The Effects Of Stereotyping

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).

I agree with this idea that Heilbroner has stated because it depicts how words and categories have given the world preconceived notions on individuals or groups of the human race. The power of a stereotype has the impact to leave a believable impression in an individual's mind without interaction, research or a second-thought. Without truly getting to know an individual we quickly generalize and when the generalization is given the chance to be proven wrong it allows for us to be fair and respectful to each other past the surface

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

Many people have an oversimplified and erroneous view of a certain group of people. Stereotypes are typically associated with having negative connotations of a particular group of people. In many occasions, positive qualities of the group are overlooked and they are instead categorized by social norms created by stereotypes. Stereotyping affects everyone, whether it is through the discrimination of age, race, gender

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,

Stereotypes are harmful for the people which power does not favor, and are used as a tool used by people in power to show and state their authority over the people of lesser means.

A female officer has to deal with a lot of criticism, there is the female cop stereotype, the pressures of having to prove themselves to their male counterparts, as well as society’s expectation of any female who is out in the work force. A stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular of person or thing. Along with stereotypes, comes exaggerations of those stereotypes being made. An exaggeration is a statement that represents as better or worse than it really is. After that exaggeration has been made from the stereotype comes the misconceptions of it all.

As a society, a majority of people use stereotypes without consciously knowing it. It categorizes people and simplifies our understanding of different groups of society and our surroundings. In this aspect it can be beneficial because being able to identify someone based on gender, ethnicity, culture, etc. you can make assumptions of customary greetings or how to approach a particular situation or custom. Also, stereotypes may help oneself identify with an in-group. In comparison, problems may arise when stereotyping individuals and groups. In extreme cases stereotyping leads to prejudice and discrimination. If we can learn anything from our history, is that stereotyping that leads to prejudice and/or discrimination often have traumatic effects

For example, one of the stereotypes is the controversial topic of priest being pedophiles. The religion and the church have developed a bad reputation regarding this matter. Not all priest fall under this category. Another additional stereotype is “Why do we idolize saints and the Virgin Mary”? It’s not believed to be idolization, is respect. It is believed that God created earth, and that’s who we idolize. An additional stereotype is “all Mexican drug lord cartels are catholic? There catholic and they kill! I am astonished to hear these types of stereotypes, religion has nothing to do with the violence those individual choose. Another comment is “Catholic religion is so strict”. Another stereotype is Mexican Catholic families have big families because the religion does not believe in birth control and they use religion for everything, and why do they drink and party too much? I was once asked about a several stereotypes, I have been asked if my beliefs were forced upon me, do I think I am better than everybody else, and can you do whatever you want as long you go to confession. I was not offended when questioned about the stereotyping. I felt the person that had questioned just didn’t have a worldview about other people’s

When terms such as prejudice and discrimination are used, many often think of race and ethnicity. Many also believe that prejudice and discrimination are things of the past. However, both are still evident in today’s society. People are still set aside from the general population because of sexuality, mental illness, and political orientation. Stereotypes surrounding these people are some of the most demeaning of this time. Stereotypes can cause those affected to lose job opportunities, be refused service, and be treated as inferior. Stereotypes are generalizations of groups of people. Stereotypes are not based on the differences between people within those groups, but are rather judgements made towards all members.

Most people find stereotypes to be obnoxious, especially when they have to do with sensitive subjects like gender or race. “Stereotyping is a generalization about a group or category of people that can have a powerful influence on how we perceive others and their communication behaviors” (Floyd, 61). Because they underestimate the differences among individuals in a group, stereotyping can lead to inaccurate and offensive perceptions of other people. Although stereotypes are prevalent in almost every society, becoming aware of our perceptions of others, as well as differentiating between both positive and negative stereotypes can help us overcome those stereotypes.

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.

All Muslims are terrorists, Jews are greedy bankers, and America is a Christian country. These are just a few of the many stereotypes that cause negative perceptions toward minority religious groups. Every day, religious groups across America experience some form of discrimination because of these stereotypes about their beliefs. Hate crimes and discrimination are on the rise; there have been 31% more hate crimes in 2017 than at this time last year. Teenagers in our society are victims of false religious stereotypes, but so are those who accept and perpetrate these stereotypes.

Generally, stereotypical representations tend to be harmless images but the issue rises from the lack of apathy from the public to refine theses stereotypes and this attitude comes with a range of consequences and impacts. Stereotypes are pervasive in the world and have devastating consequences. An example is people and the media being so quick to confuse Arabs, Muslims and Middle Easterners as the same.

Stereotypes are a part of everyday life. They help us differentiate and categorize to make quick decision on a person's character; however, stereotyping can be misleading or incorrect resulting in false judgment and mistreatment. In the workplace, this can show to be especially heinous. Stereotyping is a preconceived notion that all members of a group are the same, and behave in the same way. This act of judging others based on perception can cause many problems; especially when linked to the work environment.