One of my friends has been told that before knowing her they thought she was a tough person. She has been told that many times. Even I thought that. But when we became friends, it turned out that she is a very kind and friendly person. I am just here to say that "what we think about people may not be the truth".
What does Stereotype Mean?
A stereotype is a generalized opinion of a certain group of people. It is a presumption that individuals may hold regarding every member of a specific group. Expectations can be of several kinds, such as those regarding a group's personality, interests, appearance, or skill.
So, if you believe that People without college degrees aren't smart, or older people don't understand technology. You should rethink it.
Why are Stereotypes Formed?
We categorize people unconsciously based on their looks, their sex, and their nationality. Each one of us does that even those who believe that they do not. Because we must be able to discern between friends and enemies. And be aware of which individuals belong to our pack and which individuals belong to other packs.
Maybe you do not believe it. Right?
The IAT Test
A group of researchers created Project Implicit as a tool to better understand attitudes, stereotypes, and other unconscious biases that affect perception, decision-making, and behavior. To address diversity, enhance decision-making, and raise the probability that practices are in line with individual and organizational ideals, our researchers and colleagues integrate academic research into useful applications.
Personally, I took 2 IAT tests and the results were not like I thought. For example, the “skin tone IAT”. It requires the ability to recognize light and dark-skinned faces. It often reveals an automatic preference for light-skin relative to dark skin.
They ask you first what skin tone you think you prefer. And I choose that I prefer both light skin and dark skin equally. Because that is what I believe. But contrary to what was expected the result was:
A summary of more than 800,000 people who took the test is-
how many of them choose that they do not prefer a skin tone to another before taking the test? What do you think? Many of course.
That means stereotyping is a normal thing that your brain does automatically. But when does stereotyping become a threat to us or even to people around us?
Stereotyping - A Barrier In Communication
We communicate with strangers in a way that is directly impacted by the stereotypes we have. The first assumptions we make about the behavior of strangers will inevitably be based on preconceived notions about their culture, race, or ethnicity.
We may accurately forecast the behavior of strangers on a cultural level if our stereotypes are accurate to some extent. We cannot correctly attribute actions to strangers if our stereotypes are unreliable. Furthermore, we will never be able to know strangers as individuals if we strictly uphold our stereotypes and are unable to question them.
Me and my friend, we would never be friends if we did not deal with each other, discovered that we have things in common and in fact, she is a very nice person. And maybe until now, I will be thinking about her as an unkind person.
We should consider that our stereotyping may not be accurate. Never let it prevent you from talking to someone or visiting a country for example.
Types of Stereotypes
There are 8 types of stereotypes:
1. Age Stereotypes
2. Gender Stereotypes
3. Race And Ethnicity Stereotypes
4. (Dis)Ability Stereotypes
5. Political Stereotypes
6. Religious Stereotypes
7. Social -Class Stereotypes
8. Nationality Stereotypes
It is funny that most of the common stereotypes are wrong such as-
Women can't drive, short people are mean, and tall are fools, the Japanese are polite, hardworking, and good at math, the Swedes are reserved and don't tend to socialize, the Africans love to dance and play music and excel at athletics when they are not busy with military coups because they are less intelligent than white people, Arabs are terrorists.
Written by: Heba Salah
Me and my friend, we would never be friends if we did not deal with each other, discovered that we have things in common and in fact, she is a very nice person. And maybe until now, I will be thinking about her as an unkind person.
We should consider that our stereotyping may not be accurate. Never let it prevent you from talking to someone or visiting a country for example.
Types of Stereotypes
There are 8 types of stereotypes:
1. Age Stereotypes
2. Gender Stereotypes
3. Race And Ethnicity Stereotypes
4. (Dis)Ability Stereotypes
5. Political Stereotypes
6. Religious Stereotypes
7. Social -Class Stereotypes
8. Nationality Stereotypes
It is funny that most of the common stereotypes are wrong such as-
Women can't drive, short people are mean, and tall are fools, the Japanese are polite, hardworking, and good at math, the Swedes are reserved and don't tend to socialize, the Africans love to dance and play music and excel at athletics when they are not busy with military coups because they are less intelligent than white people, Arabs are terrorists.
Written by: Heba Salah
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