Running head: JOURNAL REVIEW



Effects of Stereotyping on Perception and Health

Robert ‘Clint’ Joiner

University of Kentucky

Abstract

The following paper studies scholarly journals regarding the relationship between stereotypes and perception. The paper will show the affects that social cues, perceived prejudice, and expectations of others affect perception. Looking Out, Looking In, by Adler and Proctor (2013), and several external references offer insight into this complex issue with regard to, but not limited to: Health effects, expectations, and the idea of assumed racism.

Effects of Stereotyping on Perception and Health

According to Adler and Procter, “Our perecption of the world around us is affected by who we are” (2013, p. 78). Although the previous statematement is true, our perception is also affected by others and how we perceive them. Many people look beyond the surface of individuals and analyze their personality based on assumed and hasty generalizations. It is important that subject be examined to greater understand and empathize with different ethnic groups in our increasingly diverse culture. This paper will highlight some main topics about how stereotypes and racism alter individual perception. After reviewing the research on this topic, it is evident that racism and stereotyping is still prominent in our culture, and that racism alters our perception, has major implications for the health and modifies our expectations of minority groups.

Racism in Todays’ Society

Racisim is still very prevelant and a real part of todays’ society, and can plague interracial communication (Adler & Procter, 2013). Racism and stereotyping is something that is often times presumed, or assumed. According to Wilson (2010), many persons assume that they are targets of racism. Which negatively affects perception, because persons assuming racism are likely applying a set of negative characteristics to the entire racial group. Wilson states, that forty percent of African Americans believe that ‘many’ Whites dislike them. Additionally, a survey conducted on college campuses showed “that many blacks characterize whites as demanding and manipulative, whereas many whites categorize blacks as loud and ostentatious” (Adler & Procter, 2013, p.81). Once these generalizations are presumed, relationships across races are often hampered. There are numerous facets that contribute to the explanation of why racism and stereotyping is often times expected. Based on the research conducted by Brondolo, Leslie, Hausmann, Jhalani, Pencille, Atencio-Bacayon, Kumar, Kwok, Ullah, Roth, Chen, Crupi, and Schwartz (2011), the criteria behind the assumed stereotyping can be contributed to age, sex, and location. For example a person that was raised in an impoverished community, (such as Compton, California) is assumed to be a person that is uneducated, and someone that is without wealth. Basing such judgments on where a person lives, can also lead to positive impacts on your perception. For instance, a person that lives in a prominent area such as Beverly Hills is likely to be deemed a wealthy and respectable person.

How Expectations are Effected

Stereotyping affects are perception in what we expect out of specific racial groups. In Freeman’s, Penner’s, Scheutz’z and Ambad’s study, they found that the way people perceive others can be affected by social cues (2011). The authors of the study found that clothes can be a factor in how we judge others. In Freeman’s, Penner’s, Scheutz’z and Ambad’s research, participants were to categorize the computer generated faces as either White or Black, as quickly as possible (2011). The computer-generated images were wearing either high status clothing or low status clothing. In many cases the person in low status clothing was most often associated with being an African American. Thus confirming that assumption that blacks are more likely to be judged as poor, and we expect them to be low-status.

Similarly, in Collins, Biernat, and Eidelman, they highlight the ‘shifting-standards model’ to explain differing standards between races (2009). Collins, Biernat, and Eidelman (2009), offer insight into how communication and academic performance are related to racial stereotypes. The authors study (Collins et al., 2009), “examined how racial stereotypes about academic performance affected communicators’ descriptions of individuals and interpreters’ In their study they had participants to view the transcript of a student with sub-par grades and were asked to make judgments. One group of participants was told that the race of the student was an African American, and the other was told the student was white. When told the student was white they judged the grades to be low quality. When told the student was black, the participants analyzed the grades as satisfactory for a black person. Once again, confirming the notion that stereotypes alter perception in the manner, that you expect different things out of certain groups of people.

Health Effects

Stereotyping not only affects perception but also has physical and psychological health effects. The health effects that were caused by stereotyping and racism do not differ across different ethnic groups. (Brondolo et al., 2011). Those who are targets of racial discrimination often experience effects on there mental and physical health. Some of which include: anxiety, hypertension, and depression, which are all negatively associated with self reported health (Brondolo et al., 2011). According to Dr. Ronald Hall, Social Work professor at Michigan State University,

“African-American males have been the focal point for various forms of racism given their perception as threatening. Exacerbated by media images the threatening perceptions of African-American males result in racist victimization during encounters with law enforcement agencies for otherwise law-abiding citizens. Based upon the constant prevalence of racism in public life African-American males suffer from abnormally high blood pressure” (2007, p. 204).

Additionally, ones mental health is also affected by stereotyping. The leading psychological disorder that results from stereotypes is accredited to depression. In Brondolos’ study, nearly one hundred percent of Latinos surveyed associated depression with age-based threat and general health (2007). In all cases that I have reviewed stereotyping and racism has only negative consequences on health. It is important to society that persons stop attributing negative characteristics to certain groups, in order to preserve the health of there fellow men.

Practical Advice

One way that we can better deal with stereotypes, and handle our perceptions is by going through the perception checking process. A perception check has three parts: (1) A description of the behavior you noticed, (2) At least two possible interpretations of the behavior, (3) A request for clarification about how to interpret the behavior (Adler & Procter, 2013, p.97). A perception check should be an instinctive process that one goes through each time they find themselves making hasty generalizations. Going through a perception allows one to better understand others, instead of assuming that your first interpretation is correct.

Limitations and Future Research

While conducting research, some limitations were the diversity of race groups. Many of the scholarly journals’ only pertained to blacks and whites. By focusing on a broader range of groups, the results would greater reflect the international affects of stereotyping and racism. For future research I think we should study at what point does stereotyping affect a child’s perception. It is important to study this because if we knew the point at which a child began to participate in making stereotypes, steps could be taken to prevent further damage, and make the child aware of the dark side of stereotypes. Moreover, to teach children to “decatergorize (remove persons from stereotypes) others which would give yourself a chance to treat them as individuals, instead of assuming that that they possess the same characteristics as every other member of the group to which you assign them” (Adler& Procter, 2013, p.82).

In conclusion, Racism and stereotyping are customary in today’s society. When one makes such generalizations there perception becomes misrepresented. Racism and stereotyping often play a role in shaping how we perceive others. Throughout my research for this assignment, I have better learned to reserve judgments, and to view others in a more generous light.

References

Adler, R. B., & Proctor, R. F. (2013). Perception: What you see is what you get. Looking out, looking in (14th ed., pp. 77-113). Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth ;.

Brondolo, E., Hausmann, L. R., Jhalani, J., Pencille, M., Atencio-Bacayon, J., Kumar, A., ... & Schwartz, J. (2011). Dimensions of perceived racism and self-reported health: examination of racial/ethnic differences and potential mediators. Annals of behavioral medicine, 42(1), 14-28. doi: 10.10072Fs12160-011-9265-1

Collins, E. C., Biernat, M., & Eidelman, S. (2009). Stereotypes in the communication and translation of person impressions. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45(2), 368-374. doi: 10.1016 /j.jesp.2008.09.005

Freeman, J. B., Penner, A. M., Saperstein, A., Scheutz, M., & Ambady, N. (2011). Looking the part: social status cues shape race perception. PloS one,6(9), e25107.

doi: doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0025107

Hall, R. (2007). Racism as Health Risk for African-American Males: Correlations Between Hypertension and Skin Color.Journal Of African American Studies, 11(3/4), 204-213. doi:10.1007/s12111-007-9018-1

Wilson, D. C. (2010). Perceptions about the amount of interracial prejudice depend on racial group membership and question order. Public Opinion Quarterly,74(2), 344-356. doi: 10.1093/poq/nfp092

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