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Erica Estamo

Ms. Shaffer

English 2 GATE

31 January 2017

How Does a Stereotype Negatively Affect Social Behavior?

If you were walking down a dark alley, and there were four shady men, who would you

be most afraid of: the Caucasian, African American, Asian, or Hispanic man? Depending on what

stereotypes you have heard about them, answers will vary. This widely held idea placed upon a

person of a specific group, race, gender, etc. changes how humans interact for the worse. For

instance, at school, there are cliques involving soccer players, band nerds, druggies, and more

because there are divisions. People with similar attributes just click together. It is common

knowledge that opposites generally dont attract, but how exactly does a label negatively affect

social life?

An interviewee gave some insight to this situation. Asians are good at math, he said.

When asked how he responded to it, he replied, I think its kind of good, but at the same time,

there are social norms like as an Asian, you have to be good at math. If you arent, you get

outcasted. In this case, a situation is created in which a supposed smart person gets kicked out

of a group because of lack of knowledge in mathematics. People think this person would be

intelligent, but not all Asians are geniuses. The realization brings the group of friends

disappointment and induces them to get rid of the false guy. The victim may try to look for

another group, but often times, the person becomes introverted. Once you have been outcasted,
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peers would not welcome you. Generalizations can lower the chances of making friends, which

in turn, can force someone into a depressing state of mind.

Another participant of Asian descent shared her point of view. Asians are meant to be

smart. I feel bad because Im supposed to have a 4.0 [G.P.A.], but I have a 3.6, which is

considered bad, but I think its good! she stated. Similar to the previous problem, she feels like a

letdown. Everyone set her bar so high that she became upset for not reaching it. Despite feeling a

little down from her grades, she keeps a positive attitude and hangs out with her own crowd

filled with cheerful and energetic teens alike. Her spirit and hopes are held high, so it didnt ruin

her chances of creating other friendships or becoming alienated. She may not be good at

mathematics, but she makes up for it with her skill of making people happy. Still, she is reluctant

to acquaint herself with the more clever individuals.

From this, you would take that stereotypes only influence people who choose to be

affected, but that is not necessarily true. Lets say somebody called you a lesbian because you are

a masculine woman. Maybe youll just brush it off and ignore it, but in the back of your head,

you might be thinking, Is that gross? Without realizing it, you might find yourself wearing

more dresses, going to the gym less often, or purposely changing your demeanor to be more

girly. In Shankar Vedantams article, How a Self-Fulfilling Stereotype Can Drag Down

Performance, Vedantam collected data on stereotypes from different social experiments. He

states, When volunteers in experimental studies that have found huge stereotype-threat

differences in performance are told about the phenomenon afterward, they invariably tell

researchers that the theory is interesting but does not apply to them (9). Generalizations can

actually impact anybody, even if youre not aware of it.

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As seen from the two situations, public beliefs held about a group negatively impact

ones self-esteem, and this does not just apply to a single ethnicity. A Hispanic and Italian

freshman supports this claim. Everyone thinks Im a pizza maker, love tacos, and that Im emo

or suicidal because I always wear black... every time I try to open my mouth and say something.

His response is like this due to a stereotype threat. When a human is at risk of confirming a

negative stereotype, that person may subtly live it out, whether he is conscious of it or not

(Vedantam 8). From the two years Ive had of socializing with him, my observations were clear.

While hanging out with his normal group of friends, he smiles, laughs, and acts normally, but

around other individuals, he is shy and tends to put on his earphones to block noise out. The

threats affect all.

Be that as it may, one lone wolf unexpectedly contradicted what everyone else had said.

When asked what generalizations pertained to him, he blankly responded, Nothing. I can tell

he is not impacted by outside ideas at all. Never does he bring up his nationality, gender, or

anything to support or back up a statement. He never says things like, Im stronger than you

because Im a guy, or I play basketball because Im tall. His ignorance (and I mean that in the

best way possible) is shown in how he communicates. He is a naturally loud and bubbly ball of

sunshine who is not afraid to show it. His actions are the same with everyone. Hell laugh out

loud with a teacher or crack terrible puns with a popular kid; Ive seen it. This guy is what

society should aspire to be like.

I, myself, am affected by these widely circulated beliefs and thoughts, as seen in my way

of writing. I am a Filipino, and as an Asian, I am often asked if someone can copy homework, to

help study for a test, and to be in somebodys group for a project. Getting straight As isnt a

surprise to anybody. It does not make people proud or excited. It is expected. I am afraid to raise
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my hand to answer a question because I do not ever want to get it wrong. Outside of class, I

purposely lower my vocabulary to avoid sounding pretentious. To ignore these thoughts would

be a dream for me. Even a positive generalization about a group can inhibit an someones ability

to perform.

Societys labels affect how we behave and how others behave toward us, whether a

stereotype is self-fulfilling or not. A simple glance at a pack of jocks can immediately cause a

geek to do a 360 and find a different route to walk through. It alters initial interactions and

decides who we mingle with. I have had first-hand experience. However, with the way our

generation has been evolving, there are more and more people disregarding labels. I personally

have a difficult time doing that, but I believe in the good future. We are heading toward the right

direction, and I know we will find ways to reduce these threats. It is only a matter of time.
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Works Cited

Vedantam, Shankar. How a Self-Fulfilling Stereotype Can Draw Down Performance.

Washington Post, February 02, 2009.