Stereotyping
Stereotyping is ascribing certain beliefs and behaviors about a given racial and ethnic group to an individual without assessing for individual differences (Brislin, 2000). Stereotyping blocks the willingness of a person to be open and to learn about specific individuals or groups. When information is not immediately available, nurses may generalize about an individual's group behavioral pattern as a guide until they have had time to observe and assess the client's behavior. This can be a problem, and it may lead to a nurse's unwillingness to incorporate new and specific data about the client. New information may be distorted to fit with preconceived ideas. The generalizing that was a beginning point for understanding the individual becomes a final point. The individual is thus stereotyped on the basis of the • group's ascribed behavior (Galanti, 2008).