Stereotype

            Stereotype is an act of assigning particular qualities to a group of people related to their race, nationality and sexual orientation. According to Robert Baron (1990), stereotype is cognitive components of attitudes toward a social group, beliefs about what a particular group is like. In therapy, stereotype should be avoided because it can lead to discrimination. Discrimination concerns the behavioral component or differential actions taken towards members of specific group.

Stereotype can defy the ethical principle of justice. Clients who are awarded certain characteristics superior to others will be treated inferior by therapists. The following example is evident to justify stereotype unethical: “a therapist Ms Adzes have a therapeutic assessment with a client who happens to be black, the client’s problem is experiencing physical abuse from her significant other”. The therapist originally stereotype black to be aggressive people. And because of the therapist belief about blacks, she could not diagnose the client rather referred the client.

Stereotype can also be caused by counter-transference, where in the therapist has a client who reminds him of someone or previous client, the therapist can handle the client’s problem in the same way he handle the previous client. 

In a nut shell, stereotype may result in overgeneralization. Wherein, the therapist assess a client from a particular group and ends up generalizing or considering everyone from that particular group the same. However, generalization does not result in stereotype (Gerald Corey, 2005).