Stereotype

Definition of Stereotype:

- A stereotype is a belief about a group of individuals that people apply to any given individual deemed to be part of that group.

- Stereotype are a heuristic, or tool, to help humans process an overwhelming amount of information as we try to learn about the world around us.

- Stereotype enable the development of ingroup, which can lead to the poor treatment of outgroups. if someone are perceived to be different from you, you might have an easier time treating them poorly. Stereotype distinguish people.

- The universal application of a stereotype to every perceived member of a group is  prejudicial.

-  Stereotypes are characteristics ascribed to groups of people involving gender, race, national origin and other factors. These characteristics tend to be oversimplifications of the groups involved, however. 

For example, someone who meets a few individuals from a particular country and finds them to be quiet and reserved may spread the word that all citizens from the country in question are quiet and reserved. A generalization such as this doesn’t allow for diversity within groups and may result in stigmatization and discrimination of groups if the stereotypes linked to them are largely negative. That said, even so-called positive stereotypes can be harmful due to their limiting nature

Example of Stereotype:

The first example: One of the more common stereotype examples is stereotypes surrounding race. For example, saying that all Blacks are good at sports is a stereotype, because it’s grouping the race together to indicate that everyone of that race is a good athlete.

the second example: it may be a stereotype that Asian people love to eat rice. So according to this stereotype, if you are Asian, that automatically means that you will unconditionally love to eat rice. This can already show that generalizations made from stereotypes are not the most reliable to base your judgement on. Typically racial and ethnic group stereotypes come from some degree of prejudice thought. 

Visual Example of Stereotype:

Figure 1 presents four examples of visual stereotypes. Many observers will in these pictures see a teenager (1a), a housewife (1b), a craftsman (1c), and an air-hostess (1d). A visual stereotype, in our sense of the term, consists of a number of visual attributes in a person that will make a majority of observers perceive the person as an illustration, or a typical instance, of a human group, a professional group, a social group, etc. That is, the visual input activates expectations on other – not visible – attributes in the person: how he/she is likely to behave and to talk, what he/she can be expected to say or not say, what attitudes and opinions he/she will be likely to have, etc. In this way visual cues carry social baggage.

Gender is often an important aspect of visual stereotypes. A “typical craftsman” is a man, whereas a “typical air hostess” is a woman (see Figure 1). Furthermore, a representation of a “typical scientist” is at the same time also a representation of a “typical male scientist”, whereas a “typical female scientist” is a stereotype of its own. Correspondingly, the visual stereotype of a “sweetie” concords with that of a “female sweetie”, whereas “male sweetie” is another and separate visual stereotype. Gender will be a recurring issue in this text. 

                                              Figure 1. Examples of visual stereotypes

Source:

Boundless. “Stereotypes in Every Life”. Boundless Sociology. Boundless, 27 Jun. 2014. Retrieved 20 Jan. 2015.

<https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/social-interaction-5/types-of-social-interaction-51/stereotypes-in-everyday-life-322-3421/>

http://racerelations.about.com/od/understandingrac1/g/WhatIsaStereotype.htm

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/stereotype-examples.html

https://iseibpsychology2012.wikispaces.com/Define+and+provide+examples+for+stereotyping,+prejudice,+and+discrimination.

http://www.ifets.info/journals/11_4/1.pdf