Male Probation Officers: Stereotypes and Misconceptions

A stereotype is a fixed set of beliefs upon of a certain group of individuals who share common traits. Stereotypes can be classified into a wide range of categories such as: race, culture, ethnicity, gender, social or economic status, and religion. A stereotype has to do with a group of people rather than an individual. Most stereotypes are biased and untrue. Stereotypes often lead to prejudice, meaning that one acts a certain way due to the fixed beliefs they have toward a certain group of individuals.

Stereotypes are simple images or beliefs over the attributes assigned to a particular social group, are models of behavior that become schemes deeply rooted in our mentalities to the point that we adopt them as part of human naturalness. Stereotypes can be racial, religious, sexual and social. These could be the caused of a known incident or attitude years earlier, or simply the result of frequent rumors. Stereotypes can affect different spheres of society. These assumptions can filter into many aspects of life.

All Asians are good at math, all blondes are dumb, all Muslims are terrorists - these are all common stereotypes. Without even realizing it, stereotypes have undeniably played an enormous role in individual lives. Minds seem to already set a certain image in them based on the people they encounter. People judge others by their skin tone, ethnicity, and physical appearance unconsciously, and this have been proven by many social experiments. Of course, though these stereotypes might be accurate at times, there are situations where they are completely defied.

Stereotypes form because of people unintentionally passing on social information to one another (Martin, Hutchison, Slessor, Urquhart, Cunningham, Smith, 2014). Information that is generally complex gets passed onto others who unwillingly select simple traits creating categories for people (Martin, 2014). Whether it be our own family members, teachers, peers, the media, etc., who pass the idea of stereotypes on to us it is almost impossible to avoid any of the information. Research suggest that stereotypes begin with slight aspects of the truth that over time explodes into overwhelming ideas of what others should or should not be (Jacobs, 2014). Stereotype inconsistent information is any information that does not conform with societies general idea of stereotypes (Kashima, Lyons, & Clark, 2013).

Hidden Stereotypes There is one hard and very evident fact that exists in the world we inhabit; that fact is that stereotypes are as common as rain. A stereotype, as defined by bing.com, is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. They happen so often that we aren’t even aware that they occur. These atrocities appear in books, films, the news, and other worldwide forms of media.

In today’s society, individuals and groups are labeled with either positive or negative stereotypes. People encounter stereotypes everyday and everywhere. It is the picture people paint in their minds when approaching a group or individual when in fact it may be different in reality. Stereotypes affect a person’s way of living and thinking either in a negative or positive way. Stereotypes are based on truth but in an exaggerated way, while misconceptions are formed from having stereotypes.

According to Lippmann, “stereotypes are ‘pictures in our heads’ that we use to apprehend the world around us” (16). Stereotypes can be formed due to effects of media, as Wood describes media as pervasive, powerful and influential (31). Hence, stereotypes can be defined as inaccurate perceptions towards a group of people or community that is strongly influenced by the media. Whether positive or negative, stereotypes are usually false as they are formed based on personal judgments, which are biased or exaggerated. When stereotypes are consistently portrayed in media platforms, they subconsciously form and maintain assumed identities for the stereotyped groups.

Stereotypes can help people out in many different ways such as helping people be seen as not just a category. It can make people be seen as not a man or woman but a man or woman who has done things. These stereotypes can be seen also as a way to encourage a higher standard of people. The people can learn from these stereotypes and turn them to the opposite of what the stereotypes says. At the same time stereotypes can be used to help people respond to different situations.

Misconceptions are a view or opinion that is incorrect because it is based on faulty thinking or understanding. Stereotypes are often passed down from parents, peers and the media, which is why all the stereotypes still exist and only continue to get worse over time. Stereotypes can also be based on how a particular group has acted in the past causing people to believe that group is still the same now. In the online article, Stereotypes, Saul McLeod explains why we have stereotypes when he states, “The use of stereotypes is a major way in which we simplify our social world; since they reduce the amount of processing (i.e. thinking) we have to do when we meet a new person... by stereotyping we infer that a person has a whole range of characteristics and abilities that we assume all members of that group have.”

One thing everyone needs to know is all stereotypes are all based on truths. Truths, pertaining to stereotypes, are how categorized groups used to act in a certain way in the past or how some still act that certain way currently. Truths are basically the honest look of how the group behaves. Currently people get misconceptions and stereotypes confused. Yet misconceptions are formed from stereotypes and are incorrect based on truths.

Male Probation Officers Stereotypes have been around for decades, and are still prominent today. In today’s society, everybody stereotypes one another, but will not admit that they do. Stereotypes can either be positive or negative. Usually stereotypes are used in a negative approach and can be degrading to an individual. Misconceptions are also used by individuals and can be harmful and unreasonable.

Playing the Part No matter the century or the centuries to come there has and there always will be stereotypes. A stereotype is a fixed notion or image of a certain group of people. Stereotypes put certain characteristics on people or objects. Most stereotypes are racist and sexist; over time stereotypes may change to fit with the evolving society.

Imagine being perceived in a way were almost everyone thought one lived a catastrophic life based on the school they went to. A stereotype is an image of a person or group of people that is labeled or seen in a specific way by a range of people. Although stereotypes come with some legitimacy, another way groups and individuals are judged or viewed differently is by misconceptions. False interpretations forming from misunderstood ideas or thoughts are misconceptions. Stereotypes have come from past generations which are now influenced from media such as movies, tv shows, and social networks.

The act of stereotyping is assuming that all members of a group have similar knowledge, behaviors, or beliefs simply because they belong to a group. Using stereotypes is one of the most common reasons why countless people are misjudged. It can occur with the person’s knowledge or it can happen subconsciously. Sometimes, in writing, authors will form stereotypes for their characters to fit into. By using a stereotype, it sets a base for the character to build off of and show change.

“Stereotypes, they 're sensual, cultural weapons. That 's the way that we attack people. At an artistic level, stereotypes are terrible writing.” - Junot Díaz, an American-Dominican author. Stereotypes have the ability to make or break an image of any one person who fits the requirements of any single stereotype.