Stereotypes are formed not only about peoples, but also relate to everyday life, as well as work and personal relations. How do they affect a person? What functions do they perform? Do I need to deal with them, and how to do it?
A stereotype is a simplified representation of a specific social group or a specific member belonging to it, as well as objects, phenomena or situations. By definition, a stereotype should refer to one trait, such as age, gender, religion, nationality or sexual orientation.
The term "stereotype" comes from the Greek word "stereos" and means concentrated, tough. The stereotype ascribes to other characteristics, social roles of members of a social group, and thereby blurs individual traits and differences between members.
The stereotype has many negative features. First of all, it is difficult to change, it oversimplifies life, and is often formulated on the basis of unverified, false data. However, it is helpful to know that a stereotype can also have a positive connotation.
Characteristics of stereotypes
The stereotype is often formed from generation to generation. They are categorized as positive and negative. For example, a positive stereotype is the belief that Japanese people are hardworking and speak excellent English. However, most often they talk about stereotypes in a negative context.
Formulated oversimplified characteristics that criticize a particular social group can be very damaging. A negative stereotype is often the basis for discrimination and prejudice. The popularization of negative stereotypes is promoted by the media or public figures. An example of a negative stereotype is the perpetuation of the negative image of Jews, their greed and stinginess.
Stereotypes can be classified by gender. For example, it is believed that a woman is a weak, frivolous and passive creature with low intelligence. In fact, historical examples constantly suggest otherwise. Men do not cry, do not talk about feelings, they have to pay for women's whims and give in to the ladies in everything. But is that fair? Men also feel, even if their level of emotions is lower, but it is there. And certainly they should not always and in everything give in, not to mention other people's whims.
The stereotype is cognitive, evaluative-emotional, stable, consistent, verbal, characterized by subjective confidence.
The stereotype has several functions:
- adaptation - creates a "cognitive map" of the environment;
- communicative - facilitates communication in a group where stereotypes prevail;
- provides a sense of security - gives a sense of control, facilitating orientation in society;
- simplifies cognitive processes;
- makes it easier to predict the behavior of others;
- facilitates manipulation.
Such stereotypes are very convenient for stereotyped personalities. They do not want to think and it is easier to follow the opinion imposed by the public. A stereotyped personality does not hear his desires and tries to fit himself to the expectations of others in order to get their approval. For example, if a woman has to wear dresses, then she will wear them even in bitter frosts.
How to fight?
On a general scale, it is impossible to fight against the stereotypes that have developed over the years, or even centuries. Over time, they may well be replaced by others, but this is the same lengthy process. You can minimize their impact on yourself.
If a person is self-sufficient, not dependent on someone else's opinion, then it will be easier for her to move away from imposed stereotypes. It is important to understand how this stereotype affects your behavior. For example, the stereotype that there are fewer men than women. According to statistics, more of them are born, but due to the higher mortality rate, by the age of 18-20 years, this number levels off. And only after 50 years, the female population begins to prevail, again due to the earlier mortality in males. It turns out that every bride will definitely find a groom. Nevertheless, already in childhood, the girl is forced to marry as early as possible, until all the "scarce" men are sorted out.
Then it is imperative to give birth while young, there will be a bunny, there will be a lawn. As a result, many young people are simply not ready for the responsibility that comes with marriage. And with the birth of a child, the promised lawn does not appear. Moreover, having got used to living for themselves, a young family is simply not ready for income cuts and financial difficulties.
Often people with stereotypical thinking have low self-esteem. They are the easiest to manipulate. If there is a problem with this, it is important to visit a psychologist and identify blocks. A confident person reacts less to destructive criticism and is less likely to be manipulated.
Many stereotypes are not only outdated, but also dangerous for a modern person. The only way to avoid influence is not to follow the imposed guidelines.
