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You
will come in contact in the classroom, in your dorms,
in your extended social circles, and in most aspects of
campus life, with individuals who are, in some way, "different"
from you. These differences may be in terms of gender,
race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, physical
abilities, and socioeconomic class. Most important, the
"differences" that are important to you will perhaps not
be the same as the "differences" that are important to
someone else. Your own individual group identity and your
experiences as a member of that group will determine,
in large measure, how you relate to those who do not fall
within your cultural context. You and your background
will shape your experience of the diversity around you.
Avoiding stereotyping can help you, as an individual,
have a rich and rewarding experience on campus and in
all aspects of your life.
First, be aware of your stereotypes. Stereotyping has
been described as, "a fixed and distorted generalization
made about all members of a particular group; a rigid
judgment." Diversity can be divided into two dimensions:
primary and secondary. Primary dimensions are those characteristics
we are born with. People are usually the most sensitive
about these dimensions because others can tell these things
about us (with the exception of sexual orientation and
certain kinds of disabilities) just by looking at us.
Some examples of primary dimensions of diversity are:
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Age |
|
Race |
|
Ethnicity |
|
Certain
physical characteristics |
|
Gender |
|
Sexual
Orientation |
By contrast secondary dimensions of diversity are those
over which we have some control, and they may even change
throughout our lives. We don't tend to be as sensitive
about these dimensions, even though they may have huge
significance in our lives and may play a significant role
in our happiness and wellbeing. Some examples of secondary
dimensions of diversity are:
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Geographic
origin |
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Economic
class |
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Marital/family
status |
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Education |
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Personality
traits |
Exercise:
Take a few minutes to think about the following questions
in order to get a better sense of what stereotyping
is all about.
1. What groups do you belong to?
2. What are some of the positive aspects of one of these
groups?
3. What stereotypes do people outside your group project
onto your group?
4. What stereotypes do people in your group project
onto people outside your group?
Your answers can be very enlightening.
Sometimes it is difficult to avoid stereotyping since
we are constantly bombarded with messages and information,
and our brain automatically looks for a way to compress
it by lumping our impressions and experiences into manageable
categories. However, stereotyping is dangerous because
every individual is unique. It's problematic when we
decide that someone fits into a particular box and disregard
any other information about that individual, no matter
what contradictory information is available.
So
how do we learn how NOT to stereotype? The answer is
pretty straightforward:
1. First, simply be mindful of what enters your brain
when you see a skin color, hear a last name, see that
a new hire is a woman or a person of a particular age,
see two women holding hands, or see a student enter
the lecture hall in a wheel chair. That first thought
may be where the tendency to stereotype gets a grip
on you.
2. Second, promptly show that stereotype the exit. Just
remind yourself to be open to new impressions. As you
enter into a relationship with this person, new information
may not conform to what you mistakenly expected.
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