The Effects of Stereotypes on Empathy and Aggression in Social Interactions
Romanian Journal of Psychological Studies (RJPS), 2020
11 Pages Posted: 21 Apr 2020
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: Suggested Citation