The Society Of Mind

Assignment 2

By: Ricardo A. Garcia

Date: March 29, 2000

Based on the theory that people minds work using the "goal cloud", it is very probable that after a person solves a particular problem (i.e. build arch), it will use the same kind of "methods" and "goals" to solve future problems that share some similitude. The people that surround the person in question (i.e. family, friends) easily detect these methods and goals that are repeated time after time. This people will not build a very "complex" database with the specific information of the methods and goals used by each one of their friends. Instead they will try to describe these recursive behaviors using some words that can apply to the people that "normally acts in the same way"; even if is just in one little part of their normal behavior. Words as "punctual" or "orderly" denote a set of behaviors that are common to a person.

Other people easily detect some of these "traits", even if they just met, or they have share no time together. It is normal to "characterize" a person even after a few seconds of contact for the first time (a popular belief is that the first 7 seconds are the most decisive when you met someone new). Even without physical presence, persons always have some kind of judgment about some other person. This judgment can be based in a picture, a phone call, or even a text written by the other person. All of our actions carry some kind of information that the other people perceive.

These characteristics are what we usually call "stereotype". A stereotype is a set of adjectives that describe a particular trait in a person. This depiction is often superficial (oversimplified). It can be said that a stereotype is a very basic model that we have to represent a person in our mind. If we stick to the "frame theory" where we have different levels of detail to describe things (and people), the stereotype can be viewed as the "first attempt" or "simpler" frame (with less information) that is used by our brain to store information related with a particular person.

If we met someone new, that person will create a stereotype image of us in his or her brain (i.e. will start filling a frame, with very basic information about us). Instead, our friend of childhood will have for sure a "more detailed" frame to describe us (a more detailed model). This friend (that possesses a "better model" of us) will eventually use a stereotype-like model of us if he doesn’t need a better one.

In social situations the stereotype plays a very important role: it is aimed to save time and energy. The ability to "classify" people is very important because that will avoid us the energy waste of having to learn all over again about people. Let’s imagine that Frank is going to a party. If the party has several guests, and all of them are new to Frank, he will have to try to talk to some of them (or wait to be approached). Let’s assume that Frank is venturous enough to start a conversation. He will have to select one of them to start talking to. A very important factor is the mental model that Frank can assess from just looking at them. He will use this mental model (stereotype) to simulate the possible starting scenario (i.e. topic to talk about, how to say hello, etc) and try to guess the reaction of the other person. Remember that this works both ways, and the other people in the room already have a "mental model" about Frank.

After Frank has selected his target, and the conversation begins, the process will continue discovering and correcting the mistakes that they did in their "first attempt", and filling out with more detail their mental model of each other person.

It is very difficult to have a very accurate description of us. The image that we have of ourselves in the world is managed in a very similar way that we manage the image of the other people. There are moments where our agencies use a "stereotype-like" frame to model our expected behavior in an imagined environment or situation. In other times, we use a more detailed frame. Also, I argue that we possess another "projected image", that is related to the image that we think the other people sees in us. We are conscious that this projected image is not detailed (stereotype) to most of the people, and we usually care about it.

The feeling of "belonging" into a group is related with the fact that we see our projected image and the images of all the other members of the group to "fit together" in some way. It is common to see people that "look alike" (not physically, but in their behavior) to group together. Also people with similar interests and goals. We have felt the "wrong" sensation of "not belonging" in some circumstances, and we have the urge to do whatever is necessary to stop that feeling. This includes to search for other people or even to "change" our behavior and goals to fit the goals of the new group. (I will talk more about this change later).

Attachment is related usually to affection to someone, but I’ll prefer to look at it as "attention" or "connection" with some person (affective or repulsive). In our more mature life (not as children, but as teenagers and above), we attach to people that offer some characteristics that look interesting. Some times a person attaches to his or her teachers because they offer a "new" and interesting viewpoint of life, or to some special relative (an uncle, a cousin) or even to a fictional character in a movie (or an artist, almost fictional). Then, the person imitates some behaviors that he or she sees in the people it is attached to. Maybe with the hope to be more similar to that person and be able to "belong" to that special group of people. Or simply to change his or her own self-image to be more alike the image of that attached person. Sometimes this attachment can be repulsive, that means, is someone that the person pays attention to, but he or she doesn’t want to be similar in any way. This case also works to shape the behaviors in the opposite way.

People do not select one "ideal person" to be attached to (usually, this selection is unconscious) but it creates an "ideal inner self" that will drive that persons personality shaping. Sometimes a person realizes some of these attachments and desires with phrases like: "…I’d love to be more like …", or "…I’m a good father, but I know that I can be better" or even with negative thinking like "… I drink too much".

Now speaking of babies, I believe that they create first bonds with their parents or caregivers because of the satisfaction of physical needs and the more constant contact that the baby has with them. But the attachment to another person can be created when the baby is able to recognize some features in that person, and then, find them very appealing and even difficult to explain. If a baby sees too many "interesting" persons to be attached to or very dissimilar ones, conflict of interests will be raised, and is probable that his or her behavior will show traits of all imprimers. But sometimes this diversity drives the baby to be more attached to a single imprimer because of other external circumstances.

To summarize my point of view: stereotypes are the first step into forming a mental frame to characterize a person. A stereotype is very superficial, but useful in certain occasions to save time and/or resources when obliged to "imagine" the possible overcome of a confrontation with a stranger. We have inner representation of us, and an image of how other people see us. We use these representations to predict our own behavior when facing an unknown situation. Also, the representations of the inner self and the others are used to compare our own behavior inside of a larger group. We are able to shape the image that we project to the others, changing our own behavior. Attachment comes from detection of "interesting" features and behaviors, and learning uses imitation to shape our behavior to resemble the behavior of the selected model.

All of us create an "ideal person" or "ideal model of ourselves", and we try to change our behaviors to resemble that model. The amount of success at this process determines the degree of self-confidence that a person shows.