WP3: Categorization

We live in a very categorized world. When searching for my own identity, I questioned how I myself would be identified based on the social categorizations our world has condensed everything into. The reality is, categories will undoubtedly follow us wherever we go. As much as I have learned that humans are a multitude of beautiful components that create our identities, I have also concluded that humans are bound to classification; I mean, it’s all around us. Our society designated identities to not only objects, but to people as well in order to identify them, which may seem suppressing and manifest itself in oppression. We can’t quite avoid them, but it’s vital to understand how and why they are so implemented to avoid consciously reinforcing the negative aspects.

Social categories give us a sense of social identity; a sense of belonging. These social categories, examples being family, social class, sports teams, etc, often provide individuals with pride within their social identity. These are components of what Henri Tajfel suggests lead society into dividing the world into “them” and “us”, all through categorization. While we categorize ourselves, we categorize others as well, putting people into their own groups and categories because they have the tendency to do things together. These differences and similarities lead to stereotyping, as Tajfel states, through the creation of the in-group, the “us”, and the out-group, the “them”.

In-group members will find negative factors of out-groups in order to enhance their self-image. Stereotyping follows this path, as it is very common for prejudiced views to create stigma, just as we are classically conditioned to avoid certain things based on association. In the previous example, we assume all seafood will make us sick based on what negative experience we have with it. We see it demonstrated basically everywhere; political parties speak down on each other and social classes stereotype one another. Categorizing, while creating social identity, ultimately leads to social comparison.

The first stage, as seen above, is categorization. We do this to understand social environments. I personally fall into categories such as Mexican-American, student, daughter, etc. Everyone and everything falls into categories beyond their or its’ doing because categories are endless. They basically build up our world scientifically, linguistically, mathematically, socially, and in almost every other aspect of our lives.

The frog is an amphibian.

Anthropology is a social science.

Cake is a noun.

The scientific aspect of this tendency is basically hard-wired into our human nature. We categorize snakes, for instance, to be dangerous and venomous. Therefore, we as humans build a tendency to avoid spiders despite not every single one being necessarily deathly; it’s just a better survival strategy. A lot of our phobias focus on snakes or other dangerous animals because of the concept of biological preparedness. According to psychological research, this is the notion that people and animals are “inherently inclined to form associations between stimuli and responses”(Cherry). We have a tendency to develop a fear of anything that poses a threat to our ability to survive, and classifying things as “dangerous” or something with a negative connotation readily prepares us to “survive”. Therefore, biologically speaking, categorization being so prevalent in our culture makes a lot of sense.

It’s unavoidable. Categorizing the world around us has proven itself to be a strategy for survival, and we do it quite subconsciously. Humans seek categories and view information categorically, even viewing each other as so. It’s unavoidable and basically hard-wired into our human nature. Categorizing the world around us has proven itself to be a strategy for survival, and we do it quite subconsciously. As a result, we see that categories have created social constructs and comparisons amongst the population, and as a whole we carry a certain set of expectations or qualities we believe belong to certain classifications. Although this in itself is scientifically in our human nature, it is important to acknowledge that categories can ultimately create obstacles for those who not only want to break away from how they are classified, but those who are judged for belonging to certain classifications; such instances can drive individuals away from personal fulfillment, to which leads to struggling to find value in the world around us and in the things we do for ourselves.

In the beginning of my journey within WP1, I focused a lot on my inability to “claim”, or at least consciously claim, certain factors as a part of my identity, to which transitions to the second step of the process, social identification. This refers to adopting the identities of categories we place ourselves in. This step could be particularly difficult for many, as it leads to struggle within the self. This is seen a lot in modern-day society, observed in terms of race and culture. Although I myself fall into the Mexican-American category, not all Mexican-Americans feel comfortable socially identifying with it. I too found this step to be difficult, as I did not feel that I was adopting such components of identities as well as other members of the “in-group”. For instance, I couldn’t call myself a dancer regardless of my love for it because I didn’t have as much experience in the art form (technically speaking).

Struggle within social identification is a result of social comparison. Individuals are shamed for not completely “conforming” to common beliefs and practices that members share within certain categories, shunned by the in-group. Furthermore, they are shunned by out-groups who will create their own stereotypes. This third and final stage, social comparison, regards comparing the categories/groups in which we identify ourselves with to others. Tajfel reiterates that hostility often results among groups because of the competition for resources (today, we can think of resources being things like jobs) and competing identities. Groups feel inclined to compete against each other to maintain their self-esteem, becoming rivals. We see this everyday in our culture, with competition between one’s favorite sports teams, yet competition becomes more complicated when observed between categories such as racial groups.

When working with my interviewees for my WP2 archive, I found that this third stage, social comparison, was an obstacle for many of the individuals I interviewed. I directed my questions towards whether or not these participants believed the hobbies or interests they claim as a part of their identity were or could potentially be integrated into their future career-wise. Despite a lot of them identifying with a hobby or interest, many of them felt social pressures that interfered with their ability to pursue the things that they truly loved to do for personal fulfillment. In the world around us, it is evident that individuals face stigmas for the categories they are placed in due to social comparison.

It results in stigma and stereotypes directed towards the category and actions expected of an individual/object/etc. This is because biological preparedness works hand-in-hand with what psychologists like to call classical conditioning, first discovered by Ivan Pavlov through experiments with dogs’ physical reactions to food (NCBI). A common example of this would be eating something, let’s say seafood, and getting sick afterwards, then avoiding eating seafood again after that one experience. Perhaps it wasn’t even the seafood that caused the sickness in itself, but we become classically conditioned to avoid it and stigmatize it for future encounters. The thing is, this stigma does not limit itself to just food or snakes.

Social categorization results in stigma and stereotypes directed towards the category and actions expected of an individual or object who belongs to it; it’s a very broad spectrum. Something extremely broad creates difficulty in social aspects, especially because of the negative consequences that result from the process.

The stereotypes associated with certain categories have little to no boundaries. Take a look at anything, really. Right off the bat, you are judged when classified. An example of this is within pursued majors in college. Students who decide to pursue a STEM major are immediately placed on a pedestal, associated with success and financial stability. On the other hand, students who pursue something in the humanities or liberal arts are associated with struggle and financial instability. Arnav Mehra, a Collegian Columnist, emphasized that there is a constant focus on “career over interests”. This is statistically shown as well, seeing that majors that people categorize as “unmarketable” and “non-professional” such as the humanities or music have drastically reduced in enrollment. Statistical data points to a difference in median salary for different majors, $52,000 for a humanities major, “which is less than that of all graduates ($60,000)and higher paying ones like engineering ($80,000)” (DailyCollegian). Statistics like these are used as justification for shaming and asking what the point of getting a degree in humanities or liberal arts is. This in itself creates a new struggle; the struggle between success and personal fulfillment.

Success versus personal fulfillment is another common dilemma I concluded from my archive. Perhaps success could be considered as “fulfilling”, however, moving from success to fulfillment is a cycle. Many do not consider success to be definitive, as there are various definitions for what success is, especially because it is quite subjective. Becoming a self-made multi-million dollar CEO could be one definition, while winning a nobel peace prize could be another. According to Brian Gast, the notion of success could be very temporary.

“ I thought I was successful. The problem I ran into was I always wanted more of all of it. A bigger condo in the mountains, more money in the bank, a bigger company, a nicer car, and vacation resort destinations that were just a notch more exclusive.”

Unfortunately, It really isn’t easy to leave behind the notion of “success”, especially because not everyone is in the position to not focus on making a certain amount of money. Perhaps fulfillment comes from being able to provide for one’s family, something which may result from being financially stable. Success in itself has been stereotyped to belong to certain categories; being “unsuccessful” follows by being associated with other members from groups it is correlated with.

While college majors and careers are one example, categories that individuals belong to naturally that are out of their control are also viewed the same. For instance, one’s race/racial background. We cannot control our race, whether one is white or black, they themselves are born being so. Despite this, race in itself has proven to be a larger debate due to the discrimination and stereotypes faced by certain racial groups solely because of their race. When looking back at the in-group and out-group example, many in-groups view other races as inferior and already have a predetermined perception of qualities someone will exhibit based on their race; we can even tie it back to beliefs regarding success. In a poll conducted by the 2012 American National Election Study, most individuals who identified as white viewed minority groups, in this case black people, as “lazier or less intelligent”. Beliefs like these are harmful and create misunderstandings that are detrimental to certain groups, perhaps even limiting their job opportunities and opportunity to “succeed”.

So how are we expected to find meaning and purpose where the value of a person is already predetermined by the world around us? This is a question that I continue to struggle with answering on my own, especially because it really isn’t easy to avoid social comparisons. I carry the burden of fitting within the categories I personally decide to identify with, yet, at the same time, I try to break away from stereotypes created through comparison. I’ve had my fair share of trying to “prove the out-group” wrong, yet ultimately fighting an internal battle of self-fulfillment.

“Mexicans are lazy” I’ll go to college and become successful.

“To become successful, you need to pursue a major in STEM. Try Engineering” That sounds like a lot of math. I don’t particularly like math, it makes me unhappy. But being successful would make me happy.

It really seems like it’s difficult to “win” in a world filled with categories, but they’re inevitable. As negative and harmful as they can be, they can also be viewed in a positive light. As a Cognitive Science major, I take psychology-based courses that have introduced me to this other side. In my Abnormal Psychology (encompasses mental illness, abnormal disorders, etc) course, classification is something very necessary for modern perspectives on abnormal behavior as it simplifies science and clinical work for patients. For example, take into account an individual who is clinically diagnosed with a disorder like social anxiety disorder. Once being placed in a category, an individual may suffer from stereotyping or stigma. On the other hand, being given a label for something that the individual had been struggling with could bring some sort of peace and closure for the patient. Therefore, categories can be a way to unite a group of people together to bring comfort. I found this to be true when I came to USC, a PWI. Although we make up a small percentage of the student population, even just knowing that there are groups of other Latinx students made me feel a little better and comfortable. It’s comforting to know that there are other people who are also experiencing similar obstacles as you are. Categories can help you feel less alone.

When scrolling through blog posts, I found a comment from a user that provided a lot of clarity for my discussion. The user stated that “the fundamental here is the very handy ability to encounter a piece of information and extrapolate that to a new situation that has many of the qualities of the situation from which we learned” (Reddit). Categories provide unity, but they also create divisions. It’s the way in which we as a whole respond to the preconceived notions of such classifications that lead to problems in our society. Due to it being so dimensional, it can be used as a tool for good and bad. For instance, “I am wary of bears not because I’ve met all individual bears, but because I extrapolate from the one bear I met to other bears” (Reddit). Categorization is fine in the case of bears or snakes, but to do the same thing with racial groups and social categories is where problems arise.

I held a strong pessimistic view of categorization, but it’s not something that I or the rest of society can really erase from our human nature or social composition. Realizing this has helped me a lot in navigating the world and letting categories control me. I have come to view categories as things that can sometimes add meaning to life, because without categories it would be difficult to really navigate ourselves throughout the world, but at the same time, the negative outcomes will follow from prejudgement and assumptions. There are “good” categorizations and “bad” categorizations, but it may not be the root cause of the issues that follow. Perhaps categorization itself isn’t the main problem, but overly broad categorizations that lead to unintended harm and misunderstanding.

Sources

Sanchez, Denise. “WP2: Integration.” Writing150, 17 March 2022.

Sanchez, Denise. “WP1: Not Average.” Writing150, 13 February 2022.

Cherry, Kendra. “The Role Does Biological Preparedness Has with Learning.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 10 May 2020, https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-biological-preparedness-2794879.

Classical Conditioning — Statpearls — NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470326/.

Franjieh, Mike. Morph, https://morph.surrey.ac.uk/index.php/2018/10/11/optimal-categorisation-how-do-we-categorise-the-world-around-us/.

“Poll: Most Whites Say Blacks Are Lazier or Less Intelligent than Whites (3 Graphs).” Religion News Service, 10 Aug. 2017, https://religionnews.com/2014/12/08/poll-whites-say-blacks-lazier-less-intelligent-whites-3-graphs/.

Mcleod], [Saul. “[Social Identity Theory].” Simply Psychology, 1 Jan. 1970, https://www.simplypsychology.org/social-identity-theory.html.