Rakshan Patnaik Week 12: Stereotype Threat
Stereotype Threat
For my very last blog of this quarter, I wanted to explore a more societal power—stereotypes. I came across this very interesting article named “The Terrifying Power of Stereotypes – and How To Deal With Them,” and I agreed with a lot of their points and actions.
Firstly, it mentions stereotypes like air, “always present.” This signifies the presence of stereotypes at the back of our minds permanently. Trying to escape, it leads to a human phenomenon scientists call “stereotype threat,” referring to a fear of actions that confirm negative perceptions of their own marginalized group. Interestingly, in a study comparing black and white participants’ performance on a diagnostic test, black participants performed worse than their white counterparts when told the test was a “diagnostic,” measuring abilities and limitations; this trend was not visible when this description was omitted from the test.
The article then shows how “stereotype threat” affects people from all sorts of racial, gender, and socioeconomic groups. For example, when children of poorer families were reminded of their socioeconomic status, they underperformed on diagnostic tests but performed fine when not reminded. I had never really thought of this phenomenon in this way, but I feel everyone in some sense feels some responsibility to conform to pre-determined, stereotypical notions of your group. The fact this notion starts at a young age saddens and shocks me.
link: https://writix.co.uk/blog/what-is-stereotype-threat
When reminded of gender, research shows males and females internally affected by their gender’s stereotypes.
Furthermore, scientists have noticed detrimental effects on the mind in relation to stereotype threats. It causes anxiety, which in turn causes underperformance or loss of focus. Scientists accredit these deficits to a decrease in “working memory capacity,” which is the ability to concentrate and ignore distractions. Looking into the brain, the brain regions for “task performance” are hindered, while the regions for “emotional self-regulation and social feedback” are activated. In another study done on ageism by the article’s author, older adults had negative thoughts and had worse performance on a categorization task, subsequently after reading an article about “memory declining with age.”
The article ends by providing coping strategies and mechanisms. Although changing negative stereotypes into the most positive ones would be most ideal, it takes time. In addition, having positive figures and role models of communities is important in creating positive representation in people’s minds; a good example is President Obama for the perception of black people (nicknamed the “Obama Effect”). Also, shifting your own self-outlook into a more insightful, positive version and gaining confidence in yourself would be affirming. But most of all, spreading awareness about the damaging effects of stereotypes would be majorly beneficial for society as a whole.
As I read the article and write this blog, I gained a much better understanding of the power of stereotypes. Although stereotypes are commonly talked about regarding negative outlooks on marginalized groups by the outside world, this article really provided much insight on stereotypes of marginalized communities and their effect on the members of those very same groups. I know I have fallen prey to “stereotype threat,” but weirdly enough, I can not remember a specific moment this has happened. It only tells me that “stereotype threat” happens consciously and unknowingly, and I will continue to work on distancing away from it.
I remember reading about a similar study but instead it focused on evaluating the performance women have on math tests when they are told that women usually do just as well as men, or nothing at all. It is crazy to think that how a test situation and environment can impact one's performance on the test and how it has a lot more to do with confidence than ability. I understand how the message that the SAT sends is not beneficial for a lot of people who take the test and why it is such a controversy.
ReplyDeleteHey Rakshan, this reminds me of the overarching theme of the antiracist literature book I've been reading, How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. He talks about how racism is always present to some extent because of how deeply rooted it is in our society. I wonder what perspective he would have on stereotype threat and if it would be a similar threat. It would make sense that similar to how everyone is not purely antiracist, those of minorities are never truly isolated from the stereotypes that revolve around them. It is really disheartening and unfortunate to know that so many feel the need to either live up to or surpass their stereotypes and how much this stress can affect performance.
ReplyDeleteHi Rakshan, your blog reminded me that people may think less of their abilities because of their stereotypes. In the book I am currently reading, an African American man faces his fear of the water; his fear came from the stereotype that black people cannot swim. If the stereotype is accepted by a certain group, they may never work on it, strengthening others’ negative perceptions of them. However, I feel it’s important to overcome the limits the public has set for us, and believe that outsiders do not determine one’s capabilities.
ReplyDeleteHi Rakshan! Stereotypes can be quite alarming and terrifying. Stereotypes not only fuel prejudice, they also affect individuals negatively. I like how your blog addresses these issues and the article mentioned provides coping strategies. It would be ideal to completely eliminate stereotypes due to the lack of benefits they bring and the increasing harm they cause, but is it really possible?
ReplyDeleteHi Rakshan! This honestly connects to the Anti-Racist book I read, How to be an Antiracist by Ibram Kendi. Honestly, like he says, racism is inevitable in this time period. Almost ever since racism emerged, it has been something that appears everywhere. Whether we see it or not, it's there. Stereotypes to me is one form of racism. It's heartbreaking to see people's self-esteem go down because of some stereotype that is constantly pushed into their minds. Every race has their stereotypes but it gets hard for people to be themselves around others if all they are able to think about is stereotypes that may stop them from doing a certain thing.
ReplyDeleteHi Rakshan,
ReplyDeleteI do not remember ever falling prey to "stereotype threat." This may be due to me being more exposed to diversity in race from such a young age or that I never fully grasped the concept of race and racial stereotypes until middle school. "Stereotype threat" certainly would hold a tremendous amount of power over not only an individual, but also institutions and organizations trying to conform to societal expectations to maintain reputations of business. I would love to advise people to simply ignore stereotypes, but stereotypes have often embedded themselves into our lives such that retracting from them would remove parts of ourselves we subconsciously ignored. Self-reflection and acceptance may be the only way to combat the mental distress caused by stereotype threat.
Hi Rakshan! The stereotype threat is definitely a hindrance to people's everyday performance. I've heard of many experiments with gender and perception of self, such as where women and men would be taking the same test. Women taking the test in the experiment performed at much higher levels when being told that their test was designed for women. Negative internalized feelings towards one's own group are truly damaging. Stereotypes such as the model minority myth are also harmful, although they seem to be "positive" stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteHi Rakshan, I think that is really sad, but also true. Children become what you tell them. For instance, children who are repeatedly told they are worthless may not achieve as much as other more encouraged children because they have been made to believe that they cannot. Similarly, being attached to stereotypes may make people conform to aspects of those stereotypes instead of becoming what they were always meant to become. And, positive role models are really important. I’m thinking of people we see on TV or music that we listen to. I definitely agree that stereotype threat is so implicit, we don’t even notice it.
ReplyDelete