Why It May Be Useful to Integrate the Stereotype Content Model and the Interpersonal Perspective

Abstract

This article synthesizes how we think about groups and how we behave during interpersonal situations by integrating the influential stereotype content model from social psychology and the interpersonal perspective in personality and clinical psychology. The empirically derived structural model of the interpersonal circumplex closely resembles the stereotype content model in its general form and specific dimensions. Integration allows researchers to hypothesize and test precise mechanisms linking stereotypes and interpersonal interactions using the common metaconcepts of agency and communion to link cognitions (stereotypes) and behavior. The interpersonal perspective has also been studied extensively, and repeated patterns of interaction have been linked to mental and physical health. Thus, this integration also has the potential to inform our mechanistic understanding of associations between stereotypes and outcomes and thus inform interventions intended to reduce stereotyping and its harmful effects. Integration with the stereotype content model also extends the interpersonal perspective by highlighting the importance of stereotypes as a repetitive influence on interpersonal interactions, similar to interpersonal conceptualizations of personality. This integration of the stereotype content model and the interpersonal tradition helps create a holistic view of the influence of stereotypes during interpersonal situations and explain why benefits or risks may follow.