social or economic similarities, but out of convenience. Since that time, the industrialized nations have harbored the stereotype that the third world is land of starving children and savage tribes. Despite decades of vast improvement, this stereotype remains unchanged. This rigid stereotype has caused many citizens to embrace a false view of the Third World nations and its citizens. One psychological reason for stereotypes is the idea of self-justification. If we treat someone badly, the person deserves it by virtue of their status; if we deny a job to someone, it is not bad because they really are not very smart anyways. Another reason for stereotyping is the feelings of superiority, especially in times of economic downturn. It is nice to have a group worse off than we are so that we can feel superior. Some smaller reasons for stereotyping are displaced aggression, personality needs, conformity and the economic and social competition (43). We have a pressure to structure our environment, to match patterns, to force a fit as needed. We do this for efficiency and to avoid the anxiety of not getting a fix. We use uncritical judgments thousands of times each day.Stereotypes, clearly, should not be mistaken for accurate information. Although there may be a certain amount of truth to the statement, the generalization is often inaccurate (45). Stereotyping is not necessarily an intentional act of abuse. It is, in most cases, merely a process we use to simplify our world around us. Stereotypes are not all bad. We could have a stereotype that is positive, like thinking that rich people like the opera more than middle-class or lower-class people. To the extent that the stereotype is based on experience and is at all an accurate perception of an experience, it can be an adaptive, shorthand way of dealing with complex events.Unfortunately, many people believe this information to be not only truthful, but also factual. Since most Americans have no...
