Janet Jackson Stereotypes of Africa in Together Again
Increasing refugee movements around the globe have not only instigated solidarity among the host societies but as well anti-refugee sentiments and actions. One credible reason for this hostility can exist seen in stereotypes such every bit "refugees are criminal and unsafe". From a psychological viewpoint, however, next to their obvious downsides, stereotypes can be useful tools. But what are stereotypes? When do they assist or impairment? Why are they so persistent and what to do near them? This blog gives some scientific insights into these questions.
Social psychology defines stereotypes as the characteristics ane attributes to a certain social group and its membersane. Stereotypes can relate to whatever sort of social group membership exist it based on nationality, organized religion, profession, or one'south dietary habits. The thoughts that automatically come up to our minds, when nosotros see someone we identify as American, Muslim, doctor, or vegan all count as stereotypes – whether they are positive, negative or neutral in valence. Of form, the typical image that we associate with a group rarely covers the whole picture. Thus, statistically, stereotypes are never 100% true. But why exercise we frequently rely on such unprecise means when nosotros are thinking about social groups?
Why do we need stereotypes?
The elementary answer to this is: because they are useful. We have limited mental resources and need to construction our social environment. To this stop, grouping people together is highly efficient. Deriving expectations based on group memberships are much less effortful than evaluating every individual separatelyane,2. Stereotypes prepare us for encounters with all the same unknown members of a group. They trigger fast and intuitive reactions that might in the best case foreclose usa from dangerone. If the media, for instance, promotes the paradigm of refugees as dangerous, we might be agape of our new neighbor from Syria. This can foster avoidant or fifty-fifty aggressive behaviors in order to protect ourselves. At this point, it becomes clear that the benefits of stereotypes come with serious downsides. They simplify our social environment and prepare u.s. for future interactions. But they besides serve equally a breeding ground for hostility between groups.
Why are stereotypes harmful?
Negative stereotypes can lead to negative attitudes and behaviors toward members of a social group. When we attribute negative characteristics to a social group – for instance, that refugees are unsafe – this likely serves as an argument for a negative evaluation of that group – in this case, disliking refugees. Such negative attitudes or prejudice can foster discrimination and violence1. History tells us that this spiral of hate can even culminate in genocide. For example, the Nazi authorities made apply of and reinforced Germans' stereotypes about Jews in order to legitimate the holocaust. Thus, stereotypes may serve equally a basis for the cruelest deeds humans are capable of. Therefore, changing (specially negative) stereotypes remains one of the well-nigh urgent challenges in times of increasing migration and the resulting social diversity.
Why are stereotypes so hard to change?
Stereotypes non only accept a cerebral and preparative function but besides help to fulfill basic psychological needs. Every bit social beings, humans strive for a positive view on themselves and the social groups they belong to. In this sense, evaluating other social groups as more negative helps to keep upward this positive cocky-concept. This tendency is stronger among people who identify more with their own social groupingthree. For example, stiff identification with ane'due south nation fosters negative stereotypes and prejudice against immigrants. In addition, some stereotypes are culturally shared and persist over generations – they appear in children'south books and are maintained through language. All this contributes to stereotypes' stability and resistance to alter.
How tin can nosotros still overcome stereotypes?
In principle, people tin can command their stereotypes and inhibit potentially negative outcomes, if they are motivated to do and so2. However, many people are neither aware of their stereotypes nor motivated to change them. Withal, stereotype change is also possible in these cases. Offset and foremost, contact with members of another social group can induce stereotype modify by providing a more accurate and (most often) positive image. This is particularly the instance when contact occurs on eye level, when common goals are set, and when in that location is institutional support4,five. But contact sometimes is hard to establish, either due to concrete altitude or psychological barriers such as prejudice and anxietyvi. Here, other strategies might be more promising.
Contact does also works in more than indirect forms. People tend to revise their biased views if they know of friends who have skillful relations with members of another group7. Even but imagining contact with another group can help to overcome stereotypes and prejudice8. This highlights the importance of communication through third parties such as friends and colleagues but also politicians and the media. They can have an affect on whether we change or maintain our beliefs. In this regard, the words nosotros choose when communicating well-nigh other groups are important. Contempo studies show that negating a stereotype (e.g., "refugees are not dangerous") is a more constructive way to induce change than affirming the opposite (e.g., "refugees are benign")ix. Taking such subtle differences into account in our everyday conversations might exist one brick in paving the way to more tolerance betwixt groups.
How to deal with stereotypes afterward all?
In conclusion, I would argue that we have to accept that stereotypes are a part of human nature. They are, indeed, useful psychological tools. But we should exist highly cautious regarding their potential downsides. Being enlightened of stereotypes and knowing how they (also accidentally) spread, are important first steps. But eventually, we need to put try into irresolute negative stereotypes about disadvantaged or rivaling groups. In doing so, we could prevent conflicts between groups and facilitate a peaceful living together.
References
ane Dovidio, J. F., Hewstone, One thousand., Glick, P., & Esses, V. Yard. (2010). Prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination: Theoretical and empirical overview. In J. F. Dovidio, M. Hewstone, P. Glick, & 5. M. Esses (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination (pp. 3–28). M Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Inc.
2 Macrae, C. Due north., & Bodenhausen, G. V. (2000). Social knowledge: Thinking categorically nigh others. Almanac Review of Psychology , 51 , 93–120. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.51.1.93
3 Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In West. Thou. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33–48). Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.
iv Allport, G. W. (1954). The nature of prejudice . Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books.
five Pettigrew, T. F., & Tropp, L. R. (2006). A meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 90 , 751–783. https://doi.org/ten.1037/0022-3514.90.5.751
vi Binder, J., Zagefka, H., Brown, R., Funke, F., Kessler, T., Mummendey, A., … Leyens, J. P. (2009). Does contact reduce prejudice or does prejudice reduce contact? A longitudinal test of the contact hypothesis amidst bulk and minority groups in three european countries. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 96 , 843–856. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0013470
7 Vezzali, L., Hewstone, Yard., Capozza, D., Giovannini, D., & Wölfer, R. (2014). Improving intergroup relations with extended and vicarious forms of indirect contact. European Review of Social Psychology , 25 , 314–389. https://doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2014.982948
8 Crisp, R. J., & Turner, R. N. (2012). The imagined contact hypothesis. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 46 , 125–182. https://doi.org/ten.1016/B978-0-12-394281-4.00003-9
9 Winter, Chiliad., Scholl, A., & Sassenberg, G. (2020). A matter of flexibility: Changing outgroup attitudes through messages with negations. Periodical of Personality and Social Psychology . Accelerate online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000305
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