It is posited here that a stereotype, using Weber,s notion
№
of ideal type, can conform to the 'facts’.
However, it is argued that such ’facts' are socially
constructed and not ontological in nature.
It may indeed be a 'fact', for example, that Aborigines ’have no sense
of purpose’, taken in an ideal-typical sense. It is not
accepted that such a present ’fact', even if it presents an accurate
reflection of real life, represents an.ontological reality.
20.3 Definition of stereotyping for the purpose of this study
With reference to the items constituting Schedule I, students
were asked to ring a point on a seven-point scale to show where
they would place Australians CSchedule IA), Australian-Italians
(Schedule IB) Australian-Aborigines (Schedule IC). A separate
sheet for the Aboriginal self (Schedule IIJ) was given out where
this was appropriate.
A particular definition of a stereotype was developed for
this study on the following basis.
Where the greatest concentration of choices was at the mid-
point, it was judged that the characteristic was not seen as a
stereotype, e.g.,
points 1-3 mid-point points 5-7
28% 46% 26%
trustworthy ... . ... untrustworthy
When the mid-point approximated, or equalled another choice, it
was judged that this did not reflect stereotyping e.g.,
points 1-3
36.3%
mid-point
36.3%
points 5-7
⅜⅛
27.4%
have no
ambition
motivated to
get somewhere