From a philosophical point of view, truth is one of the primary purposes of knowledge. Not everything of the study assessed as a scientific matter. What about artificial works? Without a doubt, prejudices and stereotypes are a manifestation of a twisted vision of reality on the part of man.
When you notice someone from your own biases or seen from this perspective, there is no objectivity in observing the way others are being. An act of inner freedom and valuable knowledge is to tend not to pigeonholed in vague stereotypes. How to remove prejudices and stereotypes? At Psychology-Online, we told you.
7 tips to overcome prejudices and stereotypes
To eliminate prejudices and stereotypes, you must make a deep reflection about your thinking and your preconceptions. Here we show you seven tips that will help you:
- Avoid drawing early conclusions when you meet a new group of people. For example, when you join a course and meet your new classmates. It would be good if you gave yourself time because from your own experience you will discover how in your daily life with these people you are making new friends. However, you can’t anticipate from the first day of the class who will be your best friend from first impressions that aren’t perfect.
- To be more careful from now on, try to think about past times in your life when you experienced the actual situation of realizing that your opinion of someone was utterly wrong. It is the case in those instances when someone has exemplary behavior that taught you a lesson.
- How do you feel when you understand you are judging without giving you a chance to get to know yourself? Empathy medicine is important to correct this type of behavior. What behaviors have you noticed in those who have treated you this way at one point in your life? Identify those behaviors to avoid them. We’ve discovered some traits of someone with a bit of empathy, so you can learn to explore them.
- See rule exceptions. They were faced with the proper functioning of prejudices that present a twisted vision of reality, confronted objective data that destroys that information. For example, suppose a person tends to believe that the age difference in the couple negatively affects love. In that case, they can observe around them some points of two people who, beyond the age difference, plan their happiness around you.
- Feed your mind with cultural stimuli. Continuing education is the best medicine to reduce the impact that prejudices and stereotypes can have on our lives. Culture feeds critical and reflective meaning; that is, it helps us think. Something important because stereotypes take us to the opposite point of 3d drawing easy hasty conclusions. Therefore, tools such as reading, philosophy, cinema, theatre, art and conversation with friends are incredibly educational to reach the depth of knowledge.
- Make friends in different groups. Through the practical experience of social skills, you can also overcome the prejudice of stereotypes. If you have the opportunity to establish friendships with other people, this fact helps you grow. When, in addition to your group of friends from childhood or adolescence, you enjoy plans with co-workers and people from university, for example, you expand your knowledge framework because each person is unique.
- Identify what your biases are. Many people stop them, and when they act this way, they don’t give themselves a chance to change. Conversely, by assuming the limiting ideas condition you, you are more aware of you acting from this internal norm. You have many opportunities to correct yourself because thinking is a constant inspiration for action.
The mind can flex as a tool to overcome prejudice.
Now that you know how to remove prejudices and stereotypes, we end that mental flexibility. More than any mental rigidity, this is the best tool to overcome prejudices and understand that life is especially exciting due to the diversity of nuances and forms. Thanks to this, life beyond your prejudices will continue to surprise you. And the surprise catches you in the face of how much you anticipate what you thought might be a situation.
The art of detachment is essential about the material plane. It can also apply to the dynamic field. There comes a time when stereotypes and prejudices can weigh so much that the person carries a burden that adds nothing. In that case, it was a conscious decision to release that weight through the detachment.
When prejudice comes to fill our lack of knowledge, we can practice the Socratic habit and remind ourselves of the global message: “I just know I know nothing”.
This article is informative only; at Psychology-Online, we cannot make a diagnosis or recommend treatment.