Individuals have considerable misgivings when they hear cultural generalizations, often viewing them as stereotypes and, as such, socially unacceptable. Almost instinctively, a person may say the following:

Each of these well-intentioned comments brings up an important point: No broad statement of a cultural pattern applies to any given individual. Intercultural competence is not built on stereotypes but can be supported through generalizations.

Through a comparison of stereotypes and generalizations (or archetypes), this entry will examine several ways to distinguish stereotypes from archetypes and will describe constructive approaches to the cautious use of generalizations.