One of those nasty little habits that we humans have is the fact that we can sometimes make harsh preconceptions of others, before we really get to know that person. We can say things like, "That person seems like such a jerk" or "That person is obviously not intelligent". And usually, when we make those rushed preconceptions, we find ourselves stuck with them. It's something we are guilty of as a whole. So why do we make those preconceptions. Is it a genetic quality, or is it sociological response?

Just a thought I had on my mind... As I feel I am all to guilty of that trait myself, and that others have incorrect preconceived notions of the kind of person I am as well.

Good question?

For me, I believe it has more to do with sociological factors than genetic. I try very hard not to do it. When I catch myself doing that, I say to myself, shame on you, you know better than this, give this person the benefit of the doubt.

I think its something Physcologyical, Like a see the smokers outside of school, and i seriously hate their guts... Even though my mum n dad both smoke, Even the thought of it makes me feel sick.

But in alot of times, you learn to associate certain features with behaviour at a young age, Like a see a chav, i right away think, Poor family, Violent, Stupid, 70% are really weak....., I and i think Skaters to be cool and Emos to be okay, even though the usual thinking is that all emos should go die (I hate that sortof thinking).... Because you learn that about a few certain individuals as a child, so that stays stuck in your brain.


I usually dont think wrong about someone unless they are the above, Or they try to tell me something i KNOW to not be right.

See, when one makes preconceptions like that, one is being quite judgmental. Me and you have always got along well Xeno, but did you know, I am in fact a smoker?

Yeah A_skep, I knew, its just, Like when your a kid, you learn to associate Red with hot and blue with cold right.
It kinda goes behond that without you realising i guess., Your Okay, but.... Ermmmmmm... this is hard to explain lol

If i see a realitivly clean person smoking, i dont mind, However, Im from a small little kinda discusting town in england, you dont get that here much, So i kinda just said that as a genralisation to save my fingers

It is, isn't it? That's the problem with those preconcived notions, they are something we have to live with...

Social animals in general detest outsiders and many are openly agressive towards them. Wolves and monkeys are fine examples. By outsider I mean of course an animal from outside the society, but of the same species. With many mammals at least, this is primarily to protect territory, and maintain status quo in the pack. If new outsiders kept coming in to take a place in the hiercarchy, there would be many more strength tests between each member. I think a significant part of preconception is linked back to the more ancient parts of our minds.

a very good point skep - and i think the worst place for misconceptions about people is on the internet.

xeno - i got seriously lost in rotherham a few months ago - i didnt think it was disgusting it wasnt sheffield, which is where i was trying to get to, but was an interesting detour all the same :laugh:

:laugh:, , Its the backstreets of rotherham i find dirty, East dene, east herrinthorpe, Strangly, there isnt a west dene or West herinthorp :?:
Town centers startin to look very good thanks to the new Rotherham Reanasonns project
Its strange how you can get lost in rotherham goig to shefff, if it wernt for meddowhall, we'd be litterally touching lol

I Agree dro, But, some outsiders appeal to us too, I dunno much about animals, but is that kinda the same?

Well, curiocity towards the unknown and mysterious is also a trait that many intelligent mammals share, and us included. Without educational authority on the matter, I reckon that is the basis for appeal towards exploring new and exotic locations/foods/cultures/people. It makes sence that such an inclination has developed too, since unveiling something unknown can have benefits for the individual or the society that individual comes from. Like a new source for food, or new locations to thrive upon. For that inclination to also encompass the exploration of unknown cultures and 'outsiders' is a small step.

I agree, on the Internet, many folks build up their own cliques, and seldom allow new people to join them...

To expand on that thought, there's also the food/territory/group aspect.
Think too kindly of the "other group" and your own might end up getting killed or starving to death in the end.
But yeah, I think it traces back to a time when a bit of hate was necessary for survival. Those without it were selected against. Depressing, but, I think, probably true.

Caution is still warranted in the modern age, but not real deep hate...

That's a good way of putting it. The logic of compassion can temper it into caution.

I think preconceptions are just one of those things that make us a unique species...

Everyone can relate to this, so I thought I'd put in my 2 cents. This stereotyping/misconception/pre-judge attitude before you know someone is huge. Example: racism.
Anyway, even though I'd like to say and or think that I am no longer guilty of misconceptions or judgements ("I graduated out of the High School mentality years ago!"), I am. I unfortunately occaisionly make comments regarding co-workers to my bf, which is absurd, because I really don't know them. At all. And I know for a fact they do the same about me. The only thing you can do is just shrug it off and go about your business, and not judge anyone you don't know, which is easier said than done, seeing as its basically programmed into our brains via media, school, society etc.
The person you think you are is not always the person people see you as. But so what? This used to irk me in high school/early college years. In HS, I was busy judging others while others were busy judging me. This prevents new friendships or relationships, which sucks.
My final example is this: I met my bf, the love of my life, the reason I wake up every morning, on the internet. This was three years ago, and I swear I fell in love with him before I even knew what he looked like. It was his posts, his rediculously wonderful essays that touched me. After seeing pictures (gee, of course I thought he was a hottie), and talking on the phone for HOURS, I drove 8 hours to GA and 8 hours back to NC to pick him up and spend a weekend with him. When I first saw him, even though I "sorta" knew him from online, I was ALREADY making misconceptions about him: "He dresses preppy, he'd never like me." "He's not talking much, he thinks I'm ugly, he wants to go home asap.", etc. None of these were true. I believe most of our misconceptions about others come from OUR OWN INSECURITIES ABOUT OURSELVES.
I think all in all, I judge myself the most harshly. But I think that misconceving people is a habit every single person should work on breaking... it would make life a lot more peaceful.

Good point, Kelly

Yes, unfortunately, Kittin, there's only so much we can do to counteract our preconceptions. The thing we can do is be more aware of when we do judge others. When you meet someone for the first time, your initial judgement of character of that person is done in a few seconds. And your mind will pick up consistencies with that judgement, where as inconsistencies are 'filtered out' and forgotten. That's why first impressions stick for so long. But if you know this, and try to remember everything about the person and analyse later, objectively his or her actions, words, gestures etc, then your idea of that person's character should be more accurate. But preconception itself is pretty much impossible to vanquish.

Predjudice means to pre-judge, right?

I think it's simply easier for the mind to fill in some of the blanks for us, before we even enter the game.

I though Predjudice ment, Singling out like racism ? :confused:

Prejudice:
–noun
1. an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.
2. any preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable.
3. unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes, esp. of a hostile nature, regarding a racial, religious, or national group.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=Prejudice