Why positive stereotypes are bad

Authors from our lab published an op-ed in the Psychology Today article, The dark side of positive stereotypes May Stereotypes, Identity, and Belonging Lab. Negative effects of positive stereotypes Join us! Psychology Today summarized our findings in their article, The pain of positive stereotypes February National Affairs noted our research in their review, Turning up the race card January Authors from our lab published an op-ed in the Psychology Today article, The dark side of positive stereotypes May Williams shares that stereotypes about athletic skill and musical abilities push African American youth away from college in favor of efforts to become athletes or entertainers, professions in which statistically speaking, the vast majority are destined to fail.

If not addressed, it can leave one to infer that this stereotype is true. It takes many experiences with diverse populations to challenge stereotypes.

There has been a lot of work in attempting to challenge gender stereotypes. Old-fashioned ideas that some toys are just for boys, or that women should stay home while men work have been challenged and progress has been made. There is still a long way to go, but the proportion of women with college degrees in the labor force has almost quadrupled since Statistically, more women now graduate with degrees than men. While the fight for gender equality is far from over, the same efforts to challenge assumptions and provide equal opportunities for people regardless of race must be given the same attention.

The first step is to identify stereotypes. Bryan Stevenson talks about the need to get proximate. Something that might even conceivably be grounded in the nature of Homo sapiens? There are quite a few possible rejoinders to this, but the study by Kay and his colleagues hints at one more.

Were its findings to generalise to this area — and they might not, of course — you would expect this positive stereotype "women are naturally more deserving of respect" to be associated with more negative stereotypical beliefs about women, too; and also with the idea that women are more enslaved to their biology than are men. In short: stereotypes are bad!

We've all been there. The part that's easy to forget is that they're bad even when — perhaps especially when — they're "good". This article is more than 8 years old. Oliver Burkeman. Negative stereotypes — about women, black people, immigrants, etc — are easy to spot. More pernicious are the positive ones.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica winning the men's Olympic m final in Beijing, a study shows that the 'positive' stereotype of black athletic prowess results in people holding more negative views of black people. The problem with stereotypes isn't only their content.