StereotypingoftheStereotype
DanielKahneman,inhisbookThinking,FastandSlow,discusseshumanirrational
decisionmakingbasedonstereotypes.Thebookbeginswiththefollowingtrick
question:Johnisatidyman.Isheafarmeroralibrarian?Thetypicalresponseis
thatJohnisalibrarian,asastereotypeautomaticallymatchestheimageofatidyman
toalibrarian.However,whenonecomparesthenumberoffarmersonthisplanetto
thenumberoflibrarians,oneisstatisticallyledtotheanswerthat,mostprobably,
Johnisafarmer.
Aswomaninengineeringschool,themostfrequentreactiontothefactthatIam
studyingcomputerengineeringisafaceoftotalsurprisefollowedbythestatement
You?Youtotallylooklikeaclassicsmajor!.ItisthesamecaseasJohnscase,John
istidythereforehemustbealibrarian.Iamawoman,thereforeImustbeaclassics
major.
Stereotypesrulethewaywethink.Inorderforourbraintointerpretwhatitis
happeningaroundus,itneedstocategorizeanysituationandpersonintosomething
thatitisalreadyfamiliarwith.However,thiscategorizationtechniqueissimilarto
howstereotypeswork.Stereotypesassociatepeopleandsituationswithpreexisting
memoriesand/orsocialviewsonpeopleandsituations,eveniftheymightnothold
trueforeverysituation.Thereforementalnavigationisacasewherestereotypingis
notactofdiscrimination.Thisraisesthequestion:doallformsofstereotypinghave
badintentions?
First,letmebeginbysayingthatIdonotbelievethatallstereotypesarisefromgood
intentionsorthatitisacceptableforstereotypicalbeliefstochangeourattitudesand
feelingstowardscultures,race,minoritiesandsoon.ThepointthatIamtryingto
prove,asaninternationalfreshmaninanAmericanuniversity,isthatitisequally
unfairtoreactwithoutragetoallactionsofstereotypingsincetheydonotalways
arisefrombadintentions.
Kahnemaninhisbookarguesthathumanthoughtusestwooperationswhenitcomes
tothinking,System1andSystem2(Kahneman20).HearguesthatSystem1isthe
effortlesswayofthinkingthathappensautomaticallywithoutourconsciouschoice,a
moreinstinctivewayofthinkingsuchasimpressionsandfeelings(Kahneman2021).
Ontheotherhand,System2demandseffortandconcentrationanditisaprocedure
followedconsciouslybyeachoneofusinordertomakedeliberatechoicesand
decisions(Kahneman2021).Thus,asonecannoticefromSystem1,peopledonot
alwaysconsciouslyformulateimpressionsandfeelingsbuttheyarerather
automaticallyproduced.Forinstance,apicturedepictingsomeonefrowningwould
leadonetotheimmediateconclusionthattheyareupset.Stereotypinginmanycases
worksthesamewayasSystem1sinceitcanbethoughtastheoutcomeofsuchan
automaticfunctionthatinvoluntarilyoperatesinourdailylives.
Thisideahasbeenwidelydiscussedoverthepastyearsinthefieldsofsociologyand
phycology.IntheirjournalarticleStereotypesasEnergySavingDevices:APeek
InsidetheCognitiveToolbox,Macrae,MilneandBodenhausendiscusshow
stereotypesworkasamentalshortcut.Theymention,Socialpsychologistshave
frequentlycharacterizedstereotypesasenergysavingdevicesthatservetheimportant
cognitivefunctionofsimplifyinginformationprocessingandresponsegeneration
(Macrae,MilneandBodenhausen37).Therefore,stereotypesaresometimesmentally
usedinordertosimplifyperceptionandjudgmentandmaketheinstantaneous
thinkingoperationeasierforourbraintoprocess.LinkandPhelan,authorsofthe
reportConceptualizingstigma,alsoagreewiththischaracteristicofstereotypesby
arguingthatculturallygivencategoriesarepresent[]withameansofmaking
shorthanddecisionsthatfreethemtoattendtoothermatters(LinkandPhelan369).
Thereforeitisobvious,thatbothreportsacknowledgethatstereotypescanbe
instantaneoustooltosimplifyreality.ThinkingbackofSystem1,onecannoticethat
stereotypingisatoolofthisthinkingmechanismthathelpsquickandunconscious
thoughtsandemotionstobetriggered.
Onemightaskwheredothenegativetraitsofstereotypingcomefrom?Stereotyping
canbehurtfulwhenitisusedtooperateSystem2.Asaforementioned,thiswayof
thinkingdemandseffort,asitcallsuponourlogic,ethosandmentalability,andis
usuallyusedduringdecisionmakingactions.Therefore,whenwemakeconscious
decisionsthatarenottriggeredbutratherproduced,stereotypingcanbehurtfuland
discriminative.Forinstance,areportthatcollectedexperimentaldataandinformation
in2009,mentionsthatitistwoandahalftimeslesslikelyforaMuslimcandidateto
getacallbackataninterviewcomparedtoaChristiancandidatewhohastheexact
sameprofessionalprofile(AdidaandLaitinandValfort,1083).However,the
decisionmakingprocessbytheinterviewerwasnotanoutcomeofSystem1but
ratheraconsciousactofdiscrimination.AsMacrae,MilneandBodenhausenmention
peoplewillfallbackontheirstereotypicpreconceptionswhenevertheylackthe
abilityormotivationtothinkmoredeeply(Macrae,MilneandBodenhausen28).
Therefore,onecanseethatwhenstereotypingisatoolofSystem2,itcanbe
extremelyunjust.
Consequently,onecanarguethatSystem1isthenhardertocorrectsinceitis
hardertolocate,asithappenssubconsciously,andthateventhoughitdoesnothave
badintentionsitstilllacksaccuracyandcouldstillleadtounintentional
discrimination.However,inordertoevaluatetheoperationSystem1oneneedsto
considerthefactorsthatformitwhichcouldincludeeducation,culture,environment
andsoon.Thesefactorsareinmanycasesnotwithinourreachtoalterandreshape
andinthebottomlinetheychangeasweareexposedtodifferentpeopleand
situationsthroughoutourlives.Therefore,itwouldbemorefruitfultoposethe
questionofhowtochangetheseinnateperspectivesbytakingaction,gettingmore
informationandsoonratherthanreactingwithoutrageandcontemptagainstthem.
WorksCited:
Adida,ClaireL.,DavidD.Laitin,andMarieAnneValfort.MuslimsinFrance:Identifyinga
DiscriminatoryEquilibrium.JournalofPopulationEconomics27.4(2014):10391086.
link.springer.com.Web.
Kahneman,Daniel.Thinking,FastandSlow.NewYork:Farrar,StrausandGiroux,2011.Print.
Link,BruceG.,andJoC.Phelan.ConceptualizingStigma.AnnualReviewofSociology27(2001):363
385.Print.
Neil,C.,AlanB.Milne,andGalenV.Bodenhausen.StereotypesasEnergySavingDevices:APeekinside
theCognitiveToolbox.JournalofPersonalityandSocialPsychology66.1(1994):3747.APA
PsycNET.Web.
