Stereotyping is a means of categorizing a person or thing into a fixed and oversimplified image or concept.
A stereotype may be:
(1) positive, neutral or negative
(2) accurate or inaccurate
Problems that can arise out of stereotyping:
(1) overgeneralization, as a variant of all-or-nothing dysfunctional thinking
(2) bias reinforcement
(3) delayed recognition (for example: masked substance abuse)
Creation of a class in object-oriented programming may be subject to stereotyping.
