Does it take less effort to enforce a stereotype than challenge one?

Question

Have you noticed that it seems much easier to enforce a stereotype than try to convince someone otherwise. Have you used this tendency to your advantage in business dealings or when trying to make a point. i.e. ("Product A is better than Product B because everyone just knows that and it's common sense"...even when you know that it is not true anymore)

Answer 1

We all stereotype throughout our lives. Stereotyping is a method of thought utilizing catagorizing as oppose to logical thought. It is a shorthand way to make decisions. We stereotype things like food( peas are yuckie). Later we may find we actually like peas.

stereotyping has a survival factor. It can help save our lives ie parents tell children don't go in the street to play as cars will run over you. Think of all the so called common sense ideas these are all stereotypes which don't address the unusual or the exceptions to rules.

Talking about stereotyping people has always been done based loosely on a fact of one or more occurances. The more occurances the less likely we will see the exceptions.

TV also adds to stereotyping. Years ago, we had very racist cartoons and movies concerning American Native's ( called Indians formerly). The newer movies and cartoons have tried to stop this.

Our families is where we learn "common sense" and stereotypes.Families socializations are most important and also most difficult to overcome. The more hateful concerning others the more difficult.

Therefore I believe it takes much less effort to enforce a stereotype than challenging our own stereotypes as well as other social stereotypes.
This Information taken from masters degree course on multiculturism in counseling. Councelors know one should take a person where they presently are, including stereotyping and then help them to realize there are other ways of feeling about things.

Answer 2

This is called convergence. Now a days everything is recognized for it's mere sterotypical implications rather then it's true value.

If you are in business or your simply intrigued by this you should go ahead and read some of these articles:

http://www.nyupress.org/webchapters/0814742815intro.pdf

http://www.nyupress.org/webchapters/0814742823intro.pdf

Pierre Levy, Collective Intelligence: A Civilisation
http://crossings.tcd.ie/issues/1.1/Levy/

CHOICE, Chapter 1
http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/chapters/0262182483chap1.pdf

Answer 3

Yes, it takes less effort.
This is the whole marketing ploy behind Madison Avenues' sucess.
Good luck

Answer 4

it is much easier to convince someone to continue the way they think...if you are challenging that then by concept you are challenging their intelligence in a sense, they have established their opinion on something and right, wrong or indifferent they thought that they made an educated decision and now you are trying to tell them otherwise.

Answer 5

it's easier to put an initial concept out there than to make an argument, this applies to a lot of things in life

Answer 6

I think teaching by the example of the way you live is the best way for someone to be convinced their view maybe wrong.

As for products, i share with someone what works for me.... and leave it up to them.

We cannot drag people to our beliefs or convince them of it. Just share your feelings...thats what it is about, not "winning" them over.

Answer 7

It is always easier to go with the flow than try to reverse it..

Answer 8

yes