STEREOTYPES, DIVERSITY, AND CONFLICT:Categories of Diversity Issues, Seven Mental Processes to Prove Stereotypes

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Conflict Management HRM624

Lesson 28

STEREOTYPES, DIVERSITY, AND CONFLICT

Quotations

Leaders have to break out of old habits and stereotypes to build organizations that continually improve

quality and reduce costs to prosper in the turbulent marketplace.

Dean Tjosvold U.S. psychologist and author.

I believe world civilization can be built only upon the common basis of international living...The ideal

life...to live in an English cottage, with American heating, and have a Japanese wife, a French mistress, and a

Chinese cook. Lin Yutang (1895 - 1976), Chinese-born writer and philologist.

Main source of conflict is diversity. Diversity is being different. There are three sources of difference!

Categories of Diversity Issues

Diversity issues fall into three main categories.

1. First category is stereotyping. Stereotyping is the attribution of thoughts, qualities, behaviors, and

attitudes to others based on their categorization into a social group.

2. Second category includes considerations of culture. This category includes considerations of culture. It

includes issues of language difference, cultural values, and frames of reference, and cultural attitude towards

conflict, negotiation, and conflict resolution.

3. Third category of diversity issue is the issue of power. Power problems in diversity conflict include the

disempowerment of particular social groups and the existence of bigotry and prejudice based on social

group membership.

These categories frequently influence one another.

Why People Stereotype

The effect of stress and situational complexity; the more stressful the situation, the more likely it is that

stereotyping will occur

Interpersonal conflict tends to be an inherently stressful and complex situation that tends to impose a high

degree of cognitive load.

Fatigue, illness, hunger, and intense emotion; personal factors contribute to cognitive load. It also affects

the propensity to stereotype.

Unfamiliarity with the other person

Unfamiliarity with the racial, ethnic, religious, or other social group

Social group salience

Strong category is a social category associated with a particularly strong likelihood of stereotypes

application.

Strong categories tend to be those associated with obvious physical attributes and rigid social roles.

(Gender roles is an example)

Strong category features: Physical obviousness and restricted social role. There are also greater

propensities to stereotype people based on social groups that have two special qualities.

First, social groups that are associated with obvious physical attributes, such as skin and hair color, size,

facial features,

Second, gender characteristics are associated with a greater propensity to stereotype.

Third, social groups associated with rigid social roles in the society are more likely to be the targets of

stereotyping.

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Conflict Management HRM624

Seven Mental Processes to Prove Stereotypes

Processes and stereotype reinforcement: Individuals may hold their own unique stereotypes

Processes of stereotype confirmation: People of a belief tend to confirm group's stereotypes.

1. Ignoring

2. Explaining away

3. Memory intrusions (memories of things that didn't happen)

4. Selective weighting processes

5. Stereotype over interpretation

6. Stereotype-consistent perception

7. Active processes that confirm stereotypes

Processes of Stereotype Confirmation

Process

Explanation

Ignoring

Stereotype inconsistent traits are ignored, allowing the

stereotype to go unchallenged

Explaining away

Stereotype inconsistent behavior is explained as either a

fluke or a result of special circumstances, whereas

stereotype consistent behavior is attributed to innate

qualities

Memory intrusion

Stereotype-consistent aspects of a situation are imagined

Selecting Weighting Processes

Stereotype-consistent events are attributed greater

importance than stereotype inconsistent events

Stereotype over interpretation

Stereotypes that are true in a limited sense are

overextended in importance or applicability

Stereotype-consistent perception

Ambiguous situations are interpreted in a way that

confirms stereotypes

Fundamental attribution error

Behavior that is due to restricted social roles is attributed

to innate characteristics

Behavioral confirmation

Responses to people based on social categorization tend

to create a self-fulfilling prophecy

Data collection errors

Information available in the overall social environment is

biased in favor of prevailing stereotypes

Summary

Stereotype, diversity, and conflict are related concepts. Diversity is perpetuated and reinforced through

stereotype images. Stereotype images are confirmed through a step-by-step process. It is interesting and we

can learn about this mental process by experiencing/doing it.

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