Introduction
Each person can identify themself from a variety of perspectives in the context of different groups. This identification is an essential component of a person’s personality, following which people behave in one way or another. However, there are often certain conclusions and assumptions about how people belonging to a particular group should behave in society. In addition, these concepts often diverge from reality, forming patterns of interaction and relationships that can be either positive and help a person or negative and harm their image and activities. The purpose of this essay is to study the concepts of inferences and assumptions in the context of personality identification and reflect on the existing inferences towards my personal self-identification groups.
Concept of Inferences
Unlike prejudices and stereotypes, the very concept of inferences contains a piece of common sense. While, for example, stereotypes are based on strange and illogical thoughts about a group of people, inferences are based on any evidence through reasoning. The most common dictionary definition of a given word that can be found describes this term as a conclusion that a person has come to based on available data and thought. However, in the context of social interactions and identification issues, the meaning of this word is somewhat different. In this case, inferences are understood as conclusions drawn from the available data but without absolute confidence in its correctness (Lavrakas, 2008). There is only a certain degree of probability according to which the inference drawn will correspond to reality. Thus, the main difference of this concept from, for example, stereotypes is the conduct of some reasoning that can give both correct and incorrect conclusions. Stereotypes are often taken by people on faith, without any attempts to justify or explain what is happening.
These two concepts are close and may even overlap, for example, in deriving any stereotypes based on the available, incomplete data. Still, they are not identical since the word inferences mean conclusions from a process. In practice, this means that some people can decide the personal characteristics of others based on any noticeable qualities that are often characteristic of a particular group. For example, based on many black athletes, one might infer that most black people are more physically fit than white people. However, such a conclusion, not supported by valid scientific information, will be stereotypical inferences concerning a specific group of people united by race. Such findings can both harm a person and even be beneficial in particular contexts, but a lot, in this case, depends on the situation and who makes the given inferences.
Personal Experience with Inferences
In one way or another, almost every person is faced with such conclusions since they can be drawn concerning virtually any quality of a person and any group to which a person belongs. In a diverse community, such inferences may, for example, be drawn about race or ethnicity. I have repeatedly encountered this attitude towards my side because of my race. Because I am Chinese, the fact of my race, which stands out sharply from the background of ordinary people in Canada, leads people around to draw the wrong conclusions. For example, even though the Chinese ethnic group is one of the largest in the country, some people who don’t know me consider me a recent immigrant (Chan, 2019). This attitude is one of the clearest examples of racial inferences.
Another group about which not entirely correct conclusions are being made is the cultural component inherent in China. Although this country is an ancient state with a rich history, many people perceive Chinese culture in a highly distorted way, focusing only on the information available in the media. For example, because there are so many different action films in which Chinese heroes possess martial arts, as a Chinese woman, I am also considered a specialist in this field (“Common stereotypes and misconceptions,” n.d.). On the other hand, the Chinese are often shown as mathematical geniuses, which makes people transfer this image to real representatives of this nationality and explain their success with innate talent.
Finally, one more group, in connection with which I often come across various kinds of inferences, are physical qualities. As a short girl, I often see people treat me based on these two facts. In addition, sometimes people treat me like a child because the combination of origin, short stature and appearance make me much younger in their eyes. In all of the above cases, people conclude the available information, guided by the available data.
Reflection on Common Assumptions
Most of these assumptions and conclusions, as practice shows, are false. They might be accurate in certain circumstances, as in the case of appearance, but more often than not, they have nothing to do with reality. Consequently, the discrepancy between the internal, actual image and external qualities, based on which conclusions are drawn, can lead to negative consequences and even conflicts. For example, ideas about the Chinese formed based on popular culture are often wholly incorrect and cannot be applied to real people. Therefore, when people assume that all Chinese have a penchant for mathematics based on the images of individual characters, this can give rise to very controversial moments. Another example would be dismissiveness as an immigrant, again based on information from the media. Even if a person is a resident of a local group of Chinese in Canada, some people may not perceive this ethnic group as Canadians like themselves, resulting in negative attitudes.
However, even if they are not always correct, such conclusions can sometimes be beneficial when interpreting other people’s words correctly. For example, attributing high mental abilities to all Chinese people can help a person create an appropriate image, which will help achieve certain advantages. On the other hand, the image created by physical data – appearance and height – can pre-dispose people to themselves, forming a more favorable attitude, which can also be used to advantage. Directly positive conclusions regarding a particular ethnic, political or religious group are extremely rare since often people do not know well the details of the functioning of another group of people. However, although there is a little direct benefit from such conclusions, they can be used for positive purposes by establishing contacts between people.
Conclusion
Thus, inferences are a concept that is close to biases or stereotypes and may even overlap with them. However, they differ in a thought process and information processing, while some stereotypes are taken on faith. Each person in their life is faced with many inferences belonging to the most different groups with which a person identifies himself and in which he is. Unfortunately, most of them are negative, mixed with stereotypes about race, physical qualities or beliefs. However, even incorrectly drawn conclusions can benefit from the appropriate approach, even if a person stands out very firmly in a particular society. This conclusion is supported by my personal experience of interacting with people in many ways, different from me, a small Chinese woman. Many of the inferences made regarding me are incorrect. However, they can be used both to achieve personal goals, create the desired image, and establish a closer contact, which will destroy the misconception.
References
Chan, A. (2019). Chinese Canadians. The Canadian Encyclopedia.
Common stereotypes and misconceptions of Chinese culture (n.d.). Commisceo Global.
Lavrakas, P. J. (2008). Encyclopedia of survey research methods. SAGE Publications.