Do YOU Stereotype People? (page 6)

Leolaia

We all do it. But why? The reason is that stereotyping is a basic cognitive strategy of simplifying what really is enormously complex (variability in human society) into simple, neat ideological categories. Once we think of people in terms of basic categories (men, women, whites, blacks, teens, hicks, window-washers, JWs), then it is a simple step to attribute to any individual any traits or practices or attitudes that pertain to the category. This is particularly useful when the group is one which one has little contact or interaction with; such a person would then depend more on stereotypes or presuppositions about the social category to build expectations (from whence comes prejudgement, i.e. prejudice). We all do it because we desperately needed to do this when we were children. Children are less able to comprehend and navigate the enormous complexity there is in society. Hence kids gravitate strongly to stereotypes in order to predict the world (which reduces anxiety about unfamiliar people and situations). As adults, we should be more aware of the times when we lapse back into this kind of thinking, or at least prod ourselves to view people as individuals and not members of pre-defined categories, and to view the categories themselves as socially constructed and heterogenous (rather than as monolithic and homogenous).

miseryloveselders

We all do it. But why? The reason is that stereotyping is a basic cognitive strategy of simplifying what really is enormously complex (variability in human society) into simple, neat ideological categories. Once we think of people in terms of basic categories (men, women, whites, blacks, teens, hicks, window-washers, JWs), then it is a simple step to attribute to any individual any traits or practices or attitudes that pertain to the category. This is particularly useful when the group is one which one has little contact or interaction with; such a person would then depend more on stereotypes or presuppositions about the social category to build expectations (from whence comes prejudgement, i.e. prejudice). We all do it because we desperately needed to do this when we were children. Children are less able to comprehend and navigate the enormous complexity there is in society. Hence kids gravitate strongly to stereotypes in order to predict the world (which reduces anxiety about unfamiliar people and situations). As adults, we should be more aware of the times when we lapse back into this kind of thinking, or at least prod ourselves to view people as individuals and not members of pre-defined categories, and to view the categories themselves as socially constructed and heterogenous (rather than as monolithic and homogenous).

I'm cured!

White Dove

Thoughts are harmless. It's what you do with those thoughts that can harm or do good.

I stereotype like the next person. But when I'm actually with a person, I'm completely non-judgmental...unless they say things that start sounding strange and/or support the stereotype.

I then take my leave. I do give people the benefit of the doubt, though.

Muslims are my weakness. I'm afraid of the men and think the women in America need to grow a spine and ditch the burqa.

Then I remind myself of the facts and I temporarily ditch the stereotype.

It always comes back, though, when I'm on an airplane or at work when they come in.

I have a ways to go.

minimus

Syl, I don't like black men either.

letsslatejws

As a JW I had a JW midwife to deliver my baby. I didnt know her very well and on face value she looked so fierce and cold in personality that I was afraid to talk to her.

Either way I chose to have her as my midwife, so she was on the ball with the blood issue should it ever come up (Arrrghhhh not good now I realise but thats what happened)... I soon found out that she was a lovely lady, nothing like how she appeared to be, so it was hard not to warm to her.

She is the last person I ever stereo-typed because I soon learnt from there onwards to never judge a book by its cover....

caliber

I think it is unavoidable that in our minds we make at the very least , minor judgment calls.... we look for patterns to make sense of everything in the world ..not just people ! I think the secret is not to act on them ..such as by statements or actions that could directly hurt people !

I am sure we all at times have admired a child for their apparent total lack of bias .. but we still say... "watch out for strangers "

....self-protection would seem to require what could be labeled as stereotyping

"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"