Critically Evaluate the Cognitive Theory of Stereotyping.

During the time I was born, in the 90’s, stereotypes were taught to children through school, family members, and media. “A stereotype is a mental category based on exaggerated and inaccurate generalizations used to describe all members of a group” (Bennett 91). As a child, I obviously did not realize I was being taught these cruel definitions based to categorize people into which racial group they should belong to. To put it another way, Bennett states, “As psychologists have pointed out, stereotyping is a natural phenomenon in that all humans develop mental categories to help make sense of their environments” (91). Provided that, I stereotyped my interviewee the same exact way numerous people stereotype me. For this reason, to better understand both the interviewee and myself racial identity, I consequently analyzed how we each portrait the world we live in.

Stereotyping individuals makes us overlook their uniqueness, making us often think things of others that may not be true.

Prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping are important topics at the cause of debating within social psychology. A stereotype is a generalization about a group of people, in which certain traits cling to all members, regardless of actual individual variation (Akert, Aronson, & Wilson, 2010). As humans, people assign objects and individuals into categories to organize the environment. Individuals do this for not only organization, but also survival. Is stereotyping inevitable? That is the question; according to Devine (2007), it is, but Lepore and Brown (2007) have to disagree. Devine believes that “stereotyping is automatic, which makes it inevitable.” On the other hand, Lepore and Brown are not convinced that stereotyping is

Stereotyping is a normal part of every one’s life. Humans, by nature, classify things. We name animals and classify them by common characteristics but stereotyping can have negative repercussions, and everyone does it. In a recent study it was proven that everyone has an unconscious need to stereotype (Paul). In Junteenth and The Invisible man, Ralph Ellison argues that stereotyping can cause mayhem by making the people become something they are not.

1. Dovidio, J. F., & John, M. (2013). Stereotype. In P. L. Mason (Ed.), Encyclopedia of race and racism (2nd ed.). Farmington, MI: Gale. Retrieved from http://proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/login?url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/galerace/stereotype/0?institutionId=4358

In the U.S, stereotyping is alive and functioning well. A stereotype is a widely held fixed and a simplified idea or image of a given type of a person or a thing. It has been rampant in the country and it has a negative impact. Stereotyping occurs when people judge others based on their gender, their job, their cultural, religious or ethnic background. It has resulted in unfair discrimination of people in the country. People also miss important aspects of the people they stereotype (Inzlicht et al., 230). Through stereotyping, people are not able to achieve their full potential and the country's social development slows down. There are many suggestions that have been placed forward in an effort to end stereotyping,

The dangers of these stereotypes are clear. Stereotyping can lead to depression, a loss of self-meaning, and even a subservience to these stereotypes, which only enforces them. These moral distortions of stereotyping are one of the evils plaguing modern-day society. In his essay “Stereotypes and Stereotyping: A Moral Analysis”, Lawrence Blum states that stereotypes are “rigid false generalizations (Blum 265).” The rigidity of these stereotypes forces many to stay consistent with those

According to Allport, the process of categorization is the basis to develop prejudice and stereotypes. People think in categories and the mind forms groups and classes to guide our daily actions. Dahl also verifies that the predictions we make about “Others” is based on stereotypes and that this is necessary and it is a process that we cannot avoid. If categorization is a natural cognitive process and all categorization leads to generalization, then stereotype is also a natural cognitive process. Categories are necessary to give meaning to our reality and to create structure, however they are flexible and they change. On the other hand stereotypes seem to give us a feeling of order and security but they are inflexible and try to reinforce one particular image over others. Stereotypes still persist even when we know better because they help to create a positive self-image and they are to a large degree attached to ideologies (Christoffanini). Furthermore, we represent Others by using language or images, which allow us to portray Others in ways

Throughout our American society, there have been topics, or more specifically, issues, that have been implemented in our lives. Whether it be poverty, economic issues, equality, and thus forth, there is one what has always been around for centuries, but has made a bigger impact is stereotyping. This in-particular topic has lead to a multitude of problems, such as social categorization, and the cause of prejudice. The stereotyping propaganda in the United States has caused more problems and attracted more attention than is truly needed.

It bothered me that I couldn’t put people into their correct category. My reasoning behind this is not that everyone should have their place in society, but the fact that I was unable to place them in categories. Initially, I thought this was because I come from a small town with little to no diversity. I decided to run a little experiment on if I was unable to place people into correct categories because I was from a small town or not. I had two of my friends from small towns with little to no diversity also do the “Sorting People” activity. They both had similar scores to myself. I then had four of my friends from bigger towns (graduating class of over 300 students) that had a large amount of diversity also do this activity. Their scores ranged from 3-8 right. I would definitely have to run this experiment several more times with a lot more people to get a more definite answer of if a small town with little diversity hinders people in their ability to categorize

Classifying people into distinct groups plays a significant role in the establishment of social perceptions. Common problems in the society such as discrimination, prejudice, and intergroup conflicts are attributed to the categorization of individuals and groups. Portioning people into discrete units is a part of the social classification. These differences result in severe issues in society, for example, conflicts and favoritism, if the perceived differences are not addressed. People overlooking the fact that individuals can be members of a particular group even when they are not seen in the context of others is the primary cause of

Stereotyping is rampant throughout the world and people worldwide are stereotyped based on many factors. Stereotypes are generalities about a specific group of people that can be positive; however most stereotypes are distinctly negative. When a group is stereotyped, a definite and distinct set of characteristics attributed to that group of people based on a preconceived appearance of that group. Stereotyping is particularly problematic since it can lead to further discrimination and prejudice. Obviously, the stereotyped group is left with feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, and a sense of being ostracized. While race and gender are some of the most common factors of stereotyping, there is another factor that leads to stereotyping,

Every day we encounter people from similar or different cultures. These people are either classified into two different groups. Although being a part of the scarce group may seem evident in regards to appearance, depending on the categories people can alternate from one group to the other. Kanter’s explanation of X’s and O’s made me reflect on my past experiences as an X and an O. Kanter describes an X as part of the common group. Meanwhile, an O is less common. Consequently, the experiences of X’s and O’s differentiates.

The presences of stereotypes are overwhelming and are developed by both the environment a subject is raised in and their family. Stereotypes, which are pervasive throughout different societies, become intertwined in the collective values of the society as justification for all forms of social, economic, and political inequality among groups (Devine and Elliot 2000;Kaplan 2004; Operario and Fiske 2004). As people become more exposed to stereotypes they start to become a permanent part of a person’s life, they begin to stereotype themselves almost always involuntarily.

We as humans tend to relate to those that are similar to us, and tend to alienate those that we deem as different than us. Whether it is by race, gender, culture, or religion, it is something that is almost always present in human interactions, and often times can be completely subconscious. In our textbook Interpersonal Communication by Kory Floyd, an ingroup is defined as “A group of people with whom one identifies.” An outgroup is conversely defined as “A group of people whom one does not identify.” Henri Tajfel first coined this terminology while he was working to devise his social identity theory. These ideas of classifying people into ingroups and outgroups can lead to many