How Does Stereotypes Affect An Individual's Social Identity?

Stereotype threat is a psychological phenomenon that could affect everyone and influence people’s performance. Research in this felids shows that the fear of confirming the negative stereotype of people’s identity groups can affect how people think and act. Stereotype threat can also cause people to underperform when people try hard to disprove these negative stereotype. In the book “Whistling Vivaldi”, Claude Steele analysis how stereotypes affect our life and what we can do to reduce the effect on us. In our everyday lives, everyone experiences the negative stereotype about their groups. As a female scientist, I will face the negative stereotype that women are worse scientists than men, and female scientists are less capable than male scientists.

perpetuate in different social groups. Stereotype threat, as defined by Steele, is “being at risk of

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.

In life, there is a common ground on which most every person can relate. At one time or another, we have all been promoters of or victims of the unremitting nature of stereotypes. According to the Webster’s dictionary, a stereotype is defined as “a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group.” Most stereotypes take on a negative form and are based on characteristics such as age, gender, race, status, and personal beliefs. Generally speaking, the greatest problem that arises with stereotypes is that they judge group of people by the characteristics and actions of their ancestors, rather than on an individual basis. More often than not, these assumptions will

Stereotype threat is a perception of fear that a person experiences in circumstances when they feel they may inadvertently confirm a negative stereotype of a social group in which they are a part of. The powerful effect of stereotype threat has been explored to determine the root of the issue, who is most susceptible and what can be done to lessen the negative impacts it imparts on victims. The essay In the Air between Us by Claude M. Steele examines the dynamic pressure stereotype threat places specifically on African American students in a collegiate academic setting. This essay uses compelling case studies to examine the everyday impact of this phenomenon, while searching for solutions to diminish its effect. I will prove through use of Steele’s essay, additional case

Knowledge of negative stereotypes can influence people’s performance. Stereotype threat creates extra performance pressure through apprehensiveness about conforming to negative stereotypes (Woolfolk &

Stereotypes are socially constructed, over-generalized views regarding a particular group of persons with certain characteristics that are widely accepted, and usually expected, in a society. The dominant group of a certain society, which in this case is probably Caucasians and men, usually creates these social constructions. Claude M. Steele, a researcher from Stanford University, performed multiple research studies on the idea and psychological effects of stereotypes on its victims. In his studies, he coins the term “stereotype threat” as the “social-psychological predicament that can arise from widely-known negative stereotypes about one's group,” which implies that “the existence of such a stereotype means that anything one does or any of one's features that conform to it make the stereotype more plausible as a self-characterization in the eyes of others, and perhaps even in one's own eyes” (Steele 797).

Social identity is a theory which explains how people develop a sense of belong and membership to a group. Individual’s social identity is part of their self-concept which derives from their knowledge of their membership of a social group together with the emotional significance attached to that membership (Forsyth, 13). People are influenced on the group they belong to. Belonging to the in-group makes a person feel good because they belong somewhere in this group and allows them to feel important. The out-group is where people feel to be, they do not belong to a group and have feeling of exclusion and are often times treated more harshly than someone who belongs to the ingroup. This bias of favoring the ingroup relative to the outgroup leads to false impressions being made and stereotypes forming. Stereotypes help us navigate the world around us by providing a quick representation of what we think a person is like. This does not mean our perceptions are always correct and occasionally, this quick mental shortcut can get us into trouble. For example, the film 12 Angry Men stereotyping was rampant among the jury. When a stereotype is used it can cause a disruption of procedures. Instead, of inspecting all the evidence with an objective eye a bias can allow for systematic

Stereotypes are always around. Everywhere, everyday. The truth is that there is no escaping it. Walking down the school hallways sounds of the people around echo endlessly. “Nerd,” someone yells. “Loser!” Another student boldly pronounces. Not one individual in the world enjoys being called mean things, or being labeled with a negative stereotype. Would someone give up the some of the things that they love to make a negative stereotype disappear? Would someone go as far as changing their identity because of a stereotype? Why? People change their identity when they are negatively stereotyped because they are either seen as something that they don't want to be seen as, or they would rather fit in then be themselves.

In general terms, stereotype threat is being at risk of confirming, as self-characteristic, a negative stereotype about one’s group (Steele, 1997). “The existence of such a stereotype means that anything that one does or any of one’s features that conform to it make the stereotype more reasonable as a self- characterization in the eyes of others, and perhaps even in one’s own eyes” (Steele, 1992). People are stereotyped according to their group. A group can be identified by race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion among others. Stereotypes

This paper will explore the world of stereotypes that are put on certain races or groups known as Stereotype threat and identity contingencies. The author shows numerous experiments on a broad spectrum from testing ability and physical activities when stereotype threats are and aren’t present and how that affects people's ability to perform. It will bring to light the way people feel when identity contingencies are present in a society, along with the consequences. Stopping the issue completely is going to be difficult, but there are ways to reduce the risk and improve the situation. Already, in today’s society improvements can be seen compared to when the issues were first recognized.

Individuals are bound by the community and culture that they are involved in, and many cases people tries to define them as a group, and idea of stereotypes, defined as “… fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing” (Stereotype [Def. 1], n.d.) begins to form. However when these stereotypes are held among the larger population,

In this world there are many things people are guilty of, one of those guilt’s is stereotyping others , even if it wasn’t meant in a harmful are negative way we all have been a victim or the aggressor . This paper will discuses what stereotypes are, how they affect people and how stereotypes can affect society. However, the common factor in either situation is that no good comes from stereotyping others.

When social psychologist Claude Steele began writing about the problem of stereotype threats in the 1990s, many other researchers began to do the same thing. Steele offered that when members of certain groups can be stereotyped in a negative way, they will be seen “through the lens of diminishing stereotypes and low expectations” (1999, p.44). According to Kassin, Fein, and Markus, stereotype threat is defined as “The experience of concern about being evaluated based on negative stereotypes about one’s group.” Steele concluded that stereotype threat can be achieved in two ways: reactions to “threat in the

The use of stereotypes is a major way in which we simplify our social world; since they reduce the amount of processing (i.e. thinking) we have to do when we meet a new person. By stereotyping we conclude that a person has a whole variety of characteristics and abilities that we assume all members of that group have. “Stereotypes lead to what we social characterization, which is one of the reasons for prejudice attitudes (i.e. “them” and “us” mentality) which leads to in-groups and out-groups” (McLeod). A