Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

4-25-2025

Keywords

ageism, attitude, belief system, discrimination, fixed belief, self-fulfilling prophecy, social perception, stereotypes

Disciplines

Developmental Psychology

Abstract

Stereotypes are widely held fixed thoughts and beliefs adopted by common members of a group, that represent a particular group of individuals or behaviors as a whole. Attitudes people hold reflect in-group beliefs, values, and everyday life choices that are transgressed throughout multiple generations.  Stereotypes are intertwined into society, and although many people would like to deny these attitudes, they are implanted on individuals when we are young and occur without conscious awareness. Stereotype thinking is adaptive in nature, which serves the purpose to help people make sense of the world around them, by explaining social events, justifying one’s actions, and assists to distinguish in-groups in a more positive light from out-groups. Stereotype thinking permits people to have the capability of understanding others and simultaneously shapes the way individuals encounter situations.

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