict where a powerful group forces a minority or subordinate group to leave a territory. This is distinct from segregation, which involves the physical separation of groups within the same society, or genocide, which involves the systematic destruction of a group. Expulsion is often used as a tool of political or ethnic cleansing to consolidate power or resources in a specific region.

Sociologists distinguish between prejudice and discrimination. Prejudice refers to internal attitudes, beliefs, or feelings held toward a group, whereas discrimination refers to the actual behavior or actions that result in the unfair or unequal treatment of individuals based on their membership in a specific group.

Discrimination involves the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people. It can manifest based on various personal characteristics, including age (ageism), health status (such as disability discrimination), and religious affiliation, all of which are recognized forms of social inequality.

Discrimination is defined as the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. While prejudice is an attitude or belief, discrimination is the actual behavior or action taken against a group, resulting in unequal treatment and limited opportunities.

Stereotypes are cognitive shortcuts that categorize individuals based on perceived group characteristics. These generalizations are often inaccurate and resistant to change, even when presented with contradictory evidence. They serve to simplify complex social realities but frequently reinforce biases and maintain social hierarchies by reducing individuals to group-based labels.

In Robert Merton's typology of prejudice and discrimination, a 'prejudiced nondiscriminator' is someone who holds negative attitudes or racist beliefs toward a group but does not act on them due to social pressure, legal constraints, or fear of consequences. They harbor internal bias without engaging in overt discriminatory behavior.

The Bogardus Social Distance Scale is a psychological testing scale created by Emory S. Bogardus to empirically measure people's willingness to participate in social contacts of varying degrees of closeness with members of diverse social, racial, or ethnic groups. It quantifies the level of prejudice or acceptance by asking respondents to indicate their comfort level with different types of interactions, ranging from marriage to exclusion from their country.

Assimilation is the sociological process where individuals or groups from different backgrounds come to share a common culture. In this process, the minority group gradually loses its distinct cultural identity as it integrates into the dominant society, adopting its language, customs, and social values.

Generalizations often simplify complex social realities, leading to the formation of stereotypes—fixed, oversimplified images of a group. When these stereotypes are combined with negative attitudes or emotional biases, they frequently manifest as prejudice. Both processes involve cognitive shortcuts that can lead to unfair judgments and discriminatory attitudes toward individuals based on their perceived group membership.

Ageism involves prejudice or discrimination against individuals based on their age. These attitudes are typically sustained by stereotypes—generalized, often inaccurate beliefs about the capabilities, behaviors, or personality traits of people belonging to a specific age group, which lead to biased treatment in social and professional settings.