What is Stereotyping

Stereotyping is the process of categorizing and making assumptions about members of a particular group, solely because of their membership in that group. These assumptions can be either positive (e.g., those people are smart), or negative (e.g., Those people are aggressive), but they are more frequently negative. First, we categorize others based on easily identifiable characteristics (e.g., race, gender, physical characteristics, age). Second, we assume that certain attributes apply to all or almost all of the people in the category. Third, we assume that the people in this category are different than people in other categories with respect to these attributes. And fourth, we assume that individual members of a category possess the attributes associated with their groups.
Stereotyping negatively effects communication in at least three ways:
1. Stereotyping can prevent us from really getting to know people on an individual basis. That's because we act on the assumptions we make about people instead of taking the time to really understand who they are. Stereotyping, in its most basic form, is the process of interacting with the assumptions we make about people, as opposed to the people themselves. This can cause us to develop superficial relationships with others, instead of relationships based on mutual respect and understanding. An understanding that can only come about when people genuinely take the time to get to know each other.
2. Stereotyping increases the likelihood of making communication errors and offending others. This is because stereotypes are learned and culturally transmitted generalizations we have about members of a particular group. The problem is that these assumptions and generalizations are often inaccurate. So we may say or do something that is offensive to the party we are in communication with.
3. Stereotyping can make us shy away from people from particular cultural groups. Many of us avoid interaction with others because of their race, age, gender, educational level, socioeconomic status or position. We may assume those individuals have nothing in common with us, or that we will be more comfortable with people who look more like us. This is one of the biggest reasons why people from similar race, age, gender, educational level, socioeconomic status tend to stay together, and separate themselves from other groups.
The most pernicious aspect of stereotyping is the fact that we all do it (whether we want to believe it or not), and it often happens unconsciously. This is problematic because stereotyping can have an extremely negative impact on communication and human interaction, especially if culturally diverse is there.