Stereotypes About Identity

Racial stereotypes have always been a serious issue in society. The stereotypes impact many aspects of our life. We more or less get carried away by our perceptions toward race, and judge people in a certain frame unconsciously, as Omi set forth in In Living Color: Race and American Culture. Taken by Hilary Swift, this photo presents an African American woman, waiting for a bus that can take her to the Kitchen of Love, a food pantry that located in Philadelphia aiming to feed people suffering from hunger, where she volunteers. It happens in dawn so it’s still dark outside. The surroundings give us an idea that it should take place in a black neighborhood (Stolberg “Black Voters, Aghast at Trump, Find a Place of Food and Comfort”). The woman is staring at the direction where the bus is coming, with a smile on her face. As a photojournalistic image, this photo is aiming to portrait a kind and helpful African American woman, however, does this photo really “positively” portrait an African American woman?

In this world we live in, people are easily influenced by others. What or whoever influences you, that becomes a part of your identity. Having an identity is what makes you who you are. A person’s choice in music, clothes, cars, their environment, social life all influence your personality.

Our identity is comprised of inner qualities and outer representations of self. It consists of innumerable defining characteristics that make up the whole of who we are in any given moment. These fragments of self include our sexuality, gender, and sense of belonging to a particular culture, nation, religion, family, or some other group. Our identity includes our looks, personality, beliefs and fears. Each individual in society assigns themselves a particular role, whether it be as a mother, brother, retiree, performer, sportsman or as a part of their occupation, a doctor or lawyer. Often one’s entire sense of self is consumed by

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.

Right outside a corner store, next to a stoplight, or at a park, there may be a homeless person asking for some sort of help; it can either be for a place to stay, money, or food. Many people are used to categorizing a group of people by a solo characteristic, known as a stereotype. Misconception, on the other hand, is a conclusion of someone or something that is wrong because it is based on faulty thinking or facts. Stereotypes and misconceptions appear to be similar, however, these two are not. A misconception is formed from having a stereotype. Stereotypes and misconceptions are built because many try, but are unable to understand a person or a group, or are just simply unwilling to understand the person or group. There are over a million

A person’s identity is influenced by how you view yourself and how society views you. In Jonathan Lykes poem This is a Siren, and the short story The Bear that Wasn’t by Frank Tashlin, both authors shine a light on how great of an impact society can have on an individual’s identity. Society has already established different stereotypes for each individual which causes everyone to perceive others in a certain way without truly getting to know them. This can cause an individual to change the way they perceive themselves in order to be accepted by society and to fit in it’s expectations of that individual. “This thing called perception, that gives people the opportunity for acceptation, or on the flip side, to be a circle of rejection…” (Lykes 2010) Here, Lykes talks about how we perceive each other can either make us accept one another or reject one another. However, in the end, it is up to the individual to decided if they are going

Outside influences have a strong capability to influence and alter our personal identity. Both directly and indirectly, the social contexts in which we live can change the way we think and feel, and by extension how we interact with other people and places. Immediate family, friendship groups and the physical environment are all factors which contribute to our ever changing perceptions of ourselves. Sometimes personal identity can be subtly reshaped over a gradual time frame, as our sense of who we are is modified without personal recognition that we are changing. At other times we may be able to notice our personal identity changing, through important life decisions.

This activity highlights the multiple dimensions of our identities. It addresses the importance of individuals self-defining their identities and challenging stereotypes.

I commend you for openly saying that you have such bias against that group of people. However, as a police officer, it is your responsibility to serve and protect the people. Meaning, you have to protect everyone regardless of their gender preference. You are on your way to acceptance because you have acknowledged the problem and you can do it. We have biases towards certain groups of people, race you name it. However, it takes a brave person to acknowledged

Despite race, religion, ethnicity, marriage, disability, political view, gender, or culture, an American isn't defined by these stereotypes. Although the United States is far from perfect, there's plenty of marvelous aspects that compose us to weave into unity more than other parts of the world. Before, in history, our founding fathers have given us the constitution to live in additional freedom. Albeit our nation has faults just like others, I'm proud to revel in its democracy.

Since identity is so often built from fads, it is a reflection of culture. People want to be like what they see on television and hear on the radio. So people mold themselves to be like the idols they are so infatuated with. It?s always about what?s popular, and by looking at a large group you can tell what that is at any given time, because people like to connect their identities with one another. It creates a sense of belonging and acceptance that humans need in order to feel like they fit into society. People have to be able to bond with one another. Having a vastly different identity makes you an outcast, and no one wants to know how it feels to be the loner. So people alter themselves to ensure that they will

Our identity can sometimes be shaped by the way others see us. As we have seen, the way in which others view us can have some sort of impact on how we see ourselves. There are also other contributing factors such as our years of adolescence, the basic human need of wanting to belong and maturing; all play an equally important part in the forming of our character and who we are. On balance it appears that there is not only one influence in the shaping of our identity, but there are many.

The Problem with society is that we cannot accept that we are all different. Many people have seen others as different from themselves but feel that they are in the majority of people that are alike. This can be called social discrimination. Stereotypes are prevalent in society. Stereotypes are inevitable and unpreventable. As we accept that we are always under scrutiny in others eyes we begin to examine ourselves. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of stereotyping and discover how they lead to greater social identity. Once they learn their identity they find themselves stereotyping themselves and others.

From the list I made about the characteristics of genders, what surprised me while, writing out the list the most was that I could think of more characteristic of the male but not from my own gender-woman. Stereotypes continue because everyone judge on each other whether it’s their personality traits, domestic behaviors, occupations or physical appearance. Not only they judge on each other, but stereotypes are all around us. Regardless of these stereotypes, there are ways to challenge these types of stereotypes to help everybody whether it’s their gender or any type of gender identity to help them feel wanted into the society and equal like everybody else from our society. Some of the things that could help these people are to speak up with

Individuals have multiple identities, some of which they might choose to keep private. Culture, labeling and appearance are all contributing factors in forming a person’s identity, whether looking at it through the eyes of the individual or others. Stereotypes and societal expectation does affect one's identity in many ways. How about try making it a positive effect? Be less judgmental, positive and allow a person to be themselves; it might be surprising how far society can