Sunday, December 7, 2014
Stereotyping occurs everywhere and often. Sometimes it's playful:
Sometimes it's pretty accurate for a generalization (my mom is an example of the Asian mom from the video), and other times it's downright offensive and detrimental. It goes beyond saying "Just kidding. No offense. I'm allowed to say that because I have [insert race/sex/religion/whatever] friends. You know I'm not racist/sexist/whatever-ist." These jokes and type of mentality are the foundation of stereotype threat - the consequences of one believing the negative stereotype about one's group and it negatively affecting their performance.
Social psychologist Dr. Claude Steele extensively researched and developed the theory behind stereotype threat. He conducted experiments that showed black college students underperformed dramatically on tests when they were told it measured their intellectualy ability yet they performed at the same level as the white students when the same test was given as a puzzle. This is because there is a negative stereotype that black people are less intelligent than white people, and as a result this stereotype raises doubts and high pressure anxieties, ultimately affecting their level of achievement.
My personal experience with stereotype threat varies and I am guilty of contributing yet contradicting my own stereotype threat. One that I will focus on is the idea that most Asians are smart and pure. I bounced between honor and regular classes in high school. In my honor and AP classes, I felt incompetent next to my peers, especially the Asians because it's expected for Asians to excel in everything. In our AP Stats class, the teacher had us grade each other's exams (yeah...strange right?), so that meant other students knew what you got. Because there is this expectation for me to do well due to the idea 1) Asians are smart and 2) Asians are good at math, 3) AP Stats is much easier than AP Calculus, I got so nervous meeting those expectations that I kept doubting myself on the test. This is also related to fixed mindset though. So in my case, instead of performing negatively due to low expectations, the high pressure anxiety arose from high expectatations.
How will I work to change the environment I'm in to make it more welcoming? I am not sure I'd personally be doing anything differently... it may be naive and grand of me to say, but color, sex, religion, etc don't really affect in my decision in being friends or working with someone. I expect others to feel the same too because hello it's 2014, but I may be unpleasantly surprised so I guess it'd mean refuting any negative comments and behaviors of others.
Oh, I know, I have a self-deprecating sense of humor, so I'll have to refrain from poking fun at myself that'll affect how others perceive me as a professional woman, and other women in general. Yes, I am a woman, I am proud to be a woman entering the tech industry, I love pastel colors and puppies, but it doesn't mean my ability to code sucks. Well, they kinda suck right now, but I'm learning!
