Classifing stereotypes

English Literature - Stereotypes

COMMON VOCATIONAL STEREOTYPES

Vocational Stereotypes:

Stereotyping is the foundation of behavioral expectations about people and occurs most typically in relation to perceived categories of individuals, such as race, gender, nationality, religion, and any other group (Macionis 2003) wherein a particular person is expected to behave in a specific way based exclusively on membership in a class of persons. Generally, stereotypes are usually inaccurate, often negative, and always dangerous. That is not to say that no stereotypes have any basis in fact at all, because in many cases they might; the issue is simply that even the most accurate stereotypical expectations reflect an unjust assumption about individuals.

The danger lies in the extent to which stereotypes generate negative expectations about people without justification and in the detrimental effect on society as a whole when its members relate to each other with the antagonism generated by stereotypes instead of personal merit. While stereotyping is most often associated with racial classifications, vocational stereotypes also exist, causing those who subscribe to them to expect all members of vocational categories to conform to anecdotal expectations instead of reacting to them as individuals.

Police Officers:

Police officers suffer from common stereotyping as persecutory, excessively authoritative, physically abusive, racist, thugs who enjoy arresting people and use their law enforcement authority as a license to take advantage of citizens. They are also often the victims of social stereotyping as being introverted, secretive, abusive, and unfaithful domestic partners (Conlon 2004). In some respects, elements of those stereotypes may be statistically more likely to be true about police officers than about non-police officers, but the disadvantages of those stereotypes far outweigh any conceivable benefit, far beyond the issue of fairness to the individual officer.

Police officers experience a unique type of training and are exposed to working conditions and experiences that sometimes make it difficult to form close social bonds with civilians (Conlon 2004). More often than not, they find themselves either the subject of curiosity or the object of derision and disdain from strangers. Neither is particularly conducive to befriending civilian friends.

During the course of performing their patrol duties, police officers are exposed to situations that would shock and horrify anyone not accustomed to those circumstances.

In these respects and others, it is perfectly understandable if they develop a pattern of socializing mainly with family and fellow officers. Even if this result happens to conform to the stereotypical view of police officer social behavior, understanding the underlying reasons for it generates less negative connotations than assuming it from stereotypes without understanding.

Finally, in the case of police officers, stereotypes may have life-and-death consequences in that subjects of routine investigations or vehicle stops may provoke unnecessary antagonism from armed law enforcement officers with arrest powers.

Psychologists have long known that expectations often result in unconscious projection (Gerrig & Zimbardo 2005) capable of shaping social interactions. Negative stereotypes about police officers may, therefore, play a significant role in complicating interactions between officers and civilians unnecessarily.

Lawyers:

Like police officers, attorneys suffer from common stereotyping as untrustworthy, money-hungry, ambulance-chasing, lying "shysters." A frequently repeated joke about lawyers asks the question, "How do you know when a lawyer is lying?" followed by the answer, "His lips are moving." As with other stereotypes, there may be members of the class who do exhibit some of these negative characteristics, but assuming that about any particular individual simply by virtue of his occupation is unfair.

Lawyers are formally trained in the rules of logical reasoning and in the skills of argument or "advocacy." Generally, public perceptions about lawyers reflects more about the way that they are portrayed in the media than direct experience. On television, lawyers are most often criminal defense attorneys or "ambulance chasers" a term that is based on the inference that lawyers see accident victims only as dollar signs.

In fact, most lawyers practice neither criminal law nor personal injury law; they assist individuals prepare wills, set up their businesses, protect themselves from financial risks, purchase homes, patent inventions, and respond to IRS tax audits. Most lawyers spend long hours working at their desks and never actually see courtrooms or accident victims (Haskell 1998). Certainly, some lawyers are dishonest people without moral scruples or ethics who will do almost anything to make money. But more often than not, that is a function of the type of person they are, just as some schoolteachers, postal carriers, and even members of the clergy are dishonest and immoral.

Telemarketers:

Telemarketers suffer from common stereotyping as being dishonest, rude, inconsiderate liars who care only about making a sales pitch. As with other stereotypes, some telemarketers may fit those negative characterizations, but assuming them to be true about everyone who happens to earn a living as a telemarketer is unfair to that individual.

On the other hand, certain occupations may indeed lend themselves to specific personality types by virtue of which common stereotypes about their class may actually reflect the truth more often than other stereotypes. In some respects, there is a fundamental difference between traditional salesmen and telemarketers in that salesman generally make sales pitches to people who contact them first, providing some reasonable basis for assuming they may be interested in purchasing the salesman's wares.

By definition, telemarketers generally do make "cold calls" which, frankly, does require a degree of self-centeredness because their purpose is more often to sell the idea that people need their goods or services. Nevertheless, telemarketers also provide goods and services that some people do need. While some telemarketers may fit their stereotype, others may be hard-working, honest people who simply need that particular job at that time in their lives; they apologize sincerely for the intrusion and never persist with a sales pitch once a contact indicates a lack of interest in response to their phone call. Expecting those individuals to meet stereotypical expectations without knowing anything else about them besides their occupation is unfair.