Stereotyping and its Negative Impacts on Society

Stereotyping and its Negative Impacts on Society

Introduction

Stereotype is a thought, concept or visualization about the lifestyles, clothes or any activity of a person or a group of people, which may not reflect reality. When stereotyping about the person, it may negatively influence the perception of people about others. A stereotype can be about a person's cloths, attitude, behaviour, racial, social, religious and even on a gender (Harrison, 2012). These assumptions and ideas affect the society and individuals while creating the mindsets in the people about certain groups or individual.

Impact of Stereotypes on Society

Stereotypes are developed when the person had an experience or one listens to the group of people which develops the mindset about certain people which may not reflect reality. They have powerful influence within a society where the person who develops the stereotype and the one who suffers under it both are affected adversely. Society often sometimes distorts reality by accepting or even exaggerating the stereotypes (Dyer, 1999). In this way the people are disvalued and discouraged in the society and lose their genuine value which often keeps them from making contribution in the society. It affects the relationships, working environment and also the environment in educational institutions. The people who suffer from stereotypes feel loss of self-esteem or emotional damage.

Examples of stereotypes

Considering the black people as violent is a stereotype. It will adversely influence the image of the black people in the mind of the other people. In response society will avoid communicating or will degrade the black people. Someone might have seen black people doing violation, so it does not make all the black people violent. With this assumption some one might refuse to give the job to black people. They will not sit beside them while travelling or will not sit beside them in the park.

Arabs and the Muslims are terrorist is a stereotype. This assumption widely influenced the Muslim societies across the world which made the community suffer. In this way other communities have developed their mindset about the Arabs and Muslims and will make adverse assumptions about their culture and people rather learning anything about them. This will create adverse impact where people will refuse and avoid any contact with the Muslim community without realizing the fact that Islam is a peace loving religion.

Old age people are dumb and slow is a stereotype. This assumption ...