Stereotyping and its Negative Health Effects

No one chooses to be stereotyped or categorized under a specific title, and no one wants to be the victim of an unfair judgment. Despite those statements, people stereotype others like it is their personal right to label another human being. We all know that its true and we all do it. Everyone in our society makes judgments on people they barely know; sizing up the way they walk, listening to how they talk, and noticing the clothes they wear. It doesn’t take long to pinpoint who we perceive as the less fortunate person wandering the streets, or the lush beauty surrounded by friends and paparazzi who constantly longs for attention. When a person creates a stigma—a disgrace or shameful name to something or someone who is regarded as socially unacceptable—they do not realize the seed that they have planted. When generating such a seemingly harmless idea, most people have no idea how they could or already have impacted a person’s life by potentially lowering their self-esteem, reducing work habits, or even dropping their health. When stereotyping someone, you need to take into account the damage you could be causing them. Stereotyping is a cruel way to base opinions on people because it can negatively affect their physical and mental health.

By stereotyping someone you take away their sense of self being and isolate them into new category. As humans, we can’t survive off of isolation, and we need to feel compassion and belonging in order to live. As evidence of that concept, in the movie, “The Castaway,” Tom Hanks played the main role as a man who becomes plane wrecked on a deserted island and left alone with no other companionship besides a volleyball. Throughout the movie, Hanks goes through many changes that affect his physica...

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...tively are the ones who need the most care of all since their self-esteem levels are so low. When a stigma is created against someone, they feel the pressure to change themselves in order to be socially accepted, which puts stress on the body and mind. The important thing to remember is that a person’s opinion should not matter to you at all, and their belief should have no impact on how you view yourself. In today’s world we are influenced by the media, our peers, acquaintances, and even people we don’t even know, and are judged by how people perceive us to be. Stereotyping is a negative aspect in most people’s minds because it mentally and physically drains our health and creates more issues in our life. Think about it, you may feel alone when being stereotyped and isolated, but in the end, we are all in the same category for wanting to feel a sense of belonging.