stereotype

Culturalstereotypes

Theconceptofthe'stereotype'wasborrowedfromoldraidprintingtechnology,wherecopiesofacompod

typeweremadebyusingpapiermacheasmoldsfornewprintingplates,m

stereotype,asallegedlyudforthefirsttimebyWalterLippmanin1922,isudtodaytomeanareadily

availableimageofagivensocialgroup,usuallybadonrough,gh

stereotypescanbepositiveaswellasnegative,theyare,ineverydayusage,mostoftenunderstoodasirrationally

typesarecalledidiosyncratic,ifonly

anindividualusthem,ortheyaresocial,orcollectiveiftheyarewidelysharedbyagroupofpeople.

Ineverydayu,theconceptofthestereotypeisudinvariouscontexts:usuallythewordstereotypeisudto

refertomembersofsomekindofcollective:firemenarecourageous,blondesarelessintelligent,Italiansarenoisy,

ersonmakesinferencesaboutanewpersonoraboutsomesocialevent,theyutheir

soneknowsabouttheobject,themoreone

usstereotypicalgeneralizations.

Inaninterculturaltting,oneofthegoalsoftheparticipantisgettingtoknowtheattitudesandpersonalityof

process,weapplybothevidenceandourexistingbeliefsaboutthemembersof

typescanconcernone'sowngrouporthatoftheother.

eless,membersofagivengroupmayalsoshare

commonconceptionsabouttheotherparty'sstereotypicalassumptionsaboutthemlves,orabouttherespective

'other'hefactthattheperson,inthisca,isprojectingtheirownprejudicesontothegroupofothers,

thistypeofstereotypingcouldbecalledaprojectedstereotype.

Thedifferentnationalorculturalstereotypicalassumptionscanbedescribedasfollows:Simpleauto-stereotype:

Inouropinionwe[mynationality]are...Projectedauto-stereotype:Wethinkthatthey[inhabitantsoftheforeign

country]considerustobe...Projectedhetero-stereotype:Wefeelthatthey[theinhabitantoftheforeigncountry]

thinkthattheyare...Simplehetero-stereotype:Wethinkthattheyare...

Forinstance,aFinnmayfeelthat'theFinns'arehard-working/diligentandhonest,butatthesametimethey

thinkthat'theSwedes'consider'theFinns'tobedrunks,backwardandsimple,andthat'theSwedes'consider

themlvestobemoreeducatedand'betterpeople',whereasfor'theFinn',theyareboastfulandcold!

Often,stereotypesareunderstoodtobedetrimentaltointerculturalcommunicationandtheeliminationof

stereotypeswaeacouldberead,in

amongstotherplaces,intheprefacetothebook,Stereotypingandprejudice,byBar-Taletal.(1989:1),where

theystate;

Thestudyofstereotypingandprejudicereflectsaninterestinintergrouprelationship(checkthequote,as,

grammatically,thisshouldreadrelationships).Whilewerecognizethatadiscussionofintergrouprelationshipmay

focusonbehavioursdescribingactionssuchasconfrontations,violence,wars,cooperation,alliance,negotiation,

orcoordination,wealsobelievethateachoftheintergroupbehavioursismediatedbyperceptions,beliefs,and

attitudes.(Ihavemadethischangeasthequotationranovermorethantwolinesand,therefore,required

paratingfromthemainbodyofthetext.

However,eliminatingstereotypesisnotpossible,or,ifitweredone,itwouldbedetrimentaltohumancognition.

Stereotypes,assuch,arecognitiveschemata,typicalofthehumancognitivesystem,whichassignsatof

characteristicstoallmembersofagivensocialgroup,andrvesasareferencewhenassigningsignificanceto

ementalstructures,whichsimplifythecomplexstimuli

fromone'nvironmentandfacilitatetheircomprehension.

Whenwewalkonthestreet,forinstance,justtogettoacertainaddress,wemaynotbeabletotellhowmany

r,ifwewalkonthesamestreettofindone,ourattentionis

tunedtoethebarbershops'alstereotypesworkinthesameway:they

focusourattentiononcertainfeatures,amplifytheminourobrvation,andofferinterpretationsofour

obrvations.

Inthisway,weewhatwearetaughttoe,andatthesametimeourobrvationsalsoconfirmthestereotype.

stereotypesmayevenleadonetoethingsthatarenot

reallythere.

Manywritersestereotypesasrigidgeneralitiesthatmembersofsocietyimpoonotherswithwhomtheyare

sweknowabouttheother,

stereotypeiswell-groundedandjustifiableitmayhelptoorientonelfinacertainsituation,butifitisunjustand

loadedwithnegativeemotions,rofphenomenamakethe

interpretationofcultural/nationalstereotypenigmatic:culturalstereotypesareatthesametimeenduringand

changing,theconstituentsofastereotypemaybeveryoldandremainthesame

forcenturies,whilesomeofthelabelsgiventoacountryorculturalgroupmaychangewithinashortperiodof

,thesaliencrticular

featuresmaybeenactedwithdifferentintensitiesindifferentcontexts,yetinanothercontextthefeaturesmay

ral,stereotypesarenotveryufulininterculturalinteractionbecautheydonot

accuratelypredicteitherparty'sbehaviour.

Assuch,stereotypesarenotbadorgood,

obrvertendstofavourinformationthatisconsistentwithexistingexpectancies,andtendstoignore,orreject

ingtosomestudies,peopletendtofavourhypothes

badonstereotypevenwhentheyhaveareasontosuspectthevalidityofthestereotype(Johnston&Macrae

1994).encesatvariancewiththestereotypeusuallydonotchange

thestereotypebutareinterpretedaxceptions.

Cultural/nationalstereotypesarebothdescriptiveandprescriptiveinnature:theyareperceivers'sharedbeliefs

aboutthecharacteristicsoftheial

interactionsandinsolitaryinterculturalcontactspeople'snationalorculturalstereotypesmaybeudasasource

ofexpectationabouttheotherparty,andasareferenceappliedtothejudgementoftheotherparty'sbehaviour.

Stereotypicalnotionsaboutthecharacterofthemembersoftheotherpartydetermineaperson'motional

reactionstotheothergroup:astrong,negativeprojectedstereotype('Ibelievethatyouconceiveofusasdishonest')

mayresultindisplacedhostility.i.e.'IbehavetowardsyouinahostilewaybecauIassumeyoutohavehostile

attitudesaboutmyculture'.

rsofinterculturalcommunication

havedevelopedagheare

conceptssuchascollectivism/individualism,highcontext/lowcontext,femininity/

generalizationmadebyascholarthatpeopleinoneculturearemorecollectivisticthaninanother,andsoon,is,

naturally,andBird(1998)callstereotypingdonebyscholars'sophisticated

stereotyping'.Itis'sophisticated'becauitisbadontheempiricalworkoflanguageandcommunication

scholars,eendevelopedinordertohelp

inreducingthecomplexityofaculture,yetitisstillastereotypewhichmayconstrainanunderstandingofthe

behaviouroftheothersasmuchasitmayfacilitaterealculturalunderstanding.