Do we really choose how we perceive certain phenomena or people?
In everyday life, we all tend to believe in and hold on to various beliefs, stereotypes, and sometimes even prejudices. They undeniably influence our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, shaping the way we perceive the world around us. They affect our opinions, decisions, and actions, determining how we interpret our environment. In a way, they act as a lens through which we view everything happening around us.
What are stereotypes?
Social psychologists describe a stereotype as a simplified schema representing a group of people who share a particular characteristic that differentiates them from others. It is important to realize that stereotypes deeply rooted in one’s subconscious are almost impossible to change, even when confronted with new information. Another related concept is prejudice — a negative attitude toward a certain category of people based solely on their membership in that group. At the same time, a hostile or unfair attitude toward people because they belong to a stereotyped group, rather than judging them based on individual traits, is known as discrimination. Anyone can become a victim of discrimination due to factors such as ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age, or similar characteristics.
Where do they come from?
Sociobiologists believe that all living organisms tend to favor genetically similar individuals and react negatively toward those who are genetically different. Stereotypes and prejudices easily and subtly slip into our subconscious. The environment—family, friends, peers, society, and the media—plays a major role in shaping them. People build their social environment by categorizing themselves and others based on similarities. This leads to the creation of groups with which we identify and those that differ from us. Such categorization can cause negative emotions and actions toward members of another category. However, there’s also a positive side: identifying with one’s own group can increase feelings of support, safety, and self-worth. Following stereotypes may also reflect conformity and the desire to align with group norms.
What can we do about them?
Although stereotypes are often considered natural, there’s no denying that they can be harmful and even evolve into extreme forms of discrimination, such as racism or sexism. To gain control over our beliefs about people and our behaviors toward them, we must make conscious efforts.
It’s worth realizing that stereotypes and prejudices are present in every person’s life. They play a significant role in shaping our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and it’s worth reflecting on how they influence trends in our current reality. They can, in a way, confine our world within fixed beliefs about what seems difficult or unfamiliar. This limits our freedom to reflect, change our perspectives, and grow as individuals.
Through observation and introspection, we can learn to focus on and coordinate our own thoughts. As a result, we create a checkpoint from which we can work on our mindset, open up to new experiences, embrace change, and accept different perspectives and identities. Recognizing our own biases and weaknesses doesn’t make us lose anything — instead, it gives us the chance to make changes, and that takes courage. Few people can admit their mistakes, let alone make amends in the eyes of those harmed by stereotypes and prejudice.
Recommended reading:
- https://sukcespisanyszminka.pl/jak-sobie-radzic-z-nieswiadomymi-uprzedzeniami/ (Unconscious Biases: How They Form and How to Overcome Them), viewed: February 12, 2023
- Bogdan Wojciszke – “Man Among People: An Outline of Social Psychology”, SCHOLAR, Warsaw 2002
- Philip George Zimbardo, Richard Gerrig – “Psychology and Life”, PWN, Warsaw 2006
- Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert – “Social Psychology: The Heart and the Mind”, Zysk i S-ka, Poznań 1997