Essay on Is Stereotyping Inevitable - 1740 Words

Prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping are important topics at the cause of debating within social psychology. A stereotype is a generalization about a group of people, in which certain traits cling to all members, regardless of actual individual variation (Akert, Aronson, Wilson, 2010). As humans, people assign objects and individuals into categories to organize the environment. Individuals do this for not only organization, but also survival. Is stereotyping inevitable? That is the question; according to Devine (2007), it is, but Lepore and Brown (2007) have to disagree. Devine believes that â€Å"stereotyping is automatic, which makes it inevitable.† On the other hand, Lepore and Brown are not convinced that stereotyping is†¦show more content†¦Energy and conscious controlled thinking takes effort; this does not apply in social situations, making the stereotype appear (Devine, 1989). Cultural influence affects not only the formation of a stereotype, but also its acceptance. According to the tripartite model of attitudes, a stereotype is the cognitive component of prejudiced attitudes. Many contemporary theorists suggest prejudice is an inevitable consequence of the stereotyping process (Devine, 1989). This makes learning attitudes and stereotypes of social groups inevitable. There is strong evidence that stereotypes are established in children’s memories before they have the ability to use cognitive processing to accept or reject the stereotypes. In this developmental process, the stereotype is easier to access for the child than personal beliefs; therefore, the culture an individual lives in makes it impossible not to apply stereotypes in daily life (Devine, 1989). Schemas are mental structures people use to organize their knowledge about the social world (Akert, Aronson, Wilson, 2010). The accessibility of schemas makes them easier to retrieve in social situations. Priming is also relevant in how people apply schemas. Researchers in Germany pursued the idea that stereotypes organize as multiple, context-specific schemas that activate only by a combination of category and context informationShow MoreRelatedStereotyping Is Inevitable, By James Baldwin1717 Words   |  7 PagesStereotyping is inevitable, we all do it ad we all experience it, but this does not mean it does not effect us. Stereotypes are all around us. They effect the way we think about ourselves and the way we think about the people around us. Stereotyping leads us to act certain ways and treat people certain ways. At times it can be beneficial to a certain group, but may bring many disadvantages to others. Many times stereotypes limit us and restricting our success in life. In â€Å"A Letter to My Nephew,†Read MoreStereotyping986 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Stereotyping In My essay I will discuss stereotyping and different types of stereotyping. I will discuss how in todays society people are stereotyped in different many ways. 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In the world where media propaganda is ubiquitous, often times most stereotypes are not formed on valid experiences, instead they are based on images publicized by the mass media, or even created within our heads after seeing and hearing examples from many different sources, like movies, or even hearsay. Stereotyping is more powerful than we think, becauseRead MoreMedia Representation in Lgbt1343 Words   |  6 Pagesparticular segment of our world (LGBT). Stereotyping people can be harmful and have long lasting effects on us as a society, â€Å"It can transform slight assumptions on people and make them perceived realities† (Meem, Mitchellamp; Jonathan 2010). Such stereotypes are capable of perpetuating inequality and social prejudice in society. However, it is imperative to note that stereotyping through the media is sometimes inevitable. In the case of television, stereotyping occurs through advertisements, newsRead MoreThe Walt Disney Corporation1698 Words   |  7 Pagesantagonists to surmount, and an inevitable happy resolution complete with romantic love waiting in the end† according to Nguyen. What seems to be another common trend in Disney’s formulaic nature is the way in which gender and ethnic groups are portrayed in their animated films. But what appears to be â€Å"wholesome† and â€Å"innocent† within these films can ironically contain negative implicit messages in relation to gender an d racial stereotyping. In terms of gender stereotyping, women are depicted as â€Å"young