The American Psychological Association defines “Stereotype Threat” in its dictionary as<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nan individual\u2019s expectation that\u00a0negative stereotypes<\/a>\u00a0about his or her member group will adversely influence others\u2019 judgments of his or her performance and that a poor performance will reflect badly on the member group. This expectation may undermine the individual\u2019s actual ability to perform well. In an academic setting, for example, it has been shown that African American students\u2019 performance in tests of intellectual ability can suffer because of anxiety induced by thinking that they are expected to perform poorly and will be judged according to negative stereotypes about Black intelligence. [identified in 1995 by U.S. psychologists Claude M. Steele (1946\u2013\u2002\u2002) and Joshua Aronson (1961\u2013\u2002\u2002)]<\/p>\nAmerican Psychological Association: Dictionary of Psychology, entry “Stereotype Threat” <\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
I felt relieved when I came across the term last year, because it so perfectly captured what I was trying to describe in my my memoir, a work in progress, about my 15-year-battle with stage fright. Please watch the video below, as an example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n