The mind is a funny thing when it comes to how your attitude toward stereotypes affects your overall thinking. For example, have you ever noticed how people with strong mindsets toward racial stereotypes tend to be less creative or able to think in the abstract? One new study released January 7 found a connection between racial intolerance and creativity while a second study has concluded that adopting abstract thinking reduces prejudice toward “non-normative” groups.
Both studies tackled the idea that an essentialist mind-set - “the view that racial groups possess underlying essences that represent deep-rooted, unalterable traits, and abilities” - leads to a generalized closed-mindedness.
In a January 7 article published in Psychological Science, researchers at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Harvard University, Tel Aviv University, and Beijing Normal University found that racial stereotyping exerts its negative effects on creativity by changing how people think, as opposed to changing what they think.
The participants, including white Americans, Israelis, and Asian Americans, read one of three articles: one supporting racial essentialist beliefs, one on non-essentialist beliefs, or one about water. After taking the common Remote Associates Test for creativity, only the participants primed with the racial essentialist article were less creative.
In the second study, published last year also in Psychological Science, researchers explored how
abstract vs. concrete thinking influences prejudice. In particular, Americans’ attitudes toward certain individuals and out-groups who are perceived as being “non-normative” and thus are often the targets of overt discrimination. Among the participants who espoused a concrete mind-set, conservatives were less tolerant of these non-normative groups than liberals were, but “political orientation did not have a reliable effect on tolerance among participants who adopted an abstract mind-set,” according to the study.
What these researchers found was that - at least for conservatives - adopting a more abstract mind-set reduces prejudice toward non-normative groups because at least some of conservatives’ prejudice is in conflict with their own personal abstract values.
“We propose that the discrepancy between the abstract value of fairness and a bias against certain no-normative groups, a conflict that is more pronounced among political conservatives than among liberals, may be moderated by the mind-set that people adopt when thinking about these groups,” concludes the study.
Both studies suggests that essentialist mind-sets are fairly malleable, making it possible to devise interventions that reduce racial stereotyping based on essentialist beliefs and thereby allowing them to become more socially tolerant.
In fact, it could even unleash higher creative potential in some individuals, which would benefit everyone.
What do you think?
Comments
Creativity and Stereotyping
I think this article is interesting. If you think about it being creative most times requires thinking outside the box and having the ability to look at a situation from a different angle. It only makes sense that creative people would stereotype less because it is not in their nature to fit people into small neat categories. If they do not see their world from just one point of view, why would they view others that way? It seems to me that creativity demands the breaking of rules and stereotyping is all about rules.
Interesting Article
I thought this was definitely an interesting article to read. I never really thought of that because I always thought creativity just came natural because I am not a creative person at all. When thinking about it, this article makes a good point because creativity comes from thinking outside the box and stepping out of the comfort zone. When it comes to stereotyping, you are being very close minded and there is no extra thinking, it is just what is being done.
You make a great point that
You make a great point that one must be close minded to exhibit racial discrimination and stereotyping. What I don't understand is how those people feel they are so worthy. Everyone could in some fashion be stereotyped against for at least one thing. It is interesting that this study concluded its results that most people who are not as creative in their thinking are more likely to stereotype.
I also agree, some people don
I also agree, some people don't take the time or energy to understand people they follow the stereotypes and assumptions that they have heard. Its take much more brain power to understand someone than be a close minded person.
I found this article to be
I found this article to be very interesting and also make a lot of sense. I always thought that people who embraced stereotypes and were intolerant of other groups lack intelligence in a way. I think they are followers who don't take the time to understand someone. They just assume what they have heard. Its sad to know that there are people out there that think this isn't the case but no there is scientific proof for this.
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