The word stereotypes refers to an idea, model or image that is usually linked to a social group, which is attributed to its skills, qualities and abilities, as well as other properties that are unalterable.
The word is of Greek origin and is made up of stereos, meaning “solid”, and týpos, which can be translated as “impression”.
Stereotypes are a set of pre-established attitudes, beliefs and ideas that are applied in a general way to different people, who are classified within a social category based on their age, ethnicity, race, nationality, origin or sexual orientation..
That is why sometimes stereotyped concepts can be confused with preconceived ideas and opinions, as well as prejudices, often leading to stereotypes becoming derogatory or offensive definitions. These are received negatively by other people.
In the same way, stereotypes can come to be considered immediate assumptions that, without foundation, a person makes based on the consideration of different aspects or superficial elements of a person, such as their sexuality, the level of income they have or their behavior.
So you can find different types of people who can be considered stereotyped, such as nerds, geeks, dumb blondes…
It must be kept in mind that a stereotype can generate different attitudes that are undesirable and that should not occur between people. This is the case of discrimination or intolerance towards all those people who have a different religion, who come from another country, who have a different race or who have different sexual preferences, for example.
On the other hand, not all stereotypes have a negative connotation, since there are also positive stereotypes such as that, for example, American basketball players have great quality.
In addition, in antiquity, specifically in the 18th century, the word stereotype was defined as the impression taken from a lead mold and used in the printing press to replace the original type. Hence, the stereotype is the “mark” of the appearance of people, their behavior, their culture…
How do stereotypes work?
The way to understand how stereotypes work can be divided into three components:
- Cognitive: It makes it possible to recognize a stereotype, since it fits into previous knowledge about it. This allows you to be in a category where it is easy to recognize certain groups.
- Affective: The feelings that a person has also influence stereotypes. These can be positive or negative, such as hostility or prejudice.
- Behavior: On the other hand, there is a third component that involves performing certain actions that are associated with different stereotypes. For example. when a person is not given a job because they are part of a specific group.
These components can be presented both individually, or in a set of part or all of them.
Concept of stereotype in other fields
Depending on the field in which the word stereotypes is applied, it can have one or other meanings, being some of the fields in which it has different meanings in the following:
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Stereotypes in the media
In the media and advertising campaigns sector, it is common for the people in charge of working in it to resort to different stereotypes, whether they are charisma or beauty.
In this way, different stereotypes that are easily recognizable by the audience are usually reproduced in a commercial or program. Some examples are the comedian, the gallant, the beautiful, the tough…
On the other hand, it must be taken into account that the media, as well as the Internet, have contributed significantly to the creation of new stereotypes of different kinds. This is because social media and television offer different perspectives on how a person should behave and look.
This directly affects the way people behave towards those people who do not meet those standards considered suitable.
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Computer stereotypes
In the computer environment, the stereotype is a concept that is part of the Unified Modeling Language, used to group the different behaviors. In this way, the stereotype is used as a vehicle for the communication of the requirements of the programs and routines, and the designs, lacking any type of negative connotation.
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Stereotypes in art and literature
In art and literature, clichés are considered stereotypes, that is, those characters with a predictable attitude that corresponds to a certain type of behavior. This is the case of those characters who are considered the villain or the hero.
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Cultural stereotypes
In the cultural aspect, stereotypes are directly related to the way of acting of the citizens of a town in their daily life. In this way, for example, Mexico is identified with typical dishes such as tacos or, with the costumes of the mariachis.