Judging

What is Social Categorization? 

Social Categorization is the process of classifying people into groups based on similar characteristics, whether it be nationality, age, occupation, diagnosis, or some other trait. When we meet a new professor, for example, we may classify her as a woman, as middle-aged, as Asian, as an academic, and so on. Social categorization is a natural part of social perception; it provides a mental shortcut in that it allows us to infer properties about a person based on the properties of others in the same category (although our inferences may not always be correct).

Social Categorization and the Perception of Social Groups
by G a l e n V . B o d e n h a u s e n , S o n i a K . K a n g ,

Read the article here. 

 

 

We all judge. We all make assumptions. For good and for bad. It's part of living in a society, defense-mechanisms, social categorization, life. For me, the issue becomes when we start behaving based on these believes, when we start to invade other privacy with our judgments. When we deliberately choose to let this take and command how we behave, how we treat others. 

I do this sometimes, I confess. Mostly towards Asian culture. A topic I could spend a long time talking about, but I rather not. 

This is it for today.

Seren Dipity.