The Effects of Stereotyping (Part 2)

By:  Kimberly Swanson, MS-Psy, CNA

  Another example of perceived stereotypes is including disabled individuals in a classroom setting or in the work place.  These individuals may not feel that a disabled person should not be included nor have accommodations based on these negative stereotypes.  According to Hodson & Costello (2012), humans try to stay away from people with disabilities because of the fear of catching a contagious disease.  Often times these perceived thoughts of the outer group, the disabled, are based on ignorance and not taking the time to learn and educate themselves about the health condition of the person with the disability. 

These types of studies on human behavior can help prime people to become more aware of their views and to become more proactive in changing these negative behaviors that create more divisiveness and problems in the long run.  These interventions can prime men in male dominated jobs, such as the military, to be more aware of sexist views and sexual harassment in the work place against women. And it can also be applied for the disabled. Intervention on the inclusion of the disabled is an effort in priming people to be more open minded and understanding in both the school setting and the work place towards people with disabilities.

According to Williams & Burgh (2008) “warmth” is a healing behavior that “caregivers” use to help improve patients’ health.  William and Burgh’s (2008) study tested the theory on how “physical warmth” can affect a person’s behavior or how they respond to others.  This article studies the psychological effects of “warm” and “cold” personalities (Williams & Bargh, 2008).  This research can be applied in many social aspects such as the work place and any social environment in which there are social human interactions.

Updated 9/25/16

References
Hodson, G. & Costello, K. (2012).  Interpersonal Disgust, Ideological Orientations, and Dehumanization as Predictors of Intergroup Attitudes.  Psychological Science,18(8), 691-698.
Williams, L. E., & Bargh, J. A. (2008). Experiencing physical warmth promotes interpersonal warmth. Science, 322(5901), 606–607. doi:10.1126/science.1162548

Copyrighted 2014 by Kimberly Swanson (Messenger Publishing, Inc.) all rights reserved