I’ve started writing a book about Changing the Face of Christianity. I’ll post excerpts here as I go in order to get your feedback before the book is published.
How are stereotypes formed in the first place?
The group or people being stereotyped exhibit some consistent behavior. Formal and informal leaders within a group exhibit the behavior and either teach or condone the behavior. Such role models make it safe to perpetuate the behavior within the group.
People within the stereotypical group feed off of one another. In other words, people within a group tend to become more like one another over time through socially reinforced behavior similar to peer pressure. And stereotypes within a group tend to develop and blossom. And over time, people outside the group notice the common behavior.
Once people outside the group notice a consistent trend in behavior by a group, it “goes viral”. Outsiders talk about the group’s idiosyncrasies and even people within the group acknowledge the common experience.
Then, awareness of the stereotype is passed on from one person to another. It’s taught and experienced by those outside the group.
If the stereotype wasn’t pretty accurate or predictive, it would never stick.
Please share any comments or constructive feedback below. Thanks. It’s VERY APPRECIATED!
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