There are various types of stereotypes.
They have an impact on our thinking, actions, social behavior.
Concept definition
What is a stereotype? The stereotype in a broad sense - well-established pattern of behavior, stamp, prejudice.
Often stereotypes have no relation to reality, they are created by the thinking of people on the basis of superficial data.
The word consists of two: "stereo" - "solid" and "tipos" - "imprint", literally imprint in our brain certain concepts.
Beliefs may concern a certain group of people, for example, the presence of a specific trait in a race, behavior, or tradition. Often lead to erroneous perception.
Difference from prejudice
These two concepts are similar, but there are differences between them.
The first term stereotype is a kind of generalization, often is collective, that is, a group of people is convinced of the presence of a certain phenomenon.
For example: all Russian lazy. A person may not even understand why he agrees with certain stereotypes, but he believes and accepts them.
Prejudice wear more personal, often appear after the individual has gone through complex events.
A woman was thrown by a man, and she begins to believe that the whole stronger sex possesses a set of negative traits and we must stay away from men.
A person may be aware of her specific prejudices and critical of them.
Effect of stereotyping
Stereotyping - what is it in psychology? The term means the process of forming a sustainable representation or image. They relate to events, events or people.
Based on his own experience, a person evaluates an event or a phenomenon, as a result a certain notion is formed, which is fixed in the brain. Stereotype is an already formed relation to an object or phenomenon.
When a person encounters something unfamiliar, his brain begins scan and search for something familiar. The resulting image refers to a specific group of phenomena, so it is much easier to classify information and, if necessary, pull it out from memory cells.
Stereotypical thinking and behavior
Think stereotypes - what does it mean?
Such thinking means that a person thinks mostly in patterns.
He does not look for and does not analyze new information, filling the brain with experience, but compares with what is in his memory.
It's easier, it seems that the world is subject to a certain order.
The program can be instilled since childhood. These are attitudes, values, rules of behavior, reaction to events, evaluation of people and events.
Presence of predominantly stereotypical thinking interferes with the full development of personality. Independence in views and behavior is lost.
Stereotype behavior - what is it? This is a template behavior encouraged by society. The person lives, like everyone else, does not stand out, tries to merge with the total mass. She is so comfortable and comfortable. Patterned behavior provides peace of mind, merging with society.
Stereotypes allow you to bring actions to automatism, but they also inhibit the development and do not allow you to look at the situation from another side. With stereotypical behavior, there is a setting: do it only this way and not otherwise.
Stereotypical person - what is it? This is a completely ordinary, typical representative of society. His behavior is due to built-in installations, skills, traditions.
Such a person is difficult to deviate from the patterns, and something new she takes critically and even aggressivelyas it breaks inner harmony and tranquility. He has a pattern of behavior, and he acts and thinks accordingly.
Advantages and disadvantages
pros:
- automatic behavior and thinking, which is necessary in some situations;
- the ability to classify objects and phenomena, which facilitates the process of thinking;
- protect from experiences;
- allow you to be in a particular social group.
Cons of stereotypical behavior more:
- lack of freedom of action and thinking;
- low pace of self-development;
- action on patterns that hinders the perception of new information and learning;
- mistakes, if the situation deviates from the usual, and the person is not able to deviate from the patterns;
- credulity to information, lack of critical analysis, the perception of the data, as it is, just because the majority thinks so.
Who is considered the author of this theory?
The term was coined in the 20s of the last century. The author is considered a journalist. Walter Lippman.
He borrowed it from the printing industry. Initially, the word "stereotype" denoted the printed form. He allowed to reproduce the text many times.
Auto believed the stereotypes:
- not produced by man, but imposed from outside;
- they are false;
- simplify the perception of reality;
- exist for a long time, firmly fixed in the minds of people.
Views and examples
What are the stereotypes? Researchers, psychologists and sociologists single out different types of stereotypes:
- social stereotype;
- ethnic stereotypes;
- stereotypes of perception;
- stereotypes in communication;
- gender stereotypes in modern society;
- heterostereotypes;
- age stereotypes;
- sex role stereotypes;
- modern stereotypes;
- common stereotypes;
- public stereotypes.
Stereotypes are superficialformed by external evaluation. For example, the stiffness of the British, the bright temper of the southern peoples, the laziness of the Russian people.
Superficial stereotypes vary depending on the international situation, the development of society and other factors.
Deep more stable, passed down from generation to generation. For several centuries samovars, furs, and nesting dolls have been considered an obligatory companion of Russian traditions.
Such stereotypes are hard to break.
Attributes that are no longer part of social life can still be used as examples of cultural heritage or for commercial purposes.
Deep stereotypes can form under the influence of historical events.
The special conditions of the origin of Great Britain led to the creation of stereotypes that the people of this country have developed logical thinking, prudence, and pragmatism.
Examples of stereotypes:
- women are evil;
- a successful career is possible in the presence of "blat";
- Jews are a cunning people;
- the man promised - must do;
- boys can not cry;
- you can not take a woman to the ship - to trouble;
- high price means high quality;
- bears walk in the streets of Russia;
- the French are great lovers.
There are many such examples in our life, and often we do not even notice that we think in stereotypes, they become part of our perception of the surrounding reality.
How is their formation?
Stereotypes passed down from one generation to anotherthat's why it's so hard to defend against them.
Already in early childhood, adults lay down principles of behavior in a child, suggest how to act, react, think correctly.
Great influence of society and the specific country of residence.
If stereotypes are formed for the benefit of society, then they are the moral norms that are usually followed. Patterns of behavior help to adapt to society. The child is sent to school, explaining the rules of behavior, the need for training.
However, the inharmonious development of personality leads to the fact that it is easier and calmer for a person to act and think in stereotypes than to take risks and create something new.
Those who depart from the rules achieve much more.
How did they change with the development of society?
With each generation, gender behavior and stereotypes associated with it change a little. That it was not permissible before, now it is considered common. If before marriage and its preservation were important, now many couples live without signing, and divorces happen much more often.
Changed the role of women. She is increasingly seeking a career, occupies positions previously considered masculine. At the same time, the stronger sex is following the opposite development in the direction of acquiring female traits.
Previously, the woman was the keeper of the hearth, the mother, now she provides the family along with the man. Moreover, modern society respects working women morethan housewives.
Functions
Researchers and psychologists distinguish various functions of social stereotypes.
W. Quasthof describes the following:
- Cognitive. Arises, if necessary, organize the information. If something new is being studied, for example, the culture of another people, then some stereotypes may be replaced by others.
- Affective - the allocation among other people of "his" and "alien".
- Social. The formation of social structures, the allocation of categories.
There are also other social stereotyping functions:
- installation of communication. When a person communicates with a stranger, the brain reads out information, compares it with the stored in memory, and decides how to continue communication. For example, talking to a general and a poor person will become different.
- Association in social groups, when their community members and aliens are separated:
- simplifying the analysis of incoming information, reducing its processing time.
Role in human life
For effective activity, a person needs to analyze information and systematize it. It is important to be "among their own". Stereotypes allow us to relate the phenomena to one group.
Patterns of behavior are of great importance in the formation of society; they unite a social group and reinforce its main features.
However, the danger is that stereotypes most often form false, based on primary or superficial data.
They associated with traditionsare transmitted from older generations to younger ones, in some cases it is no longer possible to find out the source of their origin, however they are the basis of national thinking.
Unfortunately, stereotypical thinking significantly limits the capabilities of a person.
Therefore, for the breadth of the outlook, you need to learn correctly analyze incoming information.
If you are traveling to another country and you have a certain pattern of perception and assessment of the nation and culture, it is better to check the information and communicate more deeply with the representatives of the nationality in order to dispel or reinforce a certain stereotype.
Pattern-based behavior also makes life easier, but often becomes the reason that a person misses great opportunities, sees no prospects, makes mistakes in assessing the situation and other people.
Stereotypes - part of our society, but do not follow them blindly. The narrowness of thinking, stereotyped lead to the fact that a person stops in his social, personal and economic development.
Stereotypes, however, can be fought by opening up consciousness for new and interesting information.
Gender stereotypes - what is it? Find out about this from the video:
