Stereotypes are commonly held beliefs about groups of people. Tessa Perkins identifies 5 assumptions about stereotypes that can be challenged: 1) stereotypes are not always negative, 2) they are not always about minority or less powerful groups, 3) one's own group can be stereotyped, 4) stereotypes are not rigid and unchanging, and 5) stereotypes are not always false. Leon Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance argues that people resist changing their attitudes unless faced with overwhelming evidence, and that people seek confirmation of their own beliefs. Evaluating Perkins' assumptions and applying Festinger's theory can help explain the popularity and portrayal of stereotypes in media like the TV drama Hotel Babylon

1. Stereotypes
Perkins and Festinger

2. Keywords…
• All the terminology mentioned on the
previous lessons are keywords.
• Other you should mention include…
– Realism – do the different techniques used
work to make the piece realistic?
– Verisimilitude – the construction of a
believable world.
– Stereotypes – how we expect people and
places to be.

3. Why do we need them?
Think of as many reasons as you can to
explain the purpose/popularity of
stereotypes.

4. Problems/Criticism
Stereotypes overlook the individual
Place people in groups
Qualities often ‘exaggerated’ which leads to a
caricature
KEY TERM – MEDIATION
The way the media represent an idea to us.

5. Tessa Perkins
• Stereotyping is not a simple process and contains
a number of assumptions that can be challenged.
• Perkins identifies 5 such assumptions:
• -Stereotypes are not always negative, e.g. The
French are good cooks.
• -They are not always about minority groups or the
less powerful, e.g. ‘Upper class twits’
• -They can be held about one’s own group.
• -They are not rigid or unchanging.
• -They are not always false.

6. Implications of Stereotypes
• Stereotypes are always usually wrong in content.
• They are (negative) concepts.
• They are about group with whom we have little or no social contact; by implication therefore, they
are not held about ones own group- that’s a stereotype of a stereotype.
• They are about minority or repressed groups most of the time, creating negative representation of
the lower class possibly giving the upper class more power.
• People either ‘hold’ stereotypes of a group (believe them to be true) or do not. This is what can lead
to negative behaviour or wrong assumptions.
• Because someone holds a stereotype of a group, his or her behaviour towards a member of that
group can be predicted. This can lead to unfair treatment of members of society, for example:
White Dee on this years Celebrity Big Brother.
• Stereotypes are an invaluable aid to understanding the world and all stereotypes must have a bit of
truth or they would not have such an influence.

7. Leon Festinger
Theory of ‘cognitive dissonance’
Argued that we resist adjusting our attitudes
unless faced with overwhelming evidence
against it. Believed that we seek out
confirmation of our thoughts/beliefs.

8. Today’s lessons
Task 1
Evaluate Perkins 5 assumptions regarding
stereotypes in relation to the ‘Hotel Babylon’
sequence we have studied.
Task 2
Explain how Festinger can be used to
explain the popularity of programmes like
Hotel Babylon or other similar TV dramas?