Recognizing patterns is a pretty important skill that we use to navigate the social world. It could be that we recognize a need to dress smarter for a job interview, or hug loved ones rather than shake their hand. This is because we see these patterned interactions happening around us. However, we can make mistakes and limit what we are willing to see—especially if we have unfounded or overgeneralized beliefs about particular groups of people.

Another error that’s linked to this is called confirmation bias, which happens when we see what we expect to see. So, you might have witnessed drunken, antisocial men causing a scene while wearing a sports jersey. Subsequently, you don’t see the calm supporters walking through the city on game day, only the loud group your bias expects you to see.

Overgeneralization, or stereotyping, happens when we imagine that a small number of lived experiences, or even widespread patterns, apply to everyone in a particular group.

Perhaps you’ve seen groups of teenage girls screaming hysterically for their favorite pop act, and subsequently assume that all young girls gravitate to popular music and its stars. Or, maybe you know that Chief Executive Officers of Fortune 500 companies are disproportionately white and male, so when you hear a CEO introduced, you expect to see a white man.

Social status or hierarchy—often based on social class—can shape how we see others and are seen by them. When a marker of status is so powerful that we define ourselves or others define us by that one trait, sociologists call that a master status.

For some people, religious markers can be a master status, like a hijab. You see someone wearing one and perhaps miss all other social clues. For others, and in some countries, skin color or race override everything else. For others, pregnancy, tattoos, age, gender, or disability can essentially short circuit our ability to see holistically.

“The more we can understand and unpack our assumptions and biases, the better able we are to judge situations and people fairly. As we let go of our rigid assumptions about who listens to classical music or who can manage others with authority, the more possibilities open up for ourselves and those around us.”