Stereotypes are widely shared generalisations about members of a social group (Leyens, Yzerbyt and Schadron, 1994) and, as Lippman (1922) suggested, they are used as templates to help individuals interpret the social world. Individuals form stereotypes for many reasons, such as to clarify social roles and enhance one’s self-esteem; by forming stereotypes, individuals can compare themselves to those perceived in a more negative light, thus enhancing their own status. Such stereotypes are often derogatory and can result in prejudice and discrimination. However, there are other reasons as to why people form stereotypes. This essay will explore the different theories and explanations to gain an understanding as to why people stereotype.
It is arguable that people form stereotypes as a way to understand particular inter-group relations (Hogg and Vaughan …show more content…
In this study, there were 3 conditions in which participants had to judge the length of a series of lines; the lines were labelled A and B at random, all the shorter lines were labelled A and all the longer ones labelled B, and the lines had no label. The results showed that participants used the labels in the second condition to help judge if lines were shorter or longer. This meant that the length of the shorter lines tended to be underestimated whilst the length of longer lines were overestimated. This therefore shows that categorisation results in stereotyping. These findings can be applied to society; giving a label to an individual and generalising to their societal group, due to perceived shared characteristics, is a form of stereotyping, hence people stereotype due to the process of categorisation and the formation of groups. This may be done to help individuals understand different societal groups and establish a relationship with group members, implying that people additionally stereotype in order to comprehend inter-group
It is arguable that people form stereotypes as a way to understand particular inter-group relations (Hogg and Vaughan …show more content…
In this study, there were 3 conditions in which participants had to judge the length of a series of lines; the lines were labelled A and B at random, all the shorter lines were labelled A and all the longer ones labelled B, and the lines had no label. The results showed that participants used the labels in the second condition to help judge if lines were shorter or longer. This meant that the length of the shorter lines tended to be underestimated whilst the length of longer lines were overestimated. This therefore shows that categorisation results in stereotyping. These findings can be applied to society; giving a label to an individual and generalising to their societal group, due to perceived shared characteristics, is a form of stereotyping, hence people stereotype due to the process of categorisation and the formation of groups. This may be done to help individuals understand different societal groups and establish a relationship with group members, implying that people additionally stereotype in order to comprehend inter-group