Stereotype (Psychology)

A belief that individuals who belong to a certain group have certain characteristics because they belong to that group. For example, gender stereotypes tend to associate certain characteristics with a person depending on whether the person is male or female. Women are assumed to be emotional and illogical, while men are assumed to be unemotional and logical. Ethnic stereotypes assume that people have certain characteristics because they are of a certain ethnicity. For example, Germans are assumed to be organized, the Scottish to be frugal, and the Irish to drink a lot. Occupational stereotypes assume that people have certain characteristics because they belong to certain occupational groups. For example, accountants are perceived as dull, IT people are seen as nerdy, and [Page 491]artists are seen as erratic. Stereotypes are based on schemas that have been formed about certain categories. While stereotypes overgeneralize the degree to which the characteristics of a group apply to all members of that group, stereotypes are a part of normal cognitive processing. As the brain attempts to process information as efficiently as possible, stereotyping saves cognitive energy by not having to classify each person individually. As a consequence, however, stereotypes can lead to inaccurate perceptions of individuals.