SOCIAL STEREOTYPES: HOW THEY ARISE, TYPES AND EXAMPLES - PSYCHOLOGY - 2025

The social stereotypes are a number of general beliefs that are related to a group or class of specific individuals. They are usually applied in such a way that the person who owns them thinks that all those belonging to a category have a specific trait.

Social stereotypes have to do with a psychological phenomenon known as social categorization. Because of this, we tend to classify other people into certain social groups. When this happens, we begin to treat each person more as a member of their group than as an individual.

Stereotypes can cause us to ignore specific information about a person, by assuming that just because they belong to a group they will have the same traits as the rest of its members. On the other hand, they can also make us isolate ourselves from someone in a group other than our own, and are often the basis of many prejudices.

How do they arise?

Social stereotypes arise because our mind is constantly categorizing the world around us. Because the processing capacity of our brain is limited, we need to simplify what surrounds us in such a way that we can divide it into more or less clear categories.

In the case of our thoughts about other people, this social categorization occurs spontaneously, without our being aware of it. Due to factors such as our biology and our education, we tend to notice certain characteristics of the people around us that make them belong to a certain group.

Thus, before knowing a person in depth, aspects such as their race, their sex, their sexual orientation or their political affiliation help us to form an unconscious idea about how we think they are. This social categorization leads us to attribute certain traits to it that are typically associated with the group with which we have associated it.

Education or nature?

During the last decades, cognitive psychologists have tried to find the answer to the question of whether social stereotypes are formed spontaneously from birth, or if instead they have to do with the culture in which we were raised.

At first it was thought that only racist, sexist or homophobic people showed stereotypes (which, in the case of being negative, are known as prejudices). However, several studies allowed researchers to discover that all of us automatically stereotype others.

By measuring unconscious responses such as reaction speed or pupil dilation, cognitive psychologists showed that everyone reacts differently to people belonging to different groups.

These findings seem to indicate that stereotypes have their origin in the workings of the human mind. Due to the phenomenon of social classification, people need to categorize others in order to interact with them effectively.

Influence of society

On the other hand, disciplines such as sociology believe that stereotypes, despite having a biological basis, are formed mainly due to the culture in which we are immersed. Factors such as the information we receive from our parents or the media can influence the formation of stereotypes.

For example, according to this theory we tend to associate positive traits with social groups that have been historically privileged, and negative traits with those that have been at a disadvantage. This way of creating stereotypes would be perpetuated by education, cultural expressions and social life in general.

However, because humans need to use stereotypes to be able to handle ourselves properly in the world, it is impossible for us to get rid of them forever. Therefore, the only thing that can change culture is the content of some stereotypes, not the fact that we think in terms of groups.

Are they really hiding anything?

Social stereotypes almost always stem from something true. However, since they are based on the observation of an entire group and not an individual, being blindly governed by these can lead us not to realize the many exceptions that exist.

On the other hand, being governed by social stereotypes can also cause discrimination and prejudice to emerge. Therefore, it is necessary to be aware of our own stereotypes and try to observe reality objectively.

Types

The main types of social stereotypes are the following: race, gender, class, sexual orientation, country, religious and political.

Race

Race stereotypes are based on the attribution of certain characteristics to a person only because of their ethnicity or the color of their skin. Depending on the culture in which they are produced, their content will be different.

Of genre

Another of the characteristics on which we rely the most to classify people is gender. Depending on whether someone is a man or a woman, we will attribute a series of general characteristics just for belonging to a certain gender.

Of class

These stereotypes have to do with the beliefs associated with certain social positions; for example: businessmen, workers, politicians or officials.

Sexual orientation

They are based on the attribution of characteristics to an individual based on the gender of the people to whom they are attracted.

Country

One of the biggest sources of stereotypes is a person's nationality. Although racially related, country stereotypes go one step further and classify individuals based on their land of origin.

Religious

They attribute certain characteristics to people based on their faith and religious beliefs.

Politicians

Similar to the above, political stereotypes consist of thinking in a certain way about someone based on their political and social beliefs.

Examples

Some examples of social stereotypes are the following:

- Thinking that men are more rational than women.

- Believe that Asians are very good with mathematics.

- To think that the French are conceited, and that the Germans are all very punctual and efficient.

- Believe that the employers are all evil and the workers are good and honest.

References

1. "Where Bias Begins: The Truth About Stereotypes" in: Psychology Today. Retrieved on: April 26, 2018 from Psychology Today: psychologytoday.com.
2. "Stereotypes" in: Simply Psychology. Retrieved on: April 26, 2018 from Simply Psychology: simplypsychology.com.
3. "Stereotype" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: April 26, 2018 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.
4. "Social Categorization and Stereotyping" in: Open Text BC. Retrieved on: April 26, 2018 from Open Text BC: opentextbc.ca.
5. "Stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination" in: Open Text BC. Retrieved on: April 26, 2018 from Open Text BC: opentextbc.ca.