Critical Observation
Stereotyping is a prevalent practice in our society today. While many claim not to cast judgment onto to others, the majority of people whether they admit it not, hold many stereotypes about others. Whether we see it on the television, in magazines, or in the news, stereotyping is an important part of our lives. The purpose of this paper is to identify the different stereotypes regarding women that I have observed and what I would do to change these stereotypes through the study of psychology.
Stereotyping is a form of prejudgment on a certain group of people that has become a frequent norm in our society. Lahey's (2005) definition of stereotype is "an inaccurate generalization on which a prejudice or prejudgment is based", which creates negative connotations towards certain people based on race and gender. Examples of stereotypes that are often wrong are that women are weak and submissive, while men are powerful and domineering. Images of women on television and in the media are often based on stereotypical roles based on these examples. What I have observed on television and in the media is that women are more likely than men to be presented as product users in commercials. For instance, most of the commercials viewed on television and newspaper ads show women advertising the detergent and cleaning products and not men. I would like to point out that my husband is actually the one in our household that does the research on which household products work best. Television and media plays a vital part in these stereotypes because they affect how people think and generalize a group of individuals, based on the other's gender, race, religion, and culture.
I discussed the topic of gender stereotyping with several women in my family and they all agreed that with the increased popularity of television and media, gender assumptions among women have become so pervasive; they have vowed not to watch or promote programs or advertisements with gender...
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