How Can You Stop Yourself From Stereotyping Other People?
Some ways to stop stereotyping other people include acknowledging learned prejudices, confronting your own stereotypes without assigning blame, finding support among others to change personal prejudices, becoming more aware of comments that stereotype other people and increasing exposure to people in groups who are often stereotyped. Other steps to reduce prejudice include interrupting thoughts expressing stereotypes and learning how other people may be stereotyping you.
Other methods to decrease stereotyping other people include feeling secure with your own identity, increasing empathy towards others and accepting the complexities of human relationships and society. Learning to value the diversity of people is a key process in reducing stereotyping and may often involve learning more about differences and finding aspects of them to appreciate. Responding to stereotyping when other people display it, as in jokes and the use of derogatory terms, is key to increasing your own ability to identify and eradicate personal prejudice. Other ways to stop from expressing stereotypes involve examining the motivation or source for any stereotyping actions and thoughts. When trying to eliminate stereotyping, look at implicit biases as well as explicit prejudices. Implicit association tests are used by psychologists to help identify stereotypes that may not be apparent on the surface.
