Stereotyping

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorCollege, Undergraduate February 2008

download word file, 3 pages 0.0

Have you ever stereotyped someone? Have you ever been stereotyped? Most people naturally stereotype, sometimes they are not even aware that they are already stereotyping. Stereotyping has vast effects, it can either be positive or negative. In this paper, I?m going to discuss some of the negative effects of stereotyping on people. Stereotyping can be defined as the process of categorizing an individual as a member of a specific group, and inferring that he or she has the qualities or attributes generally held by that particular group. Some of the negative effects of stereotyping are group discrimination, bad perceptions which promotes hostility, and unnecessary conflicts which results from constant stereotyping.

People stereotype in many ways, it could be through physical attributes, through the race to which you belong to, through the language you speak, through the actions you show and many other different ways.

Group discrimination is one of the negative effects that can be caused by stereotyping.

People usually tend to relate an individual to a more general group. I, for one, am part Chinese, there were many instances in which I was stereotyped. People always have this common idea that Chinese people are stingy, conservative, and that they are all good in Mathematics. The first reaction I always get is the one related to Math, when they hear that I?m part Chinese, I would here them say? ?You?re Chinese!? You must be good in Math!? People probably have kept this idea because of what they have experienced, but still not every person is the same. When I was still in UP Manila, I also experienced stereotyping, because there were very few Chinese people there, you could count all of them with your two hands. The moment my blockmates heard my surname, they readily knew that I was indeed...