Imagine a creepy monster with sharp fangs, the cat dripping from the wounds covering its face, and wearing a T-shirt that suggests its favorite hobby is eating humans. These clues lead one to assume that this beast is not the safest being one can have around. This judgment could save a person's life simply by using contextual clues. Every day stereotypes are created and people fit into certain profiles, and this is used to stop drug dealing, robberies and other basic crimes. It is also used to group people together to better understand them as a whole and to make sense of what you see. One way to approach stereotypes is to compare it to looking at a movie poster. Assumptions are made based on the content of the poster, which helps people decide whether it is an action film or a love story. The way the film is advertised determines people's initial reaction in the same way that the way a person dresses and behaves can lead to being judged positively or negatively. Another key point: Stereotypes are just one way to evaluate first impressions. Key phrase, first impression, the previously mentioned monster may be the sweetest and cuddliest beast in the world, but the way he dresses and decides to behave could cause him to miss out on many opportunities. What stops the person from developing the relationship is how they interpret the personal stereotype they have created. “Stereotypes are generalizations about a group of people according to which we attribute a defined set of characteristics to this group” (www.changingminds.org) . In other words, stereotypes are how people categorize other humans based on the visible information displayed by the target and how the new information correlates with already known experiences or data...... middle of paper.. ....es can be applied to determine your current situation and how to deal with it. When applied to catching criminals, racial profiling can help identify suspects and find perpetrators based on data and contextual clues. Stereotypes are a great tool for making confident judgments and should be used in a more positive way. Works Cited “Racial Profiling.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Network. 09 April 2010. "Stereotype". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Network. 09 April 2010. "Stereotypes". Changing mindsets and persuasion: How we change what others think, believe, feel and do. Network. 09 April 2010. "Stereotypes". University of Colorado at Boulder. Network. 09 April. 2010. .