Stereotypes
“He thinks in stereotypes”—this is often said about someone with a limited set of ideas about what is good or bad, and about how a “real man” should look. This set of ideas is a ready-made product that doesn’t require reflection or criticism. But why do we need this kind of mental food, and could it be harmful to our mental well-being?
When we filter reality through stereotypes, we engage in both mental and emotional work—we confirm our knowledge about a certain object and simultaneously pass judgment on it.
One of the first researchers of stereotypes, Walter Lippmann, described four main characteristics of these phenomena:
- Stereotypes are always simpler than reality—they describe complex phenomena in just a few phrases (for example, the concept of “male polygamy, developed through evolution for the widest possible spread of genes” is reduced to “all men cheat”).
- Stereotypes come to us from outside sources (as children—from adults, later—from the media and our immediate environment), rather than being formed from our own life experience. By absorbing cultural stereotypes, we accept them as absolute truths, without criticism or reflection.
- All stereotypes are false, because they attribute certain traits to an individual simply because they belong to a particular group (“when talking about love, Indians switch to the language of music and dance,” “Americans only eat hamburgers,” “Old Believers have beards down to their waists”).
- Stereotypes are more convincing than the reality unfolding before our eyes: if we meet a serious and businesslike Indian, we might shake our heads and decide he’s the only Indian in the world who doesn’t sing or dance.
As you can see, stereotypes always concern a group of phenomena, not a single, specific case. The classic formula for a stereotype can be stated as: “All X have property Y”—“all Chinese people are short” (even though the tallest NBA player, Yao Ming, is Chinese and stands 7’6” tall), “rap is music for African Americans” (Marshall Bruce Mathers III, better known as Eminem, would disagree), “golf is a game for rich men” (at the 19th Russian Golf Championship, there were 32 male and 16 female golfers, two of whom play professionally abroad), and so on. The basis for constructing a stereotype can be nationality (“Italians can’t be faithful”), race (“Asians will never be sincere with you”), gender (“women are dumb”), age (“young people live off their parents”), religion (“Islam = terror”), profession (“all politicians are liars”), and so on.
How Does It Work?
A stereotype is an absolutely necessary tool for our consciousness. It helps us save energy by turning a complex reality into a set of clear and concise judgments. By perceiving the world through the filters of stereotypes, we find ourselves in a simple and understandable world where every phenomenon has a label.
As Dr. Igor Kon, Doctor of Sociology, writes, “Stereotypes are an integral part of everyday consciousness. No one is able to respond creatively and individually to every situation they encounter in life. A stereotype, which accumulates a certain standardized collective experience and is instilled in an individual through learning and communication with others, helps them navigate life and guides their behavior in a certain way.”
In addition to simplifying the world around us, stereotypes help us find common ground with others. Members of the same culture form something like a club of shared interests, whose members share common beliefs. Thanks to stereotypes, two groups emerge: “us” and “them,” where “we” are the bearers of all that is good and eternal, and “they” are the bearers of the opposite traits.
On the one hand, this aspect of human psychology helps us feel safe among our own kind; on the other, it creates a fertile environment for hatred and fear.