Stereotyping is an age old problem that involves trying to generalize a group of people into a certain set of expectations or characteristics that begs us to ask the questions: "why do people have this urge to stereotype others?" and "what effect do these stereotypes have on those around us?" Throughout history man has tried to assume the personality and actions of those who differ from him through stereotypes. But, these stereotypes have drastic negative consequences on both the person stereotyping others and the one being stereotyped. In this essay, stereotyping will be analyzed from a psychological standpoint, answering the question "why do people stereotype?", and its effects and consequences will be discussed.
The first aspect that I …show more content…
But what is the effect of these stereotypes? Surprisingly, our profound use of stereotypes has both negative effects on the believer of these stereotypes and the ones that they are against. For the person who believes these generalizations, it can create a false sense of expectations and can even distort the way that they treat these other people who fit their stereotype. As put by the National Research Council 's Committee on Aging Frontiers in Social Psychology, "stereotypes people have about others can influence how those others are treated and in turn elicit particular behaviors from the others that are consistent with those stereotypes." In other words, these stereotypes that so many people believe to be generally accurate can in fact blind people to all of the many exceptions to the stereotypes. A great example brought up by this same committee is the effect of generalizations about old people 's abilities. One very serious consequence of this stereotype is seen in the young people of the world. The National Research Council notes that this misguided expectation of the health and abilities of older people can even cause young people who believe it to create a distorted, negative "understanding of what normal aging is." This is extremely sad because it shows that these stereotypes that people create to help them try and justify the world and "protect" themselves, in actuality have a negative effect on the way that they see the world around them. But these effects are dwarfed when in comparison to those on the person or group that is
The first aspect that I …show more content…
But what is the effect of these stereotypes? Surprisingly, our profound use of stereotypes has both negative effects on the believer of these stereotypes and the ones that they are against. For the person who believes these generalizations, it can create a false sense of expectations and can even distort the way that they treat these other people who fit their stereotype. As put by the National Research Council 's Committee on Aging Frontiers in Social Psychology, "stereotypes people have about others can influence how those others are treated and in turn elicit particular behaviors from the others that are consistent with those stereotypes." In other words, these stereotypes that so many people believe to be generally accurate can in fact blind people to all of the many exceptions to the stereotypes. A great example brought up by this same committee is the effect of generalizations about old people 's abilities. One very serious consequence of this stereotype is seen in the young people of the world. The National Research Council notes that this misguided expectation of the health and abilities of older people can even cause young people who believe it to create a distorted, negative "understanding of what normal aging is." This is extremely sad because it shows that these stereotypes that people create to help them try and justify the world and "protect" themselves, in actuality have a negative effect on the way that they see the world around them. But these effects are dwarfed when in comparison to those on the person or group that is