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Essay on Stereotypes
Individuals and groups are the central facts of society. Without individuals there could be no society, but unless individuals also perceive themselves to belong to groups, that is, to share characteristics, circumstances, values and beliefs with other people, then society would be without structure or order. These perceptions of groups are called stereotypes. If we accept that perceptions of groups are so important for people to understand the social world, then understanding those stereotypes is also extremely important for social psychology.
Social psychologists such as Asch (1952) have argued that understanding the relationship between individuals and groups is the master problem for social psychology. In addressing this problem we need to recognize though, that individuals and groups tend to have their effects on each other through their psychological representation within individual minds. That is, social objects affect us through the way they are perceived rather than through the application of physical force. Three guiding principles identify stereotypes: (a) stereotypes are aids to explanation, (b) stereotypes are energy-saving devices, and (c) stereotypes are shared group beliefs. The first of these implies that stereotypes should form so as to help the perceiver make sense of a situation, the second implies that stereotypes should form to reduce effort on the part of the perceiver, and the third implies that stereotypes should be formed in line with the accepted views or norms of social groups that the perceiver belongs to.
The image of fat and ugly fits the negative stereotype of Americans. Americans are considered to be violent and are stereotyped for their and cupidity, the social injustice and simple-minded religiosity, the fear mongering and the feckless foreign policy that have come to be expected from a nation of gun-slinging cowboys and money-grubbing capitalists. Positive stereotypes include the energy and irreverence and directness that many find so inspiring and so appealing about Americans......
