“Man is a social animal” . Social acceptance, social
cognitions, extravertisms, are among the many aspects we take into account
while our social interactions. So, quite easily we know how important is mixing
with people and thus forming groups quite inevitable. Having used the world “group”
it might not have been too difficult to conceive it. Although a classic difination,
provided by Sherif suggests:
Whenever individuals belonging to one group interact
collectively or individually, with another group or its member in terms of
their group identifications we have an instance of intergroup behavior.
Though, defining the meaning of “group” more precisely
is problematic. Therefore to avoid large scale social conflicts and other
problems relating defining groups in more specific ways, Tajfel(1978) proposed
that a group is essentially a set of people who feel that they are a group. Tajfel
also proposed that there is continuum of behavior between acting purely in
terms of self and purely in terms of group. This means that one can never act
totally as a group member, forgetting his/her individuality and vice-versa.
Just like formation of groups is inevitable same is the
formation of many groups holding some differences than the others and then
interactions between such groups. According to the social schema, during intergroup
interactions, social categorization is a very likely cognitive process to
happen. Without this process of social categorization, intergroup behavior cannot
occur. Central to this is the concept of stereotyping. Stereotypes are
practiced to preconceptions that mark out certain objects a s familiar or
strange, emphasizing the differences, so that the slightly familiar is seen as
very familiar and the somewhat strange as sharply alien. Stereotype ca also be
defined as a simplified and relatively fixed image of all members of a culture
or group. Their generalizations about people that are based on limited,
sometimes inaccurate but often easily available information and are characterized
by no or minimal contact with members of the stereotyped groups and on second-hand
information rather than first-hand experience.
However, a single statement or attitude about the group
of people that does not recognize the complex multi-dimensional nature of individual
human beings irrespective of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender or
nationality. Stereotypes can be positive, negative or mixed, but are usually
unfair and misleading. In general, they reduce individuals to a rigid,
inflexible image.
Stereotypes matter
because they have EFFECTS. Lyons and Kashima (2003) showed that, when accounts
are passed from one person to another, the true information is at a risk of not
conforming to the stereotyped expectations and hence gradually being dropped. In
the same year they also proved that the emphasis on stereotypical information
was strongest when the story teller and their audience shared the same
stereotypes. Memories also reflect stereotypes (Bellaza and Bower,1981). Fiske
concluded that there is a tendency to remember what matches the stereotypical
expectations more in complex social settings, where due to some reasons people
failed to focus on information which is not in line with the stereotype. What effects
does stereotyping have on those who are stereotyped? The effect is more
importantly called “stereotyped threat”. Steele (1997) suggested that when an
individual is aware that they could be the target of an negative or demeaning
stereotype, there performance may be impaired on tasks relevant to that
stereotype. Simple focus on stereotyped beliefs about other groups may take matters
to prejudice and discrimination.
The flowchart below gives a summary.
Individualsà GROUPà
more than one groupà “us” versus “them”à our’s: familiar as very familiar;
their’s: somewhat strange as alien (STEREOTYPING)à overestimation of intergroup
differencesà PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION
