What is Stereotyping? Essay

According to the textbook, Social Psychology by Aronson, Wilson and Ekert, stereotyping is, "a generalization about a group in which identical characteristics are assigned to virtually all members of the group, regardless of actual variation among the members" (Aronson et al, 597). In other words, stereotyping occurs when assumptions are made about a group and its members, regardless of whether all the members possess the attributions of the assumptions. Some stereotypes are formed to make us feel better about ourselves and about the group to which we belong, while other stereotypes are formed to help us better understand and categorize the world around us. Stereotyping and other theories closely

Stereotyping is a natural human activity that counsellors and therapists also do. The value of a stereotype is that it can provide a useful shorthand for both counsellor and client, so they do not have to rewrite getting to know a person from scratch. It is a vital function of our memory systems.

Stereotyping is when a judgement is made on a group of people because of the actions of a few. Stereotyping happens because of misinformation and other people’s opinions.

Stereotyping is a form of social categorization which affects the behavior of those who hold the stereotype and those who are labeled by a stereotype.

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

By stereotyping we infer that a person has a whole range of characteristics and abilities that we assume all members of that group have. Stereotypes lead to social categorisation, which is one of the reasons for prejudice attitudes.

Stereotypes can be defined as sweeping generalizations about members of a certain race, religion, gender, nationality, or other group. They are made everyday in almost every society. We develop stereotypes when we are unable or unwilling to obtain all the information we would need to make fair judgments about people or situations. By stereotyping, we assume that a person or group has certain characteristics. Quite often, we develop these ideas about people who are members of groups with which we have not had firsthand contact. Stereotyping usually leads to unfair results, such as discrimination, racial profiling, and unnecessary violence, all behaviors which need to be stopped.

Some people stereotype others as they feel they need to fit in within their social groups or make themselves feel better about themselves. Some people believe it makes them make sense of the world.

Stereotyping is a way of venting out negativity and developing understanding, which attempts to generalize the problem and simplifies reasoning. When we lack information on something, or we wish to feel superior

All most everyone in there lifetime has stereotyped others are have been a victim of stereotypes. A stereotype is the belief about another culture, race or a person that has no logic or evidence to support there negative thoughts. Many people believe that when a person stereotypes another it is the lack of information or ignorance

Stereotypes are deeply embedded in every society in numerous ways. The dictionary definition of a stereotype is “one that is regarded as embodying or conforming to a set image or type.” Stereotyping or Labeling is a technique that “attempts to arouse prejudices in an audience by labeling the object of the propaganda campaign

Stereotyping is a part of us as humans. For some people, it is a big part and for others, it is something little. No matter who you really are or what situation you are in, you will be stereotyped at one point. I think stereotyping can be dangerous and can lead to bullying. People get stereotyped all the time and people do the stereotyping all the time. I think it is a part of our view on the world and sometimes, people can not change that view.

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.

As a little girl, I was ashamed to be Indian. This was due to all the negative stereotypes surrounding my race. In my childhood, I heard people say Indians were smelly, stingy, and stuck up (alliteration). In fear of being teased and misjudged, I tried to be as “normal” as possible to make everyone forget that I was Indian (pathos). As I grew older, I learned to be proud of who I am, but disregarding stereotypes is still a challenge. I am sure everyone in this room has been affected by racial stereotypes before and believe me, I know what you are going through (ethos). You may think that only bigoted and prejudiced people used stereotypes, however, recent studies have shown that everyone categorizes people on a daily basis without even realizing it. Most people think stereotypes are just jokes, yet research proves that stereotypes have serious negative effects. People should stop stereotyping because stereotypes cause “stereotype threats”, create social division, and lead to racism (parallelism).