Types of stereotypes. Properties, functions and types of stereotypes

One of the most effective ways to influence people's minds are stereotypes. For example, the US social psychologist Robert Cialdini writes: “We are exposed to stereotypes from early childhood, and they haunt us so relentlessly throughout our lives that we rarely comprehend their power. However, each such principle can be discovered and used as an instrument of automatic influence.

Stereotypes are pre-perception tools that allow a person to facilitate this process, and each stereotype has its own social scope. Stereotypes are actively used to evaluate a person according to social, national, or professional characteristics.

For the first time, the concept of “stereotype” was introduced in 1922 by W. Lippmann: “A stereotype is a simplified, pre-accepted representation that does not follow from one’s own experience. These simplifications greatly affect the perception and understanding of the phenomena of the surrounding reality.

In the concept of W. Lippman, a stereotype in its form is a vivid emotional representation of a phenomenon and an object, which is embedded in consciousness in the process of socialization.

In domestic psychology, until the end of the 50s, the term "stereotype" was not used. This was considered most comprehensively by P.A. Sorokin. He defines a stereotype as "a certain process and result of communication (behavior) according to certain semiotic models, the list of which is closed due to certain semiotic-technological principles adopted in a certain society."

A. A. Bodalev in his article “Stereotypes and their role in personality assessment” presents a stereotype as “a model of perception, filtering, interpretation of information accepted in the historical community when recognizing and recognizing the world around, based on previous social experience”.

Another definition given by A. S. Ageev, “stereotypes serve as the core of our personal tradition, a way to protect our position in society. They represent an ordered, more or less consistent picture of the world. Our habits, tastes, abilities, pleasures and hopes are conveniently located in it. The stereotypical picture of the world may be incomplete, but it is a picture of a possible world to which we have adapted.”

There are also such definitions of the concept of "stereotype":

1) A stereotype is a judgment, in a sharply simplifying and generalizing form, with emotional coloring, attributing certain properties to a certain class of persons or, conversely, denying them these properties. Stereotypes are considered as special forms of information processing that facilitate the orientation of a person in the world.

2) A stereotype is understood as the existence of stable links between the structural units of an organism.

3) A social stereotype is usually understood as a simplified, schematized, emotionally colored and extremely stable image of a social group or community, easily extended to all its representatives.

Often, when defining a social stereotype, they emphasize its integrity, pronounced evaluative and value coloring, its load with the so-called erroneous component, etc.

A common place in the definitions of a social stereotype is also its recognition as a predominantly negative phenomenon that prevents a complete, adequate mutual understanding of people, interpreting it as a kind of blinders that distort the vision of social reality.

4) Stereotypes are stably repeating chains (templates, patterns) of thoughts, feelings and actions. Stereotypes are our habitual ways of perceiving and reacting to situations. In a way, it is our way of thinking, looking and responding to the world. In a narrower sense, these are artificially isolated fragments of our behavioral repertoire.

In our opinion, the most capacious concept was proposed by A. A. Bodalev, since it accurately reflects the essence of the concept of "stereotype".

Based on these definitions, we can distinguish the characteristic features that are inherent in stereotypes:

stable judgment about someone or something;

they are based on experience;

have a huge impact on people's perception of the world.

Many researchers (W. Lippman, A. Oslan) believe that stereotypes start working even before the intelligence. This leaves a specific imprint on the data that is perceived by our senses even before these data reach the mind. To some extent external incentives, especially spoken or printed ones, activate some part of the stereotype system, so that the immediate impression and the early opinion appear in the mind at the same time.

In cases where experience conflicts with a stereotype, two outcomes are possible:

1) if an individual is extremely uncomfortable to change his stereotypes, he can ignore this contradiction and consider it an exception that confirms the rule.

2) if he has not lost interest, then what has just been accepted is integrated into the already existing picture of the world and changes it.

The main function of stereotypes is to classify and mediate new information, to serve as a guide in behavior.

The English psychologist G. Tezhfel identifies two functions of stereotypes:

cognitive (selection of social information, schematization, simplification);

value-protective (creation and maintenance of a positive "I-image");

The German researcher U. Quasthof identifies three main functions of stereotypes:

cognitive - generalization when ordering information, when something striking is noted. For example, when assimilating a foreign culture in a foreign language class, one has to replace some stereotypes (regulating the interpretation of speech) with others;

affective - a certain measure of ethnocentrism in interethnic communication, manifested as a constant selection of "one's own" as opposed to "alien";

social - the distinction between the intra-group and the extra-group: leads to social categorization, to the formation of social structures that are actively oriented in everyday life.

The following functions of the stereotype are also distinguished:

1) Adaptive function - it becomes necessary to protect group interests, values, stereotypes.

2) The function of ideologization - a stereotype is necessary to form and protect the ideology of the group. 3) The function of identification is the creation and preservation of positive emotions, thoughts, images.

Stereotypes are considered not only in the works of sociologists, but also in the works of advertising specialists, conflictologists, psychologists, and ethnopsycholinguists. Representatives of each of the above sciences has its own idea of ​​a stereotype and its own classification of this concept. So, representatives of different sciences distinguish:

social stereotypes

ethnocultural stereotypes

mental stereotypes

communication stereotypes

response stereotypes

stereotypes of perception and evaluation

stereotypes of thinking

stereotypes of behavior

learning stereotypes, etc.

But the most important are social stereotypes, as a fairly broad concept. All researchers noted various features of social stereotypes, their properties, functions and types. There are different types of stereotypes:

Basically, there are autostereotypes, which reflect people's ideas about themselves, and heterostereotypes, which reflect ideas about another people, another social group.

Stereotypes can be individual and social, which express ideas about a whole group of people. Social stereotypes are characterized by rather high persistence. Very often they are passed down from generation to generation, even if they are far from reality.

All stereotypes can also be divided into stereotypes of behavior and stereotypes of consciousness:

Stereotypes of behavior are stable, regularly repeated behavior of a sociocultural group and individuals belonging to it, which depends on the value-normative system functioning in this group. They are closely related to the stereotypes of consciousness.

Stereotypes of consciousness, as fixing the ideal representations of the value-normative system, are the basis for the formation of stereotypes of behavior. Stereotypes of consciousness create models of behavior, stereotypes of behavior introduce these models into life.

They also include as more particular cases of ethnic, age, political and a number of other stereotypes.

1) Ethno-cultural stereotypes (ethnic) - this is a special kind of social stereotype, a generalized idea of ​​the typical features that characterize a people.

In everyday consciousness and in the mass media, ethnic stereotypes are widely believed to be an exclusively negative phenomenon. This is largely due to the fact that in the world of science, negative stereotypes of ethnic minorities subjected to discrimination were most often studied. However, the stereotype can be both negative and positive.

specificity ethnic group- features fixed in culture and public consciousness, developed in the course of socio-historical development;

socio-political and economic conditions for the development of an ethnic group and the peculiarities of interaction between them;

duration and depth of historical contacts with other ethnic groups.

2) Age stereotypes are traits and properties attributed to persons of a given age and set by them as an implied norm; ideas about how the growth, development and transition of an individual from one age stage to another should proceed.

Age stereotypes are ambiguous, as they reflect the conventionality of age boundaries and terminology. For example, in the twentieth century, numerous theories of youth were created, in which a teenager was presented as: 1) a savage, due to the unlimited imagination, the intensity of a developed sense of self-preservation, ardor, liveliness, curiosity, carelessness (P. Lombroso); 2) crazy, due to his tendency to superstition, illusions, pride and morbid ambition, a tendency to unmotivated actions, teasing (K. Olbert); 3) a criminal due to his inherent anger, deceit, cruelty, extreme vanity and selfishness (C. Lombroso); 4) a pansexual being, almost a maniac (Z. Freud). Teenage life contains many contradictions, the manifestations of which give rise to the above judgments, however, based on the same characteristics of adolescence, one can see the opposite picture of a teenager striving for an ideal, sensitive, sentimental and vulnerable.

K. Victor identifies a whole set of stereotypes in relation to older people: 1) all old people are similar to each other; 2) older people are socially isolated; 3) most of them are in poor health; 4) dismissal from work creates more problems for men than for women; 5) most old people are isolated or neglected by their families; 6) at this age, they are not interested in sexual life or are simply not capable of it; 7) an old person cannot study; 8) mental qualities deteriorate with age. 9) Since the old person has difficulty walking and vision problems, it is also assumed that he or she has difficulty understanding others, is unable to make everyday decisions, and has lost interest in world events and in one's own sexuality.

Both in relation to older people and in relation to adolescents, the so-called homogeneity effect of the “alien” group is triggered, which is expressed in the feeling that “they” “all have the same face” and are different from “us” and “our group”.

3) Political stereotypes - a stable and mass phenomenon of political consciousness or actions that form the political space. Stereotypes perform the function of political clichés, templates and stencils, creating unity in society and facilitating the management activities of the elite.

Political organization is impossible without political stereotypes, since they act as the basis of the personality and the conditions for its socialization. In this regard, political stereotypes can be interpreted as traditions, without which no socio-political system, even the most dynamic one, can exist (link). Political stereotypes can express a variety of phenomena, ranging from deep ideological axioms to external moments, for example, fashion for the image of politicians.

When studying the concepts of "stereotype", we found that:

A stereotype is a pattern of perception, filtering, and interpretation of information accepted in the historical community when recognizing and recognizing the world around, based on previous social experience.

Based on this, we can conclude that stereotypes work automatically, i.e. subconsciously. Therefore, it is our way of perceiving and reacting to different situations.

Stereotypes in advertising

Psychologists believe that any information, influencing a person, can create a socio-psychological attitude in him. Under the installation it is customary to understand the internal psychological readiness of a person for any action. Stereotypes can be considered such a stable attitude. They are the most effective ways to influence the audience through advertising.

There are a number of properties of stereotypes used in advertising:

Influence on consumer decision making;

2) Depending on the nature of the attitude (positive or negative), stereotypes almost automatically “suggest” some arguments in relation to the advertised product and displace others from consciousness that are opposite to the first;

3) The stereotype, in contrast to the "need in general", has a pronounced specificity. Stereotypes are: positive, negative, neutral (they are also called stereotypes of "fame, but indifference").

1) Detection of stable topics of conversation about the product among acquaintances, buyers;

2) Conducting surveys, interviews, questionnaires in small focus groups;

3) Acceptance of an unfinished offer, when the buyer continues the phrase started by the advertiser in relation to a particular product;

4) Using the method of identifying associations, when a small group of respondents are asked to write within 30 seconds what they associate with this or that product, this or that company.

As the American psychologist Robert Cialdini writes: “Astonishing technological advances have led to a real information explosion, a person has become much more options in almost all areas of activity, the amount of knowledge has increased significantly. In such circumstances, the ability to quickly make the right decisions is of particular importance.<…>We are forced to take a different approach to the decision-making process - an approach that is based on stereotyped behaviors, whereby the decision to give in (or agree, or believe, or buy) is made on the basis of a single, usually trustworthy, piece of information. Due to the increase in the level of mental stress, it is likely that in the future people will increasingly make decisions automatically, without thinking. Therefore, most likely, stereotypes of influence will increasingly succeed.

What is a stereotype as a phenomenon of a social system? Representatives of various sciences study the stereotype as part of their tasks. Philosophers, sociologists, culturologists, ethnographers are interested in the ethnic aspects of stereotypes. Psychologists consider the influence of gender stereotypes. A single concept of "stereotype" covers all spheres of human life.

Stereotype - what is it?

At the end of the 17th century, the French publisher F. Didot invented a device that saves time, labor and price in printing business. Before the invention, the text for the book each time was typed anew, which led to a huge expenditure of resources. Dido's new creative solution was to make casts from the typed text, then metal stamp plates were cast, allowing books to be printed in large numbers. F.Dido called his invention - a stereotype: "στερεός" - solid "τύπος" - image.

What does a stereotype mean as a concept in the modern world? In Walter Lippman, an American publicist in 1922 introduced the term "stereotype" into the social environment and described its meanings as: the impossibility of an individual to know the whole picture of the real world without simplifying it. A person carries out his activities, relying not on obvious direct knowledge, but on ready-made cliché templates introduced by others: relatives, acquaintances, the system, the state.

Types of stereotypes

A child is born and with mother's milk absorbs lullabies, fairy tales, traditions and legends belonging to his ethnic group. Growing up, the baby learns the norms and regulations that are characteristic of his family and clan as a whole. Educational institutions are doing their part. This is how stereotypical thinking is gradually formed. A person is literally “overgrown” with stereotypes. Common types of stereotypes identified by different experts:

• stereotypes of thinking
• stereotypes of behavior;
• ethnocultural stereotypes;
• response stereotypes;
• communication stereotypes, etc.

The functions of stereotypes can be conditionally divided into "positive" and "negative". The main positive aspect of the stereotype is the economy of human mental activity. A person, in his short life, cannot know everything about everything, but on the basis of the experience of others, he can have an idea of ​​many things, even if they are not related to his reality. The negative aspect comes down to the fact that personal experience (even a single one) confirming the correctness of one or another stereotype is fixed in the subconscious and makes it difficult to perceive people and phenomena in a different way.

Gender stereotypes

A person performs various social roles, including gender ones. The gender role determines the norms of recommended behavior, based on belonging to the male or female gender and the characteristics of the country's culture. What ? The role of a man or woman in society is determined by many traditions and way of life that have been established over the centuries. So far, stereotypes have not become obsolete, the echo of which can be traced in proverbs and sayings of different peoples:

• woman - the keeper of the hearth;
• a man is a provider;
• women are fools;
• a woman without children is like a tree without branches;
• a lonely woman is a wingless bird;
• a man without a wife is like a barn without a roof;
• a man promises, a man fulfills;
• the little man is not a flirt, but loves to fight.

ethnic stereotypes

Effective interethnic communication today plays an important role in achieving peace and cooperation between peoples. National stereotypes are the cultural representations of a people as a nation about themselves (autostereotypes) and about other peoples (heterostereotypes) developed over the centuries. The study of stereotypes of ethnic groups - helps to find out the features, habits, culture for useful interaction between different countries.

Social stereotypes

What is a social stereotype? Stable and simplified matrices of images of social objects (person, group, profession, gender, ethnic group). At the same time, stereotypes of thinking can turn out to be false and form erroneous knowledge. As a rule, the stereotype is based on observations based on real facts and personal experience, but sometimes the stereotype plays a destructive role when it is applied in a situation that falls out of the general pattern and “sticking” labels on a person occurs. Examples of social stereotypes:

• without "blat" it is impossible to build a successful career;
• the child must be obedient;
• to be successful, you need to graduate from a prestigious university;
• all men need only one thing from women...;
• all accountants are bores, and lawyers are crooks;
• money is evil;
• Japanese cars are the highest quality;
• Jews are the most cunning;
• a man is a womanizer, a drunkard.

Cultural stereotypes

Cultural stereotypes of the society affect the emotions of a person, which are associated with physicality and are supported by gestures. Emotions and gestures are a universal language among peoples similar in cultural customs, but in some countries they can acquire a completely opposite meaning. Before you travel to other countries, it is useful to study the customs of these states. It combines Culture: stereotypes of goal-setting, communication, perception, worldview. Stereotypical behavior is an important stage in the formation of rituals (religious) of different cultures.

Popular stereotypes

What is a stereotype - this question is mostly answered “correctly”, “stereotypically”. Society is accustomed to thinking in popular terms, the reason for this lies in the lack or shortage of information and the inability to confirm this information. The stereotype of thinking (mental attitude) - “I am like everyone else” means belonging to one’s family, group, people, state, and has a downside: it drives into the framework of restrictions, impoverishes a person’s personal experience. Popular stereotypes accepted in society:

• audacity second happiness;
• figure standard - 90/60/90;
• it is good there - where we are not;
• beats - it means loves;
• eat breakfast yourself, share lunch with a friend, give dinner to an enemy;
• a woman on a ship - to be in trouble;
• get married before 30;
• girls should wear pink, boys blue;
• women are the weaker sex;
• expensive means high quality;

Stereotypes about Russians

Stereotypes about Russia can be traced in various tales and anecdotes, invented both by the Russians themselves and by other peoples. Stereotypically, Russians appear in jokes as “boys-shirts, extremely hardy, loving to drink and make a fuss.” Interest in Russia is great. This power remains a mysterious and majestic, and for some, a hostile country. What do representatives of other states think about the country, Russian women and men:

• Russians are the most drinkers;
• bears walk the streets;
• Russian girls are the most beautiful;
• men, walk with a stone face, do not smile;
• Russia is a country of balalaikas, nesting dolls and blouses;
• the most hospitable;
• uneducated and illiterate;
• girls dream;

Stereotypes about the French

The whole world follows the French catwalks with trepidation, buys French perfume, and is touched by the most romantic films on the planet. "See Paris and die!" - a phrase said by the Soviet writer-photographer I. Ehrenburg - has long become winged and is said with an aspiration and a dreamy look. Stereotypes of France strongly associated with this beautiful country:

• French women are the most sophisticated, elegant;
• Paris - dictates fashion to everyone else;
• the French are the best lovers in the world;
• croissants, wine, foie gras, frogs, baguettes and oysters are the daily national food;
• beret, vest, red scarf - standard clothing
• the most smoking nation in the world;
• strikes and demonstrations "for" and "without cause";
• the most inveterate pessimists;
• freedom of morals and frivolous behavior;
• get annoyed if foreigners mispronounce words in French;
• patriots of their homeland affectionately call the country "La dos France" ("France dear").

Stereotypes about Americans

America is a country of contrasts and unlimited possibilities, where the most cherished dreams come true - this is how Americans think about their state. The United States is a country largely incomprehensible to the Russian mentality, causing some rejection, and in the light of the existing tense relations between Russia and America, distrust of the most smiling American nation. Myths and stereotypes about Americans:

• a nation of fast food and fat people;
• like to organize surprises;
• want to take over the whole world;
• lack of style and taste in clothes;
• the most patriotic nation;
• every American has a gun;
• not shy about expressing emotions.

Stereotypes about the British

What associations do people have who have never been to England, but have heard about this country? Those who studied English at school remember the famous clockwork Big Ben (Big Ben) and that England is a country of rain, fog and oatmeal for breakfast. There are legends about the stiffness of the English. English detective stories about Sherlock Holmes are loved to be read all over the world. Stereotypes about the British:

• constantly talking about the weather;
• they drink tea according to the schedule;
• the English are the most polite;
• arrogant snobs;
• conservatives;
• strange English humor;
• everyone goes to the pub;
• the most law-abiding citizens.

A stereotype (Greek stereos - solid, typos - imprint) was originally a metaphor for thinking that came from typography, where a stereotype is a monolithic printing plate, a copy from a printing set used for printing machines. In modern social theory and psychology, there are various definitions of the concept of "stereotype", depending on the methodological direction of the scientific school.

In general, a stereotype is a well-established attitude to ongoing events, actions and actions.

The mechanism of perception of each person is original and unique, but this does not mean that the ability to perceive the world in a certain way is given to a person from birth. Perception is formed through the active interaction of a person with the environment and depends on a number of factors, such as gender, experience, upbringing, education, needs, etc. But not only these characteristics have an impact on the formation of perception. The cultural and social environment in which the formation of a person takes place plays a significant role in the way he perceives the surrounding reality. The influence of the cultural component of perception can be seen especially clearly when we communicate with people belonging to other cultures. A significant number of gestures, sounds and types of behavior are understood by representatives of different cultures in different ways.

A person's cultural affiliation determines his interpretation of a particular fact. Culture gives us a certain direction in the perception of the world by the senses, which affects how the information received from the outside world is interpreted and evaluated. For example, we notice differences between people within our cultural group quite accurately, while people from other cultures are often perceived as similar to each other. For example, for most of us, "all Asians look the same." We can say that by exposing large groups of people to the same influence, a culture generates similar behavior of its members. This is how stereotypes are formed.

A particular type of stereotypes are social stereotypes - patterns of perception and behavior for the most frequently repeated situations. Social stereotypes lend themselves to classification. So, for example, one can single out ethnic, religious, professional, ideological and age stereotypes.

The main set of behavioral stereotypes is formed in the process of socialization of the individual. Moreover, the decisive role here belongs to external sources of social knowledge, and not to the cognitive activity of one's own "I".

Social stereotypes play a huge role in everyday communication due to a number of their features:

• 1) they seem to predetermine the perception of a particular life situation, because we perceive the phenomena around us not directly, but indirectly, through the prism of social stereotypes that have developed in our minds or learned from somewhere;
• 2) the social stereotype "saves thinking" due to the depersonalization and formalization of communication. Identification of similarities with an already known sample entails a standard reaction, allows you to use an already familiar behavior model, act automatically;
• 3) stereotypes are extremely persistent and are often passed down from generation to generation, even if they are actually far from reality. For example, the attitude towards rulers is most often constant (positively or negatively) for a long time.

Finally, the farther we are from any object, the more we fall under the influence of collective experience and the sharper and ruder the social stereotype. The lack of personal experience and the lack of the possibility of empirical verification of incoming information create ample opportunities for manipulating social stereotypes. The methods discussed below are actively used by the media to form public opinion and, at the same time, are not without interest from the point of view of the practice of business communication:

• 1) labeling: a person is “customized” to a stereotype such as “talker”, “loser”, “womanizer”, “drunkard”, etc. This technique is successfully used to eliminate competitors in political and business life; it is a favorite tool of intrigue specialists. In order to protect oneself from this, one should focus the attention of the public on the inadmissibility of substituting real facts for subjective assessments;
• 2) "brilliant uncertainty" - the use of stereotypes, the meaning of which is unclear, ambiguous and very vague, but evoking positive emotions, since a high rating prevails over an uninteresting description. This includes such commonplace concepts as “democracy”, “human rights”, “universal values”, “in the interests of the law”, etc. So, for example, a subordinate can influence the boss with the phrase “Your decision is undemocratic!”, trying to touch his high feelings and force him to change this decision in his favor;
• 3) appeal to the majority as a means of strengthening one's position. This includes judgments such as "according to the numerous requests of the working people", "all the people unanimously support", etc. In the context of business communication, arguments like “there is an opinion in the team”, “the team believes that” are suitable;
• 4) common people, or becoming "one's boyfriend" - is based on identification with the people or subordinates. Used to improve the image of the leader. The techniques used in this method are very diverse - from traveling to work by public transport to shaking hands on the street, from kissing children to winter swimming in a pond.

The personification of communication, which arises due to stereotypes, in some cases does not facilitate, but, on the contrary, complicates business communication and hinders the establishment of informal relations. Translated into the language of social psychology, the well-known metaphor "meet by clothes, see off - by mind" means "meet by stereotype, see off - by mind." This problem is especially relevant in the system of relations "leader - subordinate".

Methods for combating stereotypes

Breaking the stereotype that arose from the boss is very, very difficult, but possible. Two steps can help with this. The first technique involves searching for information about what the manager is interested in in his spare time. Most often it is politics, cars, gardening and horticulture, pets, health, hunting and fishing. In other words, if you manage to find a common interest outside of work, communication will move to a new, informal level. However, it should be borne in mind that this technique is effective only if you are deeply versed in this issue and your interest is sincere - this will allow you to build a trusting relationship with your boss.

The second technique is more primitive in design, but much more difficult to implement. The essence is simple: to pass off your interest as the interest of the boss. As a rule, this can be achieved by increasing his self-esteem or strengthening his image.

In addition to bosses, of course, these stereotype-busting techniques can be applied to any business partner in general.

NATA CARLIN

We will talk about stereotypes - norms, canons, laws, customs, traditions, prejudices of society. Most people consider them correct and follow them. Here it is important to distinguish between the concept of the correctness of a stereotype and conventionality (contrived). But invented stereotypes sometimes control the collective consciousness (including us). Stereotypes of people are primarily divided into global ones - characteristic of the scale of the planet, and narrow ones - those that we follow in schools, at work, at home, etc. However, both of them become an illusion that has a lot of followers.

Male models are traditionally classified as gay

What is a stereotype?

The concept of "stereotype" appeared in the 20s of the last century. It was introduced into scientific literature by the American scientist W. Lippman. He characterized a stereotype as a small "picture of the world" that a person stores in the brain in order to save the effort required to perceive more complex situations. According to an American scientist, there is two reasons for stereotyping:

1. Saving effort;
2. Protection of the values ​​of the group of people in which it exists.

The stereotype has the following properties:

• Immutability in time;
• Selectivity;
• emotional fullness.

Since then, many scientists have added to and innovated this concept, but the basic idea has not changed.

What are stereotypes based on? In order not to bother themselves with unnecessary reflections, people use well-known stereotypes. Sometimes they find their confirmation by observing people and then they are even more convinced that they are right. Stereotypes are a kind of replacement for the human thought process. Why "reinvent the wheel" when you can use someone else's mind. To a different extent, each of us is subject to stereotypes, the difference lies in how much of us believe in these “postulates”.

Stereotypes live in us, influence the worldview, behavior and contribute to a misperception of reality: the role of modern stereotypes in human life and society is undeniable. Stereotypes can be imposed by public opinion, and formed on the basis of one's own observations. Social stereotypes are the most destructive for people's worldview. They impose the wrong train of thought on a person, and prevent him from thinking independently. However, without stereotypes society could not exist. Thanks to them, we know about the following patterns:

• The water is wet;
• The snow is cold;
• The fire is hot;
• From a stone thrown into the water, circles will disperse.

Once we know about it, then we do not need to be convinced of this every time. But the stereotypes that operate at the level of consciousness and subconsciousness of people, as a rule, prevent them from living. We must learn to distinguish stereotypes from the actual idea of ​​the subject, to understand the pros and cons of people's stereotypes.

Famous bloggers are perceived as "narrow-minded" girls

Take, for example, the stereotype of debt. There is nothing wrong or wrong with this feeling. The only question is whether this concept is dictated by a person's inner convictions, or is imposed on him by public opinion. In the second case, a person feels a disagreement between his own concepts and what society requires of him.

The desire of people to follow stereotypes distorts their ideas about reality and poisons existence. Very often a person judges people not by their actions, but by what others think of them. Sometimes a person who goes to church from time to time ascribes to himself all the virtues of Christianity. Although this is far from true.

It often happens that people do not bother to think about the problem, they just use the prevailing stereotype and adopt it.

For example, these are groups of people who are divided according to the following criteria:

• sexual;
• age;
• Level of education;
• professional;
• Belief, etc.

For example, blondes, in order not to bother themselves, proving the infidelity of the prevailing stereotype, try to conform to the generally accepted opinion. It's easier to live that way. Or women, trying, find a rich groom, with whom they become deeply unhappy, because when choosing, they did not take into account his human qualities.

You can not project the prevailing stereotype on all people to the same extent. It is necessary to proceed in your judgments from the personality of a person, his merits and demerits, life position, etc.

What are the stereotypes?

Note that we are talking about stereotypes! The following are examples of the most popular social stereotypes that are quite common in society:

Gender stereotypes: women and men

Gender stereotypes are among the most striking in modern society

Below is a list of common gender stereotypes with examples - believe me, you see in it a lot of familiar and well-established in the public perception:

1. Woman is a stupid, weak and worthless creature. It is intended to give birth, wash, cook, clean and court her “master” (man) in every possible way. She was born into the world to learn how to properly apply makeup, dress and giggle, only then she has the opportunity to "wrap" a good male who will provide her and her offspring with a decent life. As long as a woman lives at the expense of a man and obeys him in everything, she has the right to "eat from his table."
2. As soon as the lady from the first paragraph shows character, she becomes a lonely divorcee. A couple of examples can be given single woman stereotype: 1) a divorced single mother - unhappy, lonely, forgotten by everyone;
   2) a widow - a heartbroken and also unhappy woman.
3. A lady should not be strong and fight for her own well-being without the help of a man. Otherwise she is a careerist who does not have time for a family, children and husband. Again, unfortunate!
4. The man is the center of the universe. Strong, smart, handsome (even with a belly and a bald head). He is obliged to earn money in order to satisfy the desires of women.

In fact, men only want sex from women, but they adhere to the rules of the “love” game in order to achieve that same sex.

1. A man shouldn't:

• Talk about your feelings;
• Cry;
• Help the woman around the house.

Otherwise, he does not consider himself a man.

1. A man must:

• Work. And no matter that they pay little, and he is not able to support his family, he still gets tired at work! And hence the origins of the next position;
• To lay on the sofa. After all, he is tired, he is resting;
• Drive. A woman, according to men, has no right to this. Because she's stupid!

In other cases, it is believed that this is not a man, but a worthless creature that “shames” the male gender. The above examples of well-known stereotypes in the perception of communication partners confirm the fact that many of us do not see the essence of a real person: stuffed from childhood with clichés and clichés, we are not ready to listen to the words of a loved one and understand his expectations.

Children

Children are obliged:

• To obey the parents;
• To embody the dreams and unfulfilled desires of moms and dads;
• To study "excellent" at school, college and university;
• When parents get old, "bring them a glass of water."

So, children are disobedient and unbearable, young people are insane and dissolute.

Old people always grumble and are unhappy with everything

But in old age, all people get sick and complain about life, otherwise they, at least, behave strangely.

Happiness

Happiness is:

• Money;
• High rank.

Everyone else is a miserable loser. Even if a person is absolutely happy, living in a state of trance (in nirvana), and he has nothing for his soul, he is a loser!

"Correct"...

Only in the most eminent institutions do they receive the “correct” education. The “right” people go to work and sit there from bell to bell. "That's right" if you live in your homeland, and do not leave to live in another country. "Correct" to follow fashion trends. It is “correct” to buy an expensive item in a boutique, and not the same in a regular store. It is “correct” to have an opinion that coincides with the opinion of the majority. It's "right" to be like everyone around you.

For people, following stereotypes is fatal. Parents instill in our brain the idea that you can’t stand out from society, you need to live like everyone else. Each of us in childhood was afraid to become a "black sheep" and be expelled from the team. To become different from everyone else means to live by your own rules and think with your own head - to live by straining your brain.

Frame from the film "Agents of A. N. K. L." ("The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", 2015), where actor Armie Hammer played the principled and impenetrable KGB agent, Ilya Kuryakin

What are professional stereotypes: examples

Professional stereotypes include generalized images of a professional in a particular profession. The most frequently mentioned categories in this regard are:

• 1. police officers. These stereotypes are especially zealously fueled by American films and Russian TV series. Rare, to admit, the interaction of ordinary citizens with police officers in real life gives rise to a bunch of conjectures that are successfully directed in the right direction from television screens. Most fans of such films are convinced that even the most ordinary policeman is brave, selfless, able to single-handedly defeat a whole gang of thugs.
  2. Doctors. And in reality, there are professionals capable of bringing back to life literally from the other world, but in case of health problems, you should not expect a spectacular appearance in the hospital on a gurney, shouting “Road, road! We are losing him” accompanied by the entire ambulance team - in life, believe me, everything is much more banal, and a smart and insightful doctor, able to make an instant decision in a critical situation for the patient’s life, is, alas, rather a professional stereotype.
  3. The stereotype of someone who knows how to solve from small domestic to global government problems lawyer- another image that came from the American TV series. Litigation in this performance is more like a theater with convulsive wringing of hands, tears in the eyes, and the voice of lawyers breaking from the excitement and tragedy of what is happening.
  4. A vivid example of a professional stereotype has been known to us since Soviet times: worker and farmer. Yes, yes, rural workers and simple hard workers, bursting with health, with eyes burning with enthusiasm and thirst for work, are ready for any sacrifice for the sake of the prosperity of industry, agricultural technologies, Soviet society and the state as a whole.
  5. Modern students: not very knowledgeable, but proficient in drinking and sex, drug use and organizing violent parties. Perhaps the imposed image is still closer to American society, but Russian students also glance in that direction with admiration - oh, we would like that ...

How to deal with stereotypes?

As it turns out, stereotypes are designed to unload the human brain from unnecessary stress. At the same time, stereotypes limit the mental activity of a person, preventing it from going beyond the boundaries of the standard worldview. If you use the stereotype “it is good where we are not”, then a person is sure that nothing good can happen where he lives. And in that mythical distance, where he never was and never will be, everyone lives under communism and. As a result, you don’t even need to strive to become happy, you still won’t succeed.

But You can't blindly believe everything people say.. And then, the stereotype always has a hidden meaning. In this case, the true meaning of this stereotype is that a person will always think that someone somewhere makes less effort and lives much better.

This causes envy and disappointment in their "unsuccessful" life. It turns out that this opinion is erroneous.

The main way to fight stereotypes is not to believe them. Do not believe what people say, check the information, and based on the conclusions drawn, build your own opinion. Thus, you can refute outdated stereotypes and prevent the emergence of new ones.

Think about how many stereotypes you use all the time. Try to find those that are not supported by facts. The mentioned stereotype that "blonds are all stupid" is a highly controversial statement. Start by listing girls and women with blond hair that you know well. How many of them would you call stupid? Are they all as stupid as the stereotype claims? Look for a rebuttal to statements that are not based on facts.

If you're using the "more expensive is better" stereotype, look for examples of affordable products that are high quality and trendy. At the same time, expensive items do not always meet quality standards.

Beautiful and well-groomed women are often considered stupid and prudent.

Conclusion

So what are stereotypes? This is an ambiguous manifestation of social thinking. They live and will always live, whether we like it or not. They carry information that people have collected and systematized for centuries. Some of them are based on real facts, others are like fictional fairy tales, but they were, are and will be. Decide for yourself which of the stereotypes is harmful to your thinking, and which is useful. Use what you need and get rid of the bad ones.

And, finally, we offer to digress from a serious topic and watch a funny video about street football stereotypes. Yes, and there are!

March 22, 2014, 11:32 am

social stereotypes.

In sociotypical behavior, the subject expresses acquired in the culture

Social stereotypes are matrices, patterns of perception and behavior for the most frequently repeated situations. Social stereotypes lend themselves to classification. So, for example, one can single out ethnic and religious, professional, ideological, age and other stereotypes.

The main set of behavioral stereotypes is formed in the process of socialization of the individual under the influence of the macro- and microenvironment, collective and individual experience, customs and traditions. Moreover, the decisive role here belongs to external sources of social knowledge, and not to the cognitive activity of our "I".

Social stereotypes play a huge role in everyday communication due to a number of their features.

1) They seem to predetermine the perception of a particular life situation, since we comprehend the social reality surrounding us not directly, but indirectly, through the prism of social stereotypes that have developed in our minds or learned from outside. Indicative in this regard is the experiment conducted by the famous psychologist A. A. Bodalev. During the experiment, a group of adult subjects were shown several photographs. Participants in the experiment, who saw each photo for five seconds, had to recreate the image of the person they

The famous Soviet physiologist P.K. Anokhin called this psychological phenomenon "leading reflection".

The concept of "stereotype" was first used by the American scientist Walter Lippman and translated from Greek means "hard imprint".

The polarity of judgments about the same person is explained by the fact that the photograph itself is not very informative and the participants in the experiment are forced to reproduce the signs of the proposed stereotype.

2) The social stereotype "saves thinking" due to the depersonalization and formalization of communication. Identification with an already known model predetermines a standard reaction, allows you to use an already familiar model of role behavior, to act as if automatically. It is for this reason that official communication with strangers and unfamiliar people occurs more according to the stereotype. For example, each more or less experienced salesperson develops a set of stereotypes of buyers such as "attentive" - ​​"scattered"; "picky"; “polite” - “rude”, etc., which allows the seller to behave appropriately without hesitation.

3) Each social stereotype includes a description, prescription and assessment of the situation, although in different proportions, WHICH fully corresponds to the components of the human "I".

4) Stereotypes are very persistent and are often inherited, from generation to generation, even if they are far from reality. This may include, for example, the belief in a good king (president) that is characteristic of many, who will solve all “Problems at once and make our life better.

Cm. Bodalev A.A. Perception of a person by a person - Leningrad State University, 1965. - S. 39-40.

And, finally, the farther we are from the social object, the more we fall under the influence of collective experience and, consequently, the sharper and rougher the social stereotype. As an example, we can compare the common opinion about women of easy virtue and the attitude towards them of police officers who, on duty, have to communicate with them regularly: their assessment of representatives of this profession is more objective.

The limited personal experience, the inaccessibility for most people of empirical verification of information coming to them about a number of social phenomena create the possibility of manipulating social stereotypes. The techniques discussed below are actively used by the media to form public opinion and, at the same time, are not without interest from the point of view of the practice of business communication.

Labeling: a person is “customized” to a stereotype such as “demagogue”, “populist”, “womanizer”, “drunkard”, etc. It is successfully used to eliminate competitors in political and business life, a favorite tool of specialists in the field of intrigue. As a counterargument, attention should be focused on the inadmissibility of substituting real facts for subjective assessments.

"Brilliant uncertainty"", the use of stereotypes, the meaning of which is not entirely clear and unambiguous, but evoking positive emotions, since here the assessment prevails over the description. This includes such common concepts as "democracy", "human rights", "universal values", "in the interests of the law", etc. Option for communication with management: “Your decision is undemocratic (violates human rights, social justice)!”

Appeal to the majority as a means of strengthening their position. The volitional aspect prevails. This includes judgments such as "at the numerous requests of the working people"..., "all Russians unanimously support...", etc. Arguments such as “there is an opinion in the team ...”, “the team believes that ...” are suitable for business communication.

Transfer: the use of old symbols that already have a certain value. In business communication, a reference to an authoritative person is possible in several ways:

b) impersonal - "They know!"; "I'm in the know"; “And then I called, you know who…”; “We are discussing the problem and then I came in myself ...”, etc .;

c) the use of quotations - "Even Socrates said that ...",. commonness, or "your boyfriend." It is based on identification with the people, subordinates.

Pipersonification communication that arises due to stereotypes in some cases does not facilitate, but on the contrary, complicates business communication, hinders the establishment of informal relations. Translated into the language of social psychology, the well-known metaphor “they meet according to clothes...” means that “they meet according to a stereotype and see off according to their mind!” This problem is especially relevant in the system of relations “leader-subordinate”.

Sociotypic behavior of the individual and its manifestations. National and social character

patterns of behavior and cognition, supraconscious supraindividual phenomena. The basis of supraconscious supraindividual phenomena is an objectively existing system of meanings (A.N. Leontiev), which is a product of the joint activity of mankind, objectified in a particular culture in the form of various patterns of behavior, traditions of social norms, etc. Superconscious phenomena are patterns of behavior and cognition typical for a given community, assimilated by the subject as a member of a particular group, the influence of which on his activity is not actually recognized by the subject and is not controlled by him.. These samples, for example, ethnic stereotypes, being assimilated through such mechanisms of socialization as imitation and identification (substituting oneself in the place of another), determine the behavioral features of the subject precisely as a representative of this social community, i.e. sociotypical unconscious behavioral features, in the manifestation of which the subject and The group acts as one inseparable whole. In the study of these manifestations, those standards and stereotypes that are essential in culture are revealed, through the prism of which people judge representatives of other ethnic and social groups and, focusing on which they enter into contacts with these representatives. Such ethnic stereotypes include, for example, the idea of ​​the pedantry of all Germans or the irascibility of all Italians, etc. Often, the assessment of certain actions through the prism of the standards of one's culture or through the developed standards of the norms of behavior in another culture leads to an inadequate perception of other people. So, V. Ovchinnikov in his story “Oak Roots” writes: “You often hear: is it even right to talk about some general character traits of an entire people? After all, each person has his own disposition and behaves in his own way. This, of course, is true, but only in part, because different personal qualities of people are manifested - and evaluated - against the background of common ideas and criteria. And only knowing the pattern of appropriate behavior - a common starting point, one can judge the extent of deviations from it, one can understand how this or that act appears before the eyes of a given people. In Moscow, for example, it is customary to give up your seat to a woman on the subway or on a trolley bus. This does not mean that everyone does this. But if a man continues to sit, he usually pretends to take a nap or read. But in New York or Tokyo, there is no need to pretend: this kind of courtesy in public transport is simply not accepted. ”

How to break the stereotype?

How to “break” the stereotype, what needs to be done so that we are perceived not as a position, but as a person? In such a situation, it is advisable to use two methods. The first technique, let's call it "look for a hobby", involves searching for information about what your manager is interested in in his spare time. Most often, these are politics, cars, gardening and horticulture, pets, health, etc. In other words, if you can find a common interest outside of work, communication will move to a new, informal level. people”, the hero of which the robber unexpectedly finds the owner’s house, but instead of a shootout, the case ended in a joint drink, since both turned out to have the same disease. However, it should be borne in mind that this technique is effective only if you are deeply versed in this issue and your the interest is sincere.

The second technique, presented in some detail in Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, is much more primitive in concept, but more difficult in execution. Its essence is simple: to pass off your interest as the interest of this person. As a rule, this is achieved by increasing the self-esteem of a business partner, strengthening his image. For example, if the delivery of an already paid consignment of goods is delayed, it is more expedient not to appeal to conscience, but to simply inform politely that you have a very high opinion of him and would like to recommend his services to your acquaintances, but you cannot do this, since he still has not fulfilled its obligations.

Stable and closed from the influence of new experience forms of existence of the installation are stereotypes and prejudices. In the structure of a stereotype, the main role is played by its emotional charge, which clearly indicates what is accepted and what is unacceptable, what is generally “good” or “bad” in relation to any object. The stereotype owes its origin to the development of the mass communication network; it forms simplified and superficial ideas about the phenomena of reality. Thanks to him, the ease and speed of highlighting supposedly significant details in any issue.