What do you think about stereotypes? Examples: Men cant multitask versus Women arent naturally better than men at maths. At university, our class recently touched on this topic, of how stereotypes are caused to develop (the why question), when we use them, and how psychologists can measure them. One psychologist defined stereotypes as qualities perceived to be associated with particular groups or categories of people. In our discussions, topics such as gender stereotyping, well-meaning stereotypes, damaging stereotypes, positive stereotypes, and societal stereotypes, were spoken about. For example, The Irish love to drink and get into fights, was one posed to the lecture. One student remarked that it wasnt the concepts in that sentence that made it a stereotype, but the wording. She continued, what if you put in most Irish? That changes it doesnt it? It all depends on how you perceive stereotypes, but weve all done it. Perhaps the media and entertainment industries have influenced your views on particular groups of people? How would you identify whether this has happened? For instance, African-Americans and Hispanics portrayed in murderers and as the bad guys in Hollywood movies. Or, how in Australia, according to United States citizens, there are Kangaroos jumping down the street. Or, when women consistently point out that men cannot multitask. What about the qualities and thoughts that arise when looking at housing commission units, as compared to the qualities we may think about people living in three story Victorian houses close to a city? Some questions to consider. How do stereotypes develop? Why do we tend to use them? What prevents you to go back on particular negative stereotypes? How would educating about stereotypes lessen the negative effects of stereotypes on a discriminated group? Are stereotypes always negative, are they always inaccurate, and are they always shared by others? Psychologists have been interested in stereotypes for decades, and social and cognitive psychologists, specifically, are now using these large numbers of theories and concepts and applying them to real-world issues and concerns, to better understand how humans perceive themselves, others, and the world. This post is one way of inspiring a thought in an individual person, who may go away from this reading and become more aware of their own held evaluations of others. -D
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 00:07:35 +0000
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