Problem:
A stereotype is an oversimplified and general mental belief about a group of people in which our brains and society use to quickly sort people. They exist to allow our brains to easier process mental assessments of individuals within our environment. Oftentimes, stereotypes are associated with negative perspectives and associations to a particular group that get attributed to all individuals that fit within that schema. The negative associations are stronger due to potential self-preservation instincts that trigger defense mechanisms and can lead to aggressive action towards stereotyped individuals. Personal experiences serve to either strengthen or weaken these associations by providing our brains opportunities to update any outdated information in regards to the preconceived prejudices towards any particular schema. This expansion of boundaries to include a wider net of applicable information regarding a stereotypes allows us to remain flexible with the cognitive categories and recognize nuances that shifts our boundaries to adapt to our environments. Having a more flexible category that changes with experiences allows us to empathize with other social groups that had different environments such as realizing that a burrito in san diego would contain french fries (this is superior) but one in jacksonville will be drenched in weird white cheese. Need Assignment Help?