A stereotype as a stable idea of something rather harms the construction of judgment, rather than helps him. The phrase “he thinks in stereotypes” has a negative connotation: this is what they say about a person who uses ready-made templates and does not look at the depth of the phenomenon. Nevertheless, they take place in our lives and are sometimes very useful.
Instruction manual
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The concept of "stereotype", formed from the Greek words στερεός - solid and τύπος - imprint, came into the socio-psychological vocabulary from publishing. So-called printing forms used for repeated reproduction of text. Other printing concepts are similar in meaning - cliches, stamps. A stereotype is a stable idea of the traits characteristic of certain social groups, which is transferred to all its representatives.
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Almost always, the stereotype is emotionally colored, and more often negatively. Examples of stereotypical assertions are representations of national character traits. It is generally accepted that all Russians are bastards, Americans are foolish, and the French are stingy.
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One of the first researchers of such a concept as a stereotype, Walter Lippman, identified four main signs of a stereotype. This is a judgment that comes to us from the outside (formed by parents, society, the media), without being tested and comprehended. He always has a connection with reality, but he talks about it, greatly simplifying it. The stereotype is erroneous due to the fact that the property of the group (in itself quite dubious) is transferred to each of its members. Finally, the cliché is tenacious: a Russian teetotaler or an intellectual from America, a person with stereotyped thinking will consider it an exception, but he will not change the general opinion.
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Often, stereotypes are partially or completely false judgments. At the same time, they help to save mental energy, since a person, in principle, cannot afford to give each phenomenon on its way an original and creative understanding. In addition, within the framework of a single social group, stereotypes make it possible to find a common language.
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Stereotypical thinking is a problem only when it interferes with an adequate perception of the situation. Containing a bunch of "emotional coloring + negativity, " the cliché often becomes a propaganda tool that forms fear in relation to a particular ethnic, social group. Therefore, it would be good if each person found the strength in himself not to succumb to imposed stereotypes, but to think about where his idea of various phenomena came from.