Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefinitionHow Stereotypes FormRacial Subtype StereotypesImpact on EmotionsInfluence on BehaviorEffects of Stereotype ThreatSelf-StereotypingBuilding Awareness of Racial Stereotyping

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Definition

How Stereotypes Form

Racial Subtype Stereotypes

Impact on Emotions

Influence on Behavior

Effects of Stereotype Threat

Self-Stereotyping

Building Awareness of Racial Stereotyping

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At a Glance

What Is Racial Stereotyping?

Racial socialization is the process of receiving information about the values and perspectives of our race from our parents, caregivers, and other influential people.

Your brain creates mental shortcuts to help you rapidly respond to situations based on past experiences or societal messages about various races, thus leading to stereotypes. But these shortcuts are generalizations and rarely accurate assessments of an individual or group. They’re what’s known as acognitive bias.

Once you establish these beliefs, changing your way of thinking is difficult. This is because you’ll unintentionally look for evidence that affirms your beliefs and discounts any evidence to the contrary.

When left unchecked, stereotypes may lead toprejudiceanddiscrimination. Acknowledging stereotypes and their psychological impact, however, is the first step in breaking down those beliefs.

How Racial Stereotypes Are Formed

When you encounter someone, you makesplit-second judgmentsbased on that individual’s appearance. Within an instant, your brain is trying to help you determine whether an individual is trustworthy and safe, or whether they likely pose some sort of emotional, social, or physical risk. And these judgments will affect how you feel and how you act.

Many of your stereotypes were developed when you were a child. Here’s how some generalizations about race can likely be formed:

The media messages you receive and the interactions you have with others influence how you view people based on their race.

The Intersection of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC Identities

When most people think ofracial stereotypes, they think of an entire race being grouped together. However, research shows we tend to categorize people according to their subtypes.

For example, someone might have a very different stereotype of “Black men” versus “Black women.” Other subtypes might include “Black athletes” or “White businessmen.”

It’s important for individuals to consider how they categorize people into subtypes and what stereotypes they may hold about these groups in general.

How Your Stereotypes Impact Your Emotions

The way you think about other people affects how you feel and how you behave. A person’s race may affect the emotional response you have when that individual:

Your emotional responses may range from anxiety and apprehension to relief or pity.

How Racial Stereotypes Influence Your Behavior

Your stereotypes affect how you behave as well. Here are some examples:

Microagressions

Stereotypes are also likely to lead tomicroaggressions. Here are some examples:

Individuals on the receiving end of stereotyping are also impacted emotionally and behaviorally.

Stereotype threatis a phenomenon that happens when people are placed in situations where they fear they are at risk of confirming negative stereotypes about their social group. This threat results in increased stress, anxiety, and self-doubt.

Dealing with the threat consumes cognitive resources and leaves people less able to succeed in the situation, which then reinforces the stereotype. This can contribute to disengagement, underperformance, andself-handicapping.

Being Stereotyped Can Lead to Self-Stereotyping

Research has also found that stereotyped individuals may begin to act stereotypically because they want to be more included in their group.

Self-stereotyping can be a way for marginalized people to band together in a world that oppresses them and places them at the bottom of a hierarchy. It may help them experience some cohesion.

Consequently, negative stereotypes can become aself-fulfilling prophecy. A child who has grown up in a redlined neighborhood where gang activity is present and who has also been socialized to believe that people of their race engage in crime, for example, is more likely to engage in illegal activity during their lifetime.

Recognizing your stereotypes and the potential damage they do is the first step in creating change. Fortunately, you can take steps to change harmful stereotypes.

Keep in Mind

Discover and Eliminate Racist Tendencies in Yourself

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.APA Dictionary of Psychology.Definition of racial socialization.Korteling JE, Brouwer AM, Toet A.A neural network framework for cognitive bias.Front Psychol. 2018;9:1561. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01561Hinzman L, Maddox KB.Conceptual and visual representations of racial categories: Distinguishing subtypes from subgroups.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2017;70:95-109. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2016.12.012Pennington CR, Heim D, Levy AR, Larkin DT.Twenty years of stereotype threat research: A review of psychological mediators.PLoS One. 2016;11(1):e0146487. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0146487Latrofa M, Vaes J, Cadinu M.Self-stereotyping: The central role of an ingroup threatening identity.J Soc Psychol.2012;152(1):92-111. doi:10.1080/00224545.2011.565382

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.APA Dictionary of Psychology.Definition of racial socialization.Korteling JE, Brouwer AM, Toet A.A neural network framework for cognitive bias.Front Psychol. 2018;9:1561. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01561Hinzman L, Maddox KB.Conceptual and visual representations of racial categories: Distinguishing subtypes from subgroups.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2017;70:95-109. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2016.12.012Pennington CR, Heim D, Levy AR, Larkin DT.Twenty years of stereotype threat research: A review of psychological mediators.PLoS One. 2016;11(1):e0146487. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0146487Latrofa M, Vaes J, Cadinu M.Self-stereotyping: The central role of an ingroup threatening identity.J Soc Psychol.2012;152(1):92-111. doi:10.1080/00224545.2011.565382

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

APA Dictionary of Psychology.Definition of racial socialization.Korteling JE, Brouwer AM, Toet A.A neural network framework for cognitive bias.Front Psychol. 2018;9:1561. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01561Hinzman L, Maddox KB.Conceptual and visual representations of racial categories: Distinguishing subtypes from subgroups.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2017;70:95-109. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2016.12.012Pennington CR, Heim D, Levy AR, Larkin DT.Twenty years of stereotype threat research: A review of psychological mediators.PLoS One. 2016;11(1):e0146487. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0146487Latrofa M, Vaes J, Cadinu M.Self-stereotyping: The central role of an ingroup threatening identity.J Soc Psychol.2012;152(1):92-111. doi:10.1080/00224545.2011.565382

APA Dictionary of Psychology.Definition of racial socialization.

Korteling JE, Brouwer AM, Toet A.A neural network framework for cognitive bias.Front Psychol. 2018;9:1561. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01561

Hinzman L, Maddox KB.Conceptual and visual representations of racial categories: Distinguishing subtypes from subgroups.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2017;70:95-109. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2016.12.012

Pennington CR, Heim D, Levy AR, Larkin DT.Twenty years of stereotype threat research: A review of psychological mediators.PLoS One. 2016;11(1):e0146487. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0146487

Latrofa M, Vaes J, Cadinu M.Self-stereotyping: The central role of an ingroup threatening identity.J Soc Psychol.2012;152(1):92-111. doi:10.1080/00224545.2011.565382

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