Stereotypes: Sociology

A stereotype is a set idea about a person or a group of people, based on something that is well-known to represent this particular person or group. For instance, in my research study I assumed that teenagers were going to be the age group that ignored my greeting, which was correct. Even though my assumption was correct, it was still wrong of me to assume that all teenagers act or behave a certain way. As a teenager myself, I am aware of how older generations might perceive this age group due to the current state of society. For instance, adults believe that all teenagers are addicted to social media, and are lazy. Although this statement may apply to some teenagers, it definitely does not apply to this entire age group of people. Furthermore, I also unintentionally stereotyped people, particularly males, who were with a group of their friends and seemed to be threatening to me. This stereotype would be that this group of males were committing criminal activities, and so I felt intimated by them. Even though these groups gave me no reason to feel this way, I judged them based on their appearance and the prior knowledge that I have on teenage and adult males.