I found the concept of Stereotype Threat and how it affects
academic performance interesting. The emotions that are aroused when people
worry that others will view them as less capable based on race, gender, age, or
appearance disrupts cognition and lowers academic performance (Berger, 2011).
Personally I know when I believe that I can do something well I do much better
than when I doubt my capability. Other people’s opinions can really influence
the way we think about our own capabilities. For example when my drawing
classmates gave me high marks during our peer critique it really bolstered my
self-efficacy. They gave me hard evidence that they thought I could, that tore
down my own fears that as a non-art major they would view me as non-artistic.
Three areas that I struggle with stereotype threat and
recognize that it affects how well I do include: 1. As a homeschooler I will be
perceived as socially awkward; 2. As a Mennonite who dresses conservatively I
will be thought to be narrow minded and intolerant of others views; 3. As an
herbalist/nutritionist, people may assume that I am opposed to modern medical
science or a promoter of the latest natural health gimmick. In all of these
areas when I focus on how I think people may stereotype me I am more likely to
act in ways that may cause people to perceive me as what I desperately don’t want
people to view me as. An example of number three impacting my performance was
this past summer when I gave a short presentation on what herbal medicine can
do that modern medicine cannot to a group at a retreat. The awareness that
about half of the attendees were majoring in biomedicine unnerved me. I
inserted more umms and other word tics than I usually do when presenting. The
audience was not unfriendly or narrow minded, but because I thought they had
stereotyped me as a health nut I struggled with delivering my message.
References
Berger, K. S. (2011). The developing person through the
life span. Worth.
Rosanna--
ReplyDeleteI'd like to start out by saying that I've really enjoyed reading your posts so far this semester. And, in regards to the areas you struggle with stereotype threat, I can honestly say that you do not come across as a socially awkward, intolerant, or narrow minded person! Your posts are consistently articulate and thought-provoking. And, even though you clearly have a passion for being an herbalist/nutritionist, you also seem to have a diverse knowledge base and are willing to consider many different sides of an issue. You break the stereotype!
I'm sorry it was difficult for you to give that presentation over the summer. It's tough to speak to an audience who is well-versed in a subject you're talking about. It's even tougher when your presentation is about an alternative to what they specialize in. You made it through the presentation though! I think a lot of people don't even try things because they're worried about stereotype threats or what other people think of them.
A lot of times we're our own worst critics. I struggle sometimes with worrying about what others think of me. In the past, I'd categorize myself as a people-pleaser (I've been trying to work on saying "no" more often though and expressing how I really feel). At times, the fear of what others would think of me was paralyzing. I also have a tendency to stereotype others and think of them being perfect/super-human (I've encountered a lot of stereotypical premeds as a biology major). I've heard it said, "comparison is the thief of joy." Sometimes we just have to focus on being our best selves and do a little less looking around/stereotyping.