ABSTRACT
It is well known that stereotypes are mental associations between categories and traits. To investigate the sharedness of stereotypes, though, we need to look beyond the idea that stereotypes are “in the head” of individual perceivers toward the social domain where stereotypes form the basis of human sociality and provide a shared point of view. This chapter reviews the way stereotypes are used and understood in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Stereotypic associations are communicated in language, often indirectly by innuendo and allusion. These communications can for the basis of human sociality, promoting a sense of solidary, connection and shared identification. Here, in the wild, stereotypes are slippery. They circulate and do their work without being explicitly communicated. They can elude criticism and slip by unnoticed. Most importantly, they can become built into features of our world, making them appear natural and self-evident.
