Psychological Impact
Debbie Teachey
University of Phoenix
Psychological Impact
Stereotyping
We are born into our culture. Our culture is our way of life and determines the way we act and the way we believe. Culture also consists of the way we dress, our values, and the way we interpret things. Stereotyping someone because of their culture can impact our society in various ways. Stereotyping is present in today’s world just as it has been present for centuries. Stereotyping is prejudging a person based on his or her religion, race, gender, or ethnicity, just to name a few. It can happen at our work, at school, and even at the grocery store and has a negative effect on our world. Stereotypes do not just have to be negative but possessing any kind of generalization about someone and their culture can lead to incorrect ideas. We have our own different characteristics and mostly each of us wants to be known as an individual. We may not realize it, but when we stereotype, we do not open up and learn about the culture. We end up missing out on the benefits of having a good friend, good employee or good neighbor among other things. However, the psychological effect on the person that we are stereotyping loses in a way also. Labeling anyone in a negative way tends to have a long term effect on those being labeled. The ones being labeled seem to perform poorly in situations where they feel they are being stereotyped. In an article in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, it states that “even after a person leaves a situation where they faced negative stereotypes, the effects of coping with that situation remain”. Michael Inzlicht, who led the research for the article states that “People are more likely to be aggressive after they have faced prejudice in a given situation. They are more likely to have less self-control and will have trouble making good, rational decisions because of this”. He went on to add that the individuals would more than likely over-indulge in unhealthy foods. A lack of awareness and misinformation are the foundation of many cross-cultural conflicts. According to culturalsavvy.com, in order to assist in better understanding of someone from a different cultural background, we make generalizations that classify people by putting them into groups that tend to be familiar to us.
Unequal Education
While America sees a rise of diversity and multicultural education, it is a common belief that schools remain based on white class values, belief systems and expectations. A child’s cultural tendencies impact the way that they learn in school and the influence of that culture on belief about education and the value of education is very important. Education.com reports that teachers who lack the knowledge of different cultures tend to interpret the child’s behavior as disrespectful. Some common culture beliefs about education are that Asians tend to be quiet in class and making eye contact with the teacher is inappropriate. European American children are taught that participating in classroom discussion and making eye contact with the teacher shows respect.
Teachers need to understand the different cultural groups thinking about education while learning about the cultural patterns and beliefs of that child. A student (or a teachers) cultural background has a great significance on their learning and teaching styles. A big problem is that language problems can often be mistaken for learning problems. However, one of the most common problems is language. Students from different cultures do not always say things the way that it should be said. Starting as early as kindergarten, teachers can determine future learning opportunities for students based on their culture. Teachers tend to call on students that are quick learners and they help them learn and succeed. When a teacher has someone of a different culture in her classroom and stereotypes the child as a slower learner, chances are