Self-stereotyping changes perception of yourself

Tierra Combs | Staff Writer

Stereotypes have always affected society. Throughout the decades, people have labeled others and stuck them into an affiliation. Athletic people are “jocks” and smart people are just “nerds” and “geeks.” These are just a few of the stereotypical labels that society forces people to fit into. However, in recent years, many people have realized that they put themselves into these boxes and stereotypes.

The process of stereotyping oneself is called self-stereotyping. When self-stereotyping happens, someone also has the ability to force characteristics of a stereotyped group on themselves. If they feel they should fit into the popular group, they might start acting like them and try to assimilate into their crowd. This is just one example of the numerous stereotypes that live in today’s society.

Evolutionary psychology does produce an explanation for self-stereotyping. As prehistoric humans formed tribes and bonds with other humans, they needed their tribes to gain strength in numbers. As humans progressed, they affiliated themselves with their tribes. This created the foundations for stereotypes found within groups.

“It [evolutionary psychology] is the idea that principles of evolution have influenced psychological development. With stereotypes, people have said that being a member of the tribe is a matter of survival. Having friends and people that are willing to protect you and feed you is a basic need,” said Jason Bagwell, psychology teacher.

As society has progressed, people are beginning to realize how stereotypes affect everyone in their everyday lives. In many situations, self-stereotyping can cause someone to think differently about themselves. Beth Walton, health teacher, has experienced this change in thinking.

“I labeled myself and felt labeled by others as a certain type of person/student from a young age. I didn’t realize how much this impacted my thinking until I got to college and realized no one had any expectations of my ‘stereotype’ because they didn’t know me,” Walton said.

Overall, self-stereotyping is still a very prominent, emotional subject in current society. However, many people are discovering that overlooking self-stereotypes uncover a world of opportunity to explore themselves that they have never known.