Stereotypical Thinking Research Articles

Reflections on Stereotyped Ways of Seeing and an Introduction to ‘Anekant’

This essay is inspired by Ways of Seeing, by John Berger, 2008. The photo essays in the book have led to this essay’s focus on preconceptions and stereotypes. Stereotypes are formed just at the moment ‘seeing’ is taking place, and the possession of prior knowledge is mainly effective in such stereotype formation, even when people are viewing the unknown, a stereotype is working to classify and categorize the unknown into the known, the unfamiliar into the familiar, thus, a deviation from the truth (assuming there is an objective truth or relative truth, which means a fuller vision) occurs. Anekant (an idea in Jainism) is introduced as a possible solution to stereotyped thinking. Instead of cancelling out other opinions, the main teaching of Anekant is to smartly collaborate with every different viewpoint to have a fuller vision and to be nearer to the objective truth.

Rooted Stereotypical Thinking on Gender and SexDiscussion on Notions Against Homosexuality in Chinese Sociocultural Context

The rooted paradigms of dichotomic thinking in modern societies have greatly limited human cognition and self-identification of gender identification and sexual inclination. It is against these biased yet prevalent pattern of dualistic tradition, a great number of scholars have contributed to the formation of non-dualistic theoretical stances, accentuating that the cognition of gender should based on the emphasis of gender fluidity. Michel Foucaults power-knowledge theory has been long taken by the concerned academia as the fundamental theory embedding the non-dichotomic thinking paradigm. On the premise of applying dichotomous cognition to the analysis of the human gender cognition, this paper will firstly include an ethnographic analysis of the differences in people's cognition and definition of gender in modern society and particular small-scaled societies. This paper will also discuss the influence of the rigid impression of dichotomous cognition on the setting of control variables in many medical and psychological scientific researches. The concurrent scientific studies into sexual orientation and gender identification have largely neglected the influence of gender spectrum on humans concerned cognition and self-recognition. The author would also include discussion of eth-nographic data from Chinese sociocultural context. In Chinese society, LGBT communities and homosexuality face various discrimination and inequality depends on peoples dualistic thinking and traditional Chinese social cultures so that LGBT people have to live in shadows. Through this study, a solid theoretical foundation can be established for relevant researchers to determine the theoretical framework of future empirical and experimental data.

Searching for bridges between psychopathology and real-world functioning in first-episode psychosis: a network analysis from the OPTiMiSE trial

IntroductionNetwork analysis has been used to explore the interplay between psychopathology and functioning in psychosis, but no study has used dedicated statistical techniques to focus on the bridge symptoms connecting these domains.ObjectivesThe current study aims to estimate the network of depressive, negative, and positive symptoms, general psychopathology, and real-world functioning in people with first-episode schizophrenia or schizophreniform disorder, focusing on bridge nodes.MethodsBaseline data from the OPTiMiSE trial were analysed. The sample included 446 participants (age 40.0±10.9 years, 70% males). The network was estimated with a Gaussian graphical model (GGM), using scores on individual items of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS), and the Personal and Social Performance (PSP) scale. Stability, strength centrality, expected influence (EI), predictability, and bridge centrality statistics were computed. The top 20% scoring nodes on bridge strength were selected as bridge nodes.ResultsNodes from different rating scales assessing similar psychopathological and functioning constructs tended to cluster together in the estimated network (Fig. 1). The most central nodes (EI) were Delusions, Emotional Withdrawal, Depression, and Depressed Mood. Bridge nodes included Depression, Conceptual Disorganisation, Active Social Avoidance, Delusions, Stereotyped Thinking, Poor Impulse Control, Guilty Feelings, Unusual Thought Content, and Hostility. Most of the bridge nodes belonged to the general psychopathology subscale of the PANSS. Depression (G6) was the bridge node with the highest value.Image:ConclusionsThe current study provides novel insights for understanding the complex phenotype of psychotic disorders and the mechanisms underlying the development and maintenance of comorbidity and functional impairment after psychosis onset.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Gender Awareness in Healthcare: Contextualization of an Arabic Version of the Nijmegen Gender Awareness in Medicine Scale (N-GAMS)

Gender is one of the important social determinants of health known to be highly associated with health status. Despite the importance of gender awareness, it has not been addressed and researched in the Arab region, including Palestine. This study aimed to contextualize an Arabic version of the Nijmegen Gender Awareness in Medicine Scale (N-GAMS) and to assess the level of gender awareness and its associated factors among primary health care providers. The N-GAMS tool was translated and adapted through a gender expert consultation and a focus group discussion. Then, it was administered online to a sample of primary health care general physicians and nurses of all health care providing actors in Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate. The reliability of the N-GAMS subscales using Cronbach's alpha (α) was 0.681 for the gender sensitivity (GS) scale (9 items), 0.658 for the gender role ideology towards co-workers (GRIC) scale (6 items), and α = 0.848 for the gender role ideology towards patients (GRIP) scale (11 items). The results showed that participants had scored near the midpoint of the gender sensitivity subscale (M = 2.84, SD = 0.486). They also expressed moderate gender stereotypes towards patients (M = 3.11, SD = 0.624), where females held lower stereotypical thinking. Participants also expressed low to moderate stereotypes towards co-workers (M = 2.72, SD = 0.660) and females expressed less stereotypical thinking compared to males. Furthermore, the participant's age had some effect on the outcome, specifically on the GRIP subscale, while gender was associated with both GRIP and GRID subscales. The rest of the social and other variables showed no association with the gender awareness subscales. This study adds to our understanding of gender awareness. Further tests are required to confirm the psychometric qualities of the instrument.

Reflections on the Value of Mixed Focus Groups with Adult Learner Research Participants: Exploring Gender Disparities and Gendered Relationships

The purpose of this article is two-fold. Firstly, we consider whether the setting up of mixed-gender focus group sessions has the potential as a research process to contribute to transforming people’s understandings of their gendered relationships. Secondly, we relate our discussion to the question of the mutability of stereotypical thinking in the context in question, taking into account the idea that cultures in different contexts can be seen as “in the making” through the way in which people together create meaning. We explain how the first author of the article organized focus groups which were mixed in terms of gender with the purpose that the adult learner participants could develop their perceptions as they related to each other around the topic of gender inequalities.). The sessions were conducted in two adult learning Centers located in a rural and an urban area respectively – Xola and Zodwa – within the Cacadu District of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Two mixed focus groups took place in 2016 (one in each Center, with 19 females and 5 males altogether), and a follow up took place in 2018, to further discuss recommendations. In 2022, another set of focus group sessions was arranged in the same Centers, with 10 females and 6 males who were asked to participate and agreed. As part of a related discussion on gendered relationships, they were asked specific questions regarding how they understood the value of the mixed-gender conversations. Results from the various sets of groups suggest that focus groups can indeed help people to explore and rethink gender disparities and to think of ways forward in terms of enriched understandings. We recommend that mixed-gender focus group sessions should be regarded by researchers as a potential space to fruitfully set up a way for people to develop their sense of interdependence in their social relations.

За стереотипното мислене и разминаването с големите надежди

What is the role of stereotypical thinking and does it have a single mechanism? This article proposes a theoretical framework and an explanation of why thinking in stereotypes has become one of the biggest obstacles to achieving progress and building a just society in Bulgaria, as well as in other countries in transition from socialism to capitalism. Today’s party ideologies, media messages and mass expectations are woven from stereotypes, and that is why the topic is important. This type of thinking is present when the generic concept is identified with one of its species. This analysis also emphasizes the role of stereotypical thinking in dissociating with the great hopes of Bulgarian people for change and a better future, which were strong at the beginning of the transition, but today are on the verge of freezing. They were also the basis of the belief in the civilizational values coming from the West, which were supposed to replace the old backward socialist values of the planned economy and authoritarian socialism. The dream of them and the disappointment that they came to Bulgaria too slowly or even at all caused about 1/5 of the population, mostly young and active people, to look for sustenance and prosperity in the West. At the same time, poverty, social inequalities, and corruption settled in the country.

Ювілейна грушевськіана 1966 року: проблематика, інтерпретації, полеміки

Мета статті – з’ясувати особливості рецепції українськими закордонними істориками наукової та суспільно-політичної діяльності М. Грушевського в контексті відзначення його столітнього ювілею. Методологія дослідження передбачає використання принципів історизму й об’єктивності, а також загальнонаукових і спеціально-історичних методів історіографічного дослідження. Наукова новизна статті полягає у спробі всебічної реконструкції історіографічного ефекту відзначення українськими закордонними інтелектуалами столітнього ювілею М. Грушевського. Висновки. Узагальнений різноплановий матеріал дозволяє переконливо ствердити, що столітній ювілей М. Грушевського став визначною подією в інтелектуальному житті закордонного українства. Незважаючи на стереотипність мислення частини діаспорних діячів, завдяки широкій медійній промоції та численним громадським і науковим ініціативам персональну дату визначного вченого вдалося перетворити на важливе для консолідації еміграційної спільноти свято української культури. В підсумку постали численні новаторські за актуалізованою проблематикою історіографічні студії. Їхні автори у своїх реконструкціях життя та діяльності М. Грушевського виходили з урахування все більш широкого кола пізнавальних перспектив та інтелектуальних контекстів. А жваве обговорення цих праць, поява провокативних інтерпретацій (наприклад, О. Пріцака), громадський резонанс багатьох ініціатив сприяли стабільності «тонусу» історіографічного інтересу. Все це уможливило постання дисциплінарної ініціативи Л. Винара по започаткуванню наукового грушевськознавства. Динамічність поступу цієї українознавчої галузі в наступні десятиліття дозволяє ствердити потужність даного ювілейними заходами історіографічного імпульсу.

The comparative analysis of Gibson girls of 20th century and contemporary females

There is a complex relationship between fashion and dress to identity. It's worth noting that given twining, cloths can be a portrayal of one's identity because they tell people something about class, gender, status, and so on. Also, the author asserts that cloths can lead to misinterpretation because they are not able to speak (Entwistle, 2000: 112). It is because of this argument that copious theories have emerged in an attempt to explain the relations. Entwistle, in her book, highlights the centrality of dressing to people's identities, gender, and sexuality (2000, p.40). These sentiments are also held by Stroope, Walker, and Franzen (2017, 85), who posit that the portrayal of identity has led to theories such as feminism. Therefore, feminism has existed in all aspects of life since it came into being in early 1910. These concepts are also used in various ways in the fashion industry making it significant in contemporary times. Feminist theory mainly accentuates the analysis of gender inequality. Therefore, it aims to gain a deeper understanding of the nature of gender. In her book, Butler believes that gender is used sometimes as a way to secure heterosexuality (2006, 5). Therefore, according to Griffin (2015, p.196), feminism wanted to transform the entire realms of the lives of women: social, political, cultural, personal, and economical. Consequently, Zinn and Dill (2016, 76) assert that feminists meant to remove all psychological and structural obstacles to the financial independence of women. The reason is that most of them believed that gender was produced and considered though sexual hierarchy as outline by (Butler, 2006, 5). Some of the themes explored in these theories entail objectification, contemporary discrimination, and art history. Indeed, feminists combined lots of reasons that became related to a New Woman. Some crusaded for woman voice, others fought for labor and socialism, whereas others still called for birth control and ‘free love.’ As a result, Butler (2006, 7), in her book, she continues to point out that feminist views attempt to eliminate and overthrow gender, because it is a typical signal of women. The feminism resurgence in the recent past has been integral in the evolution of the modern fashion industry. It is a relief that females are no longer anticipated to fit into a particular mold for them to be perceived as beautiful. The stereotypical thinking, as well as the labeling of females as sexual objects, often have negatively impacted how several women dress Entwistle (2000, p.40). As denoted by Fraser (2017, 167), this is something that most women seem to be reluctant to dress because of the fear that they might be perceived as sexually provocative. Seabrook, Ward, and Giaccardi (2019, 556) also echoed this sentiment but went further to posit that fortunately for feminists, especially those in the fashion industry, feminism has led to the promotion of females as sexual beings rather than sexual objects. Many people are happy that the industry is catching up, though centuries later.

Influencing Factors Impacting Women to select Engineering- A Range of Perspectives

To find solutions to complex problems, engineering practice needs to adapt and embrace diverse thinking. The lack of female participation in engineering fields, in the western world including New Zealand, at the tertiary education level (post secondary/high school level e.g., university, polytechnic, etc.) has been a barrier for diversity, equity and innovation in both the industry and academic professions. Non-diverse professions miss out valuable contributions and new ways of approaching problems that a varied workforce brings. New Zealand needs to mitigate the gender bias to ensure a diversity of skills and knowledge in the engineering profession is fostered. This paper presents findings from three studies as part of a larger research project aimed at investigating influencing factors that contribute to female participation in engineering studies at the tertiary level in New Zealand. In the three studies researchers explored student teachers, current polytechnic engineering students and high school students’ perceptions, experiences, and influences related to engineering.
 The first study investigated future teachers of children aged 11-13 years perceptions of engineering and engineers. The second study investigated the impacts and influences that led domestic and international female engineering students choose the Civil Engineering programme at Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec). The third study investigated the impacts and influences that led to Year 12 and 13 students to enrol in a trades engineering related course at Wintec. The three completed studies deployed qualitative research methods using focus group and individual interviews.
 The first study found that participants held very strong stereotypical views about who engineers are and described them as: white, male, middle-aged, good at maths and science who may be antisocial, and that they design and build stuff while getting dirty. The second study found that barriers to selection of engineering for women include the school system; lack of career and subject choice guidance available to students at school, lack of promotion of the profession, and society’s perception of engineers as being masculine. The third study found that young women were exposed to strong stereotypical thinking and behaviours throughout their lives that could potentially steer them away from a career in engineering. Other barriers included a lack of timely, accurate career advice, outdated school facilities and inauthentic enactment of curriculum. However, exposure to positive role models and strong support networks, along with developing self-efficacy, assisted them to overcome these barriers enabling them to explore engineering as a potential career pathway.
 Given the strong stereotypical views about engineering from future teachers, incorrect perceptions about engineering in society and lack of engineering career and subject choice guidance available to students at school, it is not surprising that there is a shortage of females entering engineering fields in New Zealand.

Mechanism and Application of Mindfulness in Psychotherapy to Treat Depression

Nowadays, the mechanism of mindfulness gradually reveals a great attraction to scientists in a variety of research direction, and particularly, the application of mindfulness is highly valued in treating depression by using the strategy of psychotherapy. The past research has shown that people who are in depression would develop a uniform thinking pattern toward the external stimuli, which, consequently, resulting in that depressed people would consistently be lost in negative feelings. By keep having these distorted understandings toward their surrounding features, people who are in depression would keep being confronted with low mood and other negative feelings. However, Mindfulness could act as a technique and be defined to enable people to focus on the present and enables people to accept new information without carrying stereotyped thinking pattern. Hence, it would be used as a strategy to treat depression. In current research, mindfulness has been used as in different treatment to treat a variety of symptoms. This literature review examines the relationship and application of mindfulness as a strategy used in psychotherapy to treat depression and provided some suggestions of possible future research direction about using mindfulness in the treatment of depression.

ТЕНДЕНЦИИ И ОСОБЕННОСТИ ПРИНЯТИЯ ФИНАНСОВЫХ ИНВЕСТИЦИОННЫХ РЕШЕНИЙ В ДОМАШНИХ ХОЗЯЙСТВАХ: ОПЫТ РОССИИ

With Russia's limited access to the external capital market and sanctions pressure from Western countries, the importance of do-mestic sources of financing for economic development is growing, one of which may be household savings. The author identifies trends and features of making financial in-vestment decisions in difficult socio-economic and political conditions. Particular attention is paid to the problem of stereotypi-cal thinking and irrationality of household financial investment decisions.

The Effectiveness of a Training Program based on the Strategies of Critical Thinking and Its Impact on Stereotypical Thinking on Social Gender Roles for Children in the Primary Stage

The Effectiveness of a Training Program based on the Strategies of Critical Thinking and Its Impact on Stereotypical Thinking on Social Gender Roles for Children in the Primary Stage

SPECIFICITY OF EPISEOOLOGICAL INTERACTION OF CREATIVITY AND STEREOTYPE AS PHENOMENA OF HUMAN BEING

Objective. The objective of the article is to determine the epistemological features and specifics of the interaction of creativity and stereotype as elements of anthropological culture, to indicate their main components to be developed, studied, and act as ideological components of human existence. Methods. Natural-ontological and socio-ontological methods are used to study the main factors of creative theories, axiological approach is applied to determine the consequences of creativity and stereotype and results in social context, moral and ethical method is valid when considering the process of creativity and stereotype, possible consequences of results. and the actual research of the creative process itself. Scientific principles of research are — the principle of objectivity (in analyzing the results of the stereotypical process), determinism (used to study the processes of creativity, stereotype), systematics (general presentation of the material is based on a holistic perception of creativity and stereotypes in the system of individual, physiological, social and cultural norms). Results. The study analyzes the features of creative and stereotypical thinking, shows the strengths and weaknesses of these processes, emphasizes the social significance, the substantive value of both social phenomena. It is proved that the processes of stereotyping form stable components of society, provide an opportunity to broadcast cultural and social experiences. Creativity in research is presented as a modernization component that provides the opportunity for change, improvement, improvement. Stereotype is a condition of the creative, with its help the continuity in the cultural process is realized. Their interaction can be traced through the categories of productive and reproductive. The relationship between the reproductive and the productive is not limited to the fact that the reproductive is the basis for the emergence of the productive, and the latter is usually transformed into a structure (originally virtual, but then relevant) reproductive. Productive is the condition of reproductive. It is known that cultural understanding is the only factor of human existence that is interested in actualization, that is, reproducing the results of past historical experience, making its use necessary.

Relationships between self-reflectiveness and clinical symptoms in individuals during pre-morbid and early clinical stages of psychosis

BackgroundSelf-reflectiveness, one dimension of cognitive insight, plays a protective role in an individual’s mental state. Both high and low levels of self-reflectiveness have been reported in patients with schizophrenia and...

The relationship between the recognition of specific basic emotions and negative symptom domains in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders

IntroductionCurrent research suggests emotion recognition to be significantly impaired in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD), whereby negative symptoms are theorised to play a crucial role. Emotion recognition deficits are assumed to be predictors of transition from clinical high risk to schizophrenia. So far, little attention has been given hereby to the subdomains of negative symptoms and recognizing the individual basic emotions.ObjectivesOur study aimed to explore the relationship between the recognition of the basic emotions and each negative symptom domain.Methods66 patients with a SSD diagnosis were recruited at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Correlational and regression analyses to control for the covariates (age, education, sex) were conducted between the recognition of the six basic emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise) using the Emotion Recognition Task of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) and the seven different subdomains of negative symptoms of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).Results revealed significantly negative correlations of blunted affect with the recognition of happiness, fear, and disgust. Difficulties in abstract thinking, also correlated positively with the recognition of fear. Additionally, we found a significant positive correlation between stereotyped thinking and difficulties in abstract thinking with the response latency in emotion recognition.ConclusionsIndividuals with SSD and domains of negative symptoms showed specific impairments in recognizing the representation of basic emotions. A longitudinal design to make causality statements would be useful for future research. Moreover, emotion recognition should be considered for early detection and individualized treatment.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

The Relationship Between the Recognition of Basic Emotions and Negative Symptoms in Individuals With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders - An Exploratory Study.

Current research suggests that emotion recognition is impaired in individuals affected by schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). However, the specific impact of negative symptoms on the ability to recognize single basic emotions has not yet been explored sufficiently and is the aim of the present study. A sample of N = 66 individuals diagnosed with SSD was recruited at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. In a first step, correlation analyses were conducted between seven different negative symptom subdomains of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the accuracy and latency in recognizing the six basic emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise) using the Emotion Recognition Task (ERT) of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). The significant correlations were subjected to linear regression models that controlled for the significant covariates diagnoses, age, sex, and education. Results revealed that in individuals with SSD the negative symptom domain of blunted affect significantly predicted the accuracy of emotion recognition performance (p < 0.05), particularly, when recognizing happiness (p < 0.05). Additionally, we found that stereotyped thinking also predicted the performance of emotion recognition, especially the response latency (p < 0.05) and difficulty in abstract thinking predicted the recognition of fear (p < 0.05). However, the nominal significances did not withstand correction for multiple tests and therefore need to be followed up in further studies with a larger sample.

Socio-Cultural Problems of Working Women in the Media Industry of Hyderabad, Pakistan

Pakistan is the country where women workers face socio-cultural problems in the every field. But media field is a level head that brings more problems and challenges for them. The several research papers conclude with findings that Pakistan is not a suitable country for media working women. The numerous working women in the media sector of Hyderabad were unattended. Sadly to write that there was no thorough research ever conducted on their sociocultural problems. Hence, the qualitative research, with a purposive sampling method was conducted on socio-cultural problems of working women. Initially, 40 participants’ list was prepared from both print and electronic media, but later 20 participants were purposively short-listed for in-depth interviews. Moreover, the interviews were recorded in local languages: Sindhi and Urdu. The research revealed that they were pressurized, hindered, and misbehaved when they came into the field of media. The study exhibited that family members’ prejudice and pressure, society’s bad comments and wrong perceptions, males’ stereotype thinking, and overload of work were the topmost socio-cultural problems that women face in their entire media career. Moreover, they are considered an immoral, and receive the fewer marriage proposals. Mostly media women face problems from their families. So, such the families should support and encourage them. Though laws are present, yet unimplemented. Law enforcement agencies should strictly implement the available laws that protect women inside and outside the working environment.

Culture vs Stereotypical Thinking vs Language Facts

The paper considers the topical issue of contemporary Intercultural Communication, Linguoculturology, Psycholinguistics, Psychology, dealing with importance of an individual’s awareness of cultural factors of different nations, specificity of national thinking (stereotypical in particular), ability of different languages to reflect reality differently, as well as establishing their interrelation. The findings prove close (integral and interdependent) relations among culture, stereotypical thinking, and language facts. It is stated that all the cultural universals contain a kind of deep structures of human consciousness which correlate with national peculiarities of each separate culture. Any changes in society always cause changes of vital senses and values fixed in cultural universals. Language is a prerequisite and “a verbal expression” of culture. As a sociocultural factor language helps to gain and organize human experience, and any national culture depends upon the character and specificity of a separate language. The results show that thinking is investigated through language analysis. The authors argue that thinking is influenced by national values and customs of the country where a person is brought up, thus confirming the existence of stereotypical thinking. Such stereotypes are rooted in social conditions and prior experiences; they may be neutral or have a positive / negative impact. People should be aware of explicit / implicit stereotypes existence and of an individual’s ability to think stereotypically. In this connection language facts (in their relation to stereotypical thinking within various cultures) are readily perceived by most representatives of discrete nations / groups and reflect both the encouraged moral values, and beliefs, as well as stigmatised human vices and ridiculed negative phenomena.

Figura czarownicy jako symboliczna „zadra” w patriarchalnym świecie. Konteksty antropologiczno-edukacyjne

The aim of the article is to present the image of a woman – marked with the figure of a witch – oriented at changing stereotypical thinking about her. A look from a perspective not contaminated by the common view of the world will indicate its subjectivity, self-realization, and the right to self-determination, which is the basic pedagogical category. The figure of the witch is ambiguous – it reflects the rebelliousness that gives strength to deal with the pressures of society not to succumb to ways of controlling women that have undermined patriarchal standards. At that time she was called a demonic, wicked, magical woman, but on the other hand, a divine, innocent victim, a real healer. For they were „wise herbalists, soothsayers and sexually enlightened beings who had not been crippled by Christian piety and prohibitions” (K.J. Sollée, 2021, p. 89). Thus, they have become an icon of an independent woman, subordinate only to herself, with a strong personality desired in today’s world.

American cinema impact on the formation, reflection and dissemination of national stereotypes

In the current age of widespread mass culture, cinema, as its most popular and widespread medium, is a rich source of information. In a world of rapidly developing technologies and a high pace of life, when the printed word, unfortunately, fades into the background, cinema acquires a special role in shaping the worldview of entire generations. Reality in art culture is the most important ideological problem. The version of reality in the "big staging of life" - in particular, on the screen - determines both our attitude to reality and this reality itself. Our whole life is stereotyped, and whatever the attitude to stereotypes, they have become a criterion for an individual's assessment of the surrounding reality and judgments about his own and other peoples. Cinema, which is an expression of the most common and widespread stereotypes, is an example of the practical application of stereotypical thinking. Hollywood plays a huge role in portraying different races and different cultures by virtue of their movies. In this regard, in the current article the author analyzes the means of formation of national stereotypes. The main focus of this study is Hollywood as an instrument for the stereotypes dissemination and reflection all over the world in simple movies. By means of a thorough analysis and practical research (survey and interview), the author reveals whether stereotypes do really correspond to the realities they show in the movies and if different nationalities/ethnicities are satisfied with their depiction in the American movies that are incredibly popular all over the world. In the end, there are some advisory and recommendary assumptions for the people not to be exposed to the superficial images they see in the movies because it may impede them from successful international relations. Keywords: stereotypes, Hollywood, soft power, American cinema, racism, prejudice, international image, national representation, national depiction, discrimination, Asian stereotypes, Black people stereotypes, Muslim stereotypes.