The Effects of Stereotypes on Empathy and Aggression in Social Interactions

Romanian Journal of Psychological Studies (RJPS), 2020

11 Pages Posted: 21 Apr 2020

See all articles by Emil Razvan Gatej

Emil Razvan Gatej

Hyperion University Bucharest

Mircea Bratu

National University of Physical Education and Sports

Date Written: February 7, 2020

Abstract

Attitudes are often based onto our beliefs. If our education and our cultural context is seeing some behaviors or sexual orientation as dangerous, then aggressiveness and lack of empathy will take over. Our preconceptions strongly influence how we interpret the reality. As some authors show, out cognitive mechanism are efficient and adaptive, but sometimes error can occur. This paper aims to evaluate the level of aggression and empathy towards people in the LGBTQ community. Stereotypes are summed up in light of the fact that one expects that the stereotype is valid for every distinctive individual in the classification. Generalizations lead to social categorization, which is one reason for bias mentalities and may emerge for various reasons. The research proofs that the level of aggression increases and the level of empathy decreases when the subjects face images with people from the LGBTQ community.

Keywords: aggressiveness, stereotypes, empathy, LGBT, social education

JEL Classification: O35

Suggested Citation

Gatej, Emil Razvan and Bratu, Mircea, The Effects of Stereotypes on Empathy and Aggression in Social Interactions (February 7, 2020). Romanian Journal of Psychological Studies (RJPS), 2020, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3562232

Emil Razvan Gatej (Contact Author)

Hyperion University Bucharest ( email )

Mircea Bratu

National University of Physical Education and Sports ( email )

Bucharest
Romania

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