What makes people go out of there way to be/enforce stereotypes?

Question

What makes people go out of there way to be/enforce stereotypes?

Answer 1

by nature humans are a categorising animal, our flight or fight response depends on the ability we have to decide if the individual is a threat or not. also group belonging may lead to people to go out of their way to fit with their chosen group.

Answer 2

Fear of being judged and abandoned by friends and family. It's a classic dignosis.

Answer 3

I think it is because of the fear of the unknown - it is a  way of having fundamentalism - absolute certainty by the back door.

So even 'normal' people can use  a stereotype because it is out there in the world - already been used a lot so they can hide behind all those other's who have promulgated the lie.

I think it is because the human mind cannot take uncertainty without fearing that the mind will crack up .

I live in uncertainty because my mind is not stable and find certainty  very damaging for the spirit - It is safe but not going anywhere,, not learning. But I think that is the trade off safety v permanent learning of insecurity. I reckon if I were 'normal' I'd be at it too.

Answer 4

The world is a very complicated place, and the human mind is not powerful enough to understand all these complications, and thus we both consciously and subconsciously simplify things.

Rightly or wrongly, when we take 6 billion people and stereotype them racially, or by gender or sexuality or level of wealth we reduce the level of complication for 6 billion different permutations to only 2 or 4 or however many we create.

Answer 5

Marclans... answer is the best you're going to get.

Answer 6

Conformity.

Answer 7

Lack of imagination

Answer 8

Seriously, "stereotypes" don't view it that way because they are doing their own thing and could care less (obviously) what other people think!