Stereotypes and Their Importance for Labeling Deviant Behavior

• NCJ Number: 72064
• Author(s): G R Staats
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 83 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. Washington State University - doctoral dissertation

Annotation

This dissertation examined the importance of stereotyping in relation to social distance for deviant groups by analyzing responses from 538 students concerning stereotypes of rapists, heroin addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes, mental patients, and homosexuals.

Abstract

Although stereotypes have received considerable attention from social psychologists, their impact on deviant behavior is just beginning to be explored. A survey of research literature discusses stereotypes in regard to content, uniformity, familiarity with a group, direction or the degree of bias, and the intensity of dislike. The influence of these elements on social distance, the attracting or repelling forces between persons and groups, is also examined. This research assumed that no relationships existed between social distance and content, uniformity, or familiarity, but that social distance would increase as unfavorableness and dislike toward a stereotyped deviant group became greater. In 1976, students in an introductory sociology class at Washington State University were asked to complete a questionnaire which included 6 checklists with 84 adjectives to be used to characterize 6 deviant groups, and other items designed to measure social distance, direction, intensity, and familiarity regarding each group. Most subjects were female freshmen from Protestant, middle class backgrounds. The analytical methods and correlations produced for each group are described and presented in a table. Contrary to the hypothesis, content did have some impact on social distance, and the words 'stupid' and 'ignorant' were associated with increases in social distance for most groups. A minimal relationship was discovered between uniformity and social distance and a moderately positive association between familiarity and social distance was observed for rapists, alcoholics, and heroin addicts. Analysis of the data indicated that as unfavorableness and dislike increased, so did social distance. Future research should explore other deviant groups and stereotypes held by control agents, such as judges and police. The questionnaire administered in the survey is appended. Over 40 references are included.