Stereotypes

STEREOTYPES: beliefs about certain groups (Hilton and Hippel, 1996)

The beliefs may come from:

–Mental representations of real differences between groups, so it sometimes accurate representations of reality, or at least of the local reality to which the perceiver is exposed.

–Real group differences (e.g. Cultural stereotypes about food preferences)

Communications are generally influenced by culture.

Culture mainly shares beliefs, ethics, and similar behaviors of individuals or groups in a society.

Cultural stereotypes are generalizations of a culture that categorise the characteristics of a culture and transmit a broad message.

PREJUDICE: is similar to stereotypes. It can be positive or negative, and it is generally referred to as “the unfair, biased, or intolerant attitudes or opinions towards another person or group simply because they belong to a specific religion, race, nationality, or another group” (Samovar and Porter, 1991: 281).

So, basically PREJUDICE can be defined as preconceptions of individuals or groups based on unfounfed opinions, attitudes, or beliefs (Jandt, 2001:75)

• All white Americans are obese, lazy, and dim-witted. Homer Simpson of the TV series The Simpsons is the personification of this stereotype.

Examples of stereotypes which are also existed about a countries as a whole:

• Italian or French are the best lovers.

• Jews are greedy and wealthy.

• All Asians are good at math. All Asians like to eat rice and drive slow.

• All Irish people are drunks and eat potatoes.