Stereotypes are ideas about people of other particular groups, based primarily on membership in that group. They may be positive or negative prejudicial, and may be used to justify certain discriminatory behaviors. Some people consider all stereotypes to be negative. Stereotypes are rarely completely accurate, based on some kernel of truth, or completely fabricated. Different disciplines give different accounts of how stereotypes develop: Psychologists focus on how experience with groups, patterns of communication about the groups, and intergroup conflict. Sociologists focus on the relations among groups and position of different groups in a social structure. Psychoanalytically-oriented humanists have argued (e.g., Sander Gilman) that stereotypes, by definition, are never accurate representations, but a projection of an individual's fears onto others, regardless of the reality of others. Although stereotypes are rarely entirely accurate, statistical studies have shown that in some cases stereotypes do represent measurable facts.

Description

Stereotypes are assumed characteristics based on a large group of individuals whose beliefs, habits, and actions are perceived to be similar.

Stereotype production can be based on:

• Historical factors
• Simplification
• Generalization
• Exaggeration
• Presentation of cultural attributes as being 'natural'
• Racism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of discrimination
• Guilt by association

Stereotypes are seen by many as undesirable beliefs imposed to justify the acts of discrimination and oppression. It is thought that education and/or familiarization can change these incorrect beliefs. Other effects are:

• justification of ill-founded prejudices or ignorance
• unwillingness to rethink one's attitudes and behavior towards stereotyped group
• self-fulfilling prophecy for both stereotyping and stereotyped group (white people treat black people in a more hostile way because they are afraid of them; black people accordingly react more aggressively, thus confirming the stereotype...)
• preventing some people of stereotyped groups of succeeding in activities or fields (i.e. white people who are trying to get into the hip hop industry; gay men who are trying to be in the NBA; black people trying to get a bachelors degree, and Asian actors who have lead roles in movies).

There's usually more than one stereotype for the same group. For example, according to stereotypes about Black Americans, Black men are generally supposed to be good musicians and basketball players, but at the same time seen as aggressive, prone to lives of crime, and likely to be on drugs. The effects of stereotypes can have positive and negative effects: Students who were implicitly made aware of their gender behaved as the stereotype suggested:

Asian-American women performed better in math tests when being aware of being Asian, and did worse when being reminded of being women.[1]

Stereotyping can also be created by the media, showing an incorrect judgment of a culture or place.

Often the terms stereotype and prejudice are confused:

• Stereotypes are a generalization of characteristics; they reduce complexity.
• Prejudices are either an abstract-general preconception or an attitude towards individuals.

Stereotype inevitability

Main article: stereotype inevitability

Prejudices are usually based on general Stereotypical conceptions of our everyday "reality" (including persons [even ourselves], objects processes, facts, value-norms, rules etc.).
However, they need to be converted into "attitudes", in order to be considered as "prejudices", and they usually carry a negative connotation.

Of groups

Common stereotypes include a variety of allegations about groups based on age, ethnicity, gender, nationality, disability, profession, sexual orientation, race, religious belief, size, species, physical appearance, and social class (see social stereotype). Stereotypes can also be based on individual impairments.

In culture

This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details. This article has been tagged since September 2007.

Stereotypes are common in the world of drama, where the term is often used as a form of dramatic shorthand for "stock character". Increasingly the active use of stereotypes in drama is a prerequisite for an audience accepting them as legitimate. The unwitting use of stereotypes appears hackneyed to a postmodern audience who refuses to tolerate the representation of individuals as simply the stereotype. Examples of active use are found in the work of Brecht and other dramatic styles which allow the actor to demonstrate a character with a degree of role distance, thus showing the active use. The Italian commedia Dell'arte was known for its stock characters and stock situations, which could be considered drama stereotypes. Retrospectively these stock characters have been illuminated by the work of Brecht, Dario Fo and Jacques Lecoq, and revealed to be far from simple stereotypes in their current evolution, despite their original reference to local Italian stereotypes in their early genesis. Importantly in drama the actor does not create a stereotype rather their characterisation may be simple in that they represent an uncritical reflection of the stereotype, and it is this simplicity which aggravates a postmodern audience. A subtle and detailed characterisation, especially of the commedia Dell'arte stock characters, results in a unique and immediate performance that will be enjoyed by an audience due to the clear active use of the characters by the actor.

In literature and art, stereotypes are clichéd or predictable characters or situations. For example, the stereotypical devil is a red, impish character with horns, bifurcated tail, and a trident, whilst the stereotypical salesman is a slickly-dressed, fast-talking individual who cannot usually be trusted. Throughout history, storytellers have drawn from stereotypical characters and situations, in order to quickly connect the audience with new tales. Sometimes such stereotypes can be very complex and sophisticated, such as Shakespeare's Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Arguably a stereotype that becomes complex and sophisticated ceases to be a stereotype per se by its unique characterisation. Thus while Shylock remains politically unstable in being a stereotypical Jew, the subject of prejudicial derision in Shakespeare's era, his many other detailed features raise him above a simple stereotype and into a unique character, worthy of modern performance. Simply because a feature of a character can be categorized as being typical does not make the entire character a stereotype.

Despite their proximity in etymological roots, cliché and stereotype are not used synonymously in cultural spheres. For example a cliché is a high criticism in narratology where genre and categorization automatically associates a story within its recognizable group. Labelling a situation or character in a story as typical suggests it is fitting for its genre or category. Whereas declaring that a storyteller has relied on cliché is to pejoratively observe a simplicity and lack of originality in the tale. To criticize Ian Fleming for a stereotypically unlikely escape for James Bond would be understood by the reader or listener, but it would be more appropriately criticized as a cliché in that it is overused and reproduced. Narrative genre relies heavily on typical features to remain recognizable and generate meaning in the reader/viewer.

Of course, there is plenty of room for criticizing the representation of the 'Bond girls' as stereotypical.

The instantly recognisable nature of stereotypes mean that they are very useful in producing effective advertising and situation comedy. Media stereotypes change and evolve over time - for instance, we now instantly recognize only a few of the stereotyped characters shown to us in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. The teen sitcom, Saved By The Bell features a typical group of high school stereotypes such as a class clown (Zack Morris), a jock (A.C. Slater), a nerd (Samuel "Screech" Powers), a cheerleader (Kelly Kapowski), a feminist (Jessie Spano), and a superficial fashion plate (Lisa Turtle). Some observed the sitcom, like many teen sitcoms of that time, in addition to stereotyping people, stereotyping an institution itself, that of high school. TV stereotypes of high schools have often promoted a "typical American school" as football games, fashion styles, skirt chasing, and not much devotion to academics or studying.

Etymology

The word stereotype was invented by Firmin Didot in the world of printing; it was originally a duplicate impression of an original typographical element, used for printing instead of the original. American journalist Walter Lippmann coined the metaphor, calling a stereotype a "picture in our heads" saying "Whether right or wrong, ...imagination is shaped by the pictures seen... Consequently, they lead to stereotypes that are hard to shake." (Public Opinion, 1922, 95-156).^[1] In fact, cliché and stereotype were both originally printers' words, and in their literal printers' meanings were synonymous. Specifically, cliché was a French word for the printing surface for a stereotype.^[2]

The first reference to "stereotype", in its modern, English use was in 1850, in the noun, meaning "image perpetuated without change".^[3]

Ethology

In ethology, stereotyped behavior or fixed action pattern is an innate, pre-programed response that is repeated when an animal is exposed to an environmental innate releasing mechanism.

See also

• Archetype
• Animal stereotypes
• Sexual stereotyping
• Counterstereotype (antonym)
• Ethnic stereotype
• Stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims
• Stereotypes of East and Southeast Asians
• Stereotypes of Hispanics
• Stereotypes of Native Americans
• Stereotypes of West and Central Asians
• Stereotypes of blacks
• Stereotypes of whites
• Intercultural competence
• LGBT stereotypes
• Prejudices
• Racial profiling
• Role
• Stock character
• Stigmatization
• Stereotype threat
• Psychology:
• Negativity effect
• Outgroup homogeneity bias
• Physical attractiveness stereotype
• Trait ascription bias

Lists

• List of stereotypical characters in the world of drama

External links

• A dedicated site for discussion on stereotypes http://letsbuildanation.org/asialinkforum/index.php
• Social Psychology Network Stereotyping
• Understanding Stereotypes - Educational information about stereotypes.
• Short movie: Stereotypes in conflict - Reaction from people in shopping center on business men, weird & slutty types and goths.
• Stereotypes: Risk or Opportunity? - Thoughts on stereotypes and how stereotyping influences our preferences.
• SEPARATING the GOLD from the DROSS: a guide to multicultural literature
• On Stereotypes and Cultural Differences
• Media Awareness Network. What is a stereotype? Definition, role of stereotyping in the media, more links
• A Galleryblog on stereotypes A blog dedicated to the study of stereotypes in American mass culture; in particular, stereotypes of Latinas/os, Mexicans, and other Hispanic "types." The blog is a continuation of a discussion in Tex(t)-Mex --a University of Texas Press book (2007).
• Stereotypes Are A Real Time-Saver (Parody)
• Dictionary - Sterotype Online Dictionary

Notes

Bibliography

• Stuart Ewen, Elizabeth Ewen, Typecasting: On the Arts and Sciences of Human Inequality. New York (Seven Stories Press) 2006
• Stereotype & Society A Major Resource: Constantly updated and archived
• Social Psychology Network Stereotyping
• Media Awareness Network. What is a stereotype? Definition, role of stereotyping in the media, more links
• Are Blonds Really Dumb? An article on Stereotyping(registration required)

•  • [ e] Topics on racism
History of racism	Apartheid • The Holocaust • Racism in the United States • Anti-racism • Civil rights movement
Racist ideologies	White supremacy • Black supremacy • Social Darwinism • Nazism • Aryanism
Acts of racism	Institutional racism • State racism • Racial profiling • Racism by country • Ethnic nationalism • Hate speech • Racial segregation • Stereotype • Scientific racism • Slavery • Crime of apartheid
Racial violence	Ethnic cleansing • Hate crime • Race war • Genocide • Lynching
Racism against groups	American Indians • Arabs • Armenians • Blacks • Chinese • Iranians • Irish • Italians • Japanese • Jews • Mexicans • Poles • Roma people • South Asians • Whites
Racist groups	Ku Klux Klan • Neo-Nazis • Grey Wolves • South African National Party • Nation of Islam
Anti-racist groups and movements	NAACP • Anti-Defamation League • Anti-Fascist Action • Civil Rights Movement • Southern Poverty Law Center