Stereotyping is so common in society today and it is something you see every day on TV, in magazines, newspapers, books, movies, etc. You cannot go a day without someone saying or writing something about you. For example, if you are skinny someone may think that all skinny people are lazy. This is because they have an opinion that if a person is thin all he or she does is sit around the house eating and not going anywhere. If you are a woman of color in society your personality traits can be based on your race. The media thinks if a woman of color has curly hair and an outgoing personality that she is backward.
Stereotyping is an imperfect way of communication that takes roots in our social behavior and is used as a tool to understand events. Stereotypes have been a part of human behavior since many centuries ago and are not going to disappear anytime soon. However, some stereotypes are harmful in some ways. Such stereotypes usually are directed towards gender, nationality, religion, and race of people.
Illiteracy: The morality of stereotyping doesn’t lie in what is wrong or right. It is the mindset of people which is responsible for such acts. The main reason behind stereotyping is ignorance due to less education being given to children and illiteracy.
Socialisation and upbringing: Human brains are highly prone to stereotyping. Stereotyping is likely to occur when the information available is inadequate, ambiguous, or contradictory. Since it's much easier to group a person or persons into a category, we find it comfortable when all that information can be placed into one simple group. This may be more applicable to the social stigmas that we adopt in our society. Being from a lower caste in India would never allow me to interact with my counterparts from higher castes as they would think that I’m coming from an inferior social background or degraded background. This is so true for any country not only India.
Societal Environment: Human beings have the tendency to stereotype each other in order to understand and deal with others in a more efficient way. Stereotyping is a common and non-harmful way of understanding if someone is of a certain race or nationality. It should not be labeled as discrimination as it can create a positive and peaceful outcome.
Patriarchal mindset: Stereotypes emerge out of our personal experiences of things and events or just mere impressions formed by the society. In present-day society, stereotyping is common. Women are not given equal opportunities to grow at par with men. They are considered as weak and kept under control, whereas men are considered the breadwinners. Everyone is somehow made to believe in a male-dominated society. Many women have fought hard and won the battle for gender equality but still, it exists in people's mindset.
Alienation: Alienation is a state of mind where a person or group of people feel that there is a lack of meaning and purpose in their lives. Alienation of the particular subsection leads to the development of stereotypes against the government or the whole Individuals who are discriminated against might develop a feeling of stereotyping that a particular sect or government is against them. E.g. Dalit often see upper caste as oppressor and develop stereotypes against them.
Social division: Sociologists and philosophers have claimed that stereotypes are basically formed out of the fear factor, which often results in social discrimination. An individual or a group doesn’t have the courage to face a reality that is against their sense of perception, causing them to think ill about a particular social entity. Such subjective traits are then passed on to the next generation, attempting to make them relevant in other contexts in order to justify their relevance. Thus, these stereotypes are embedded deep down in an individual’s mind making it difficult to fight against such negative beliefs and stand up for oneself and others.
