Stereotyping and Social Identity Theory

Stereotyping and Social Identity
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Stereotyping and Social Identity
Stereotyping is forming a mental representation of a group of people based on a limited set of characteristics and assumptions about their behavior (McShane & Glinow, 2021). Social identity theory posits that individuals develop a sense of self and an identity as a result of their interactions with others. How people perceive themselves is partly based on how others see them. For example, people who affiliate with a stereotyped group negatively may feel like they are different and less-than (Oliveira & Cabral Cardoso, 2018; Zacher et al., 2018). This can lead to feelings of shame, guilt, and embarrassment. Stereotyping and social identity theory are essential concepts that help explain how individuals interact with each other. Moreover, they can influence how people think, feel, and behave (Dickens & Chavez, 2017). Stereotyping can also lead to discrimination and prejudice. Social identity theory can help one understand why people behave as they do. It can also help develop strategies for dealing with complex interactions.
In the Hy Dairies, Inc. case study, Beauport is the assistant brand manager responsible for Hy’s gourmet ice cream. Beauport is a young black woman whose passion for branding and excellent results have not been accompanied by the career rise she desired. Her outlook on her work and her interaction with her boss reveals several negative stereotypes about young black women in the workplace. For example, Beauport believes she is not given the same opportunities as her counterparts. For instance, Beauport observed that women of color could not move up the managerial ladder in branding in her former company (McShane & Glinow, 2020). Women (especially women of color) were only allowed brief tenures in lower branding ranks before being transferred to technical roles that removed them from activities touching on the company’s bottom-line. Thus, she sees the lateral transfer to the marketing research coordinator position as a slap on the face after saving Hy’s gourmet ice cream brand from impending failure. She also feels that her boss does not appreciate her work and is deliberately transferring her to the new position to prevent her potential rise in the company’s ranks because of her race.
The way that Beauport perceives herself is based on the experience she has had in her career. However, this experience has become detrimental to Beauport’s career as it has become the mediating lens of her view of her boss and colleagues. Beauport’s view of her boss is that he does not appreciate her work or want her to succeed, and she has a negative perception of all white people based on her experience. Her view of white people is that they are racist and do not want people of color to succeed. Beauport’s race (and social identity) is one factor that contributes to the negative perceptions she has of white people, her boss, and her career. Her experience in the workplace has been shaped by discrimination and the unfair tr...