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Stereotypes






  A stereotype is a held, popular belief about people or social groups. Stereotypes are standardized, simplified conceptions of groups based on prior assumption.



Journalist Walter Lippman calls a stereotype a 'picture in our heads', saying,

                 
                          "Whether right or wrong, imagination is shaped by the pictures seen."



  Sociologists believe labelling is necessary and inescapable. Stereotype assists in forming in- and outgroups. Ingroups are normal, superior, the one to associate with. The outgroup are all-the-rest, lesser, inferior.



   Charles Hurst says one reason for stereotypes is the lack of personal, concrete familiarity with people in other groups. A lack of familiarity encourages the  'lumping together'  of unknown people.



  Stereotypes focus on and exaggerate group differences. Competition between groups minimizes similarities, magnifies differences. This can make the appearance some are very different, when, in fact, they are alike. For example, African Americans see their citizenship as prominently as racial background, and, so, feel more American than African.



Humanists argue stereotypes are not accurate representations, but a projection of one to another.



  Another theory its too hard to incorporate individual complexities. Though stereotyping is inexact, it can organize large blocks of information. Categorization allows us to simplify, predict and organize our worlds. Once we have heard enough, we put everything and everyone in their place, yet, we have a hard time processing any new, unexpected information about someone.



  Over time, some victims of negative stereotypes display self-fulfilling prophesy, stereotype becomes the norm to emulate. Negative effects are forming inaccurate opinions of others, taking the blame, preventing emotional identification and impaired performance. Stereotyping painfully reminds those judged how society sees them.



  In movies, the halo effect is used, attractive men and women are assumed to be stronger, happier and nicer people.



Wikipedia