Examples:

· Typical. Just a typical male (or female) opinion.

· Isn’t that just typical of a weak liberal.

· Oh, right, that’s SO typical of an INFP or ESTJ (those are types in the Myers-Briggs system)

· Typical of a Virgo….

 Explanation:

Great. Let’s take someone with whom we have a relationship, and stereotype the heck out of them while at the same time passing judgment on their opinions, and experience.

This is just plain bad, and it’s will spark an argument that gets personal really fast.

In case you don’t understand the problem here, we all want to be valued for our own selves, as individuals. People don’t like to be categorized as part of some group, then treated as if they have all the characteristics stereotypic of that group.

 Make It Better:

Consider whether you want to try to make this better. It’s probably better not to make comments like this at all.

However, if you would like to talk about the differences between males, and females, or Myers-Briggs types, here’s some phrases you can use to INVITE discussion, rather than demean using stereotypes:

· It’s interesting we see things so differently. I wonder if it’s because we have different Myers-Briggs types? What do you think?

· I know men and women have quite different experiences so maybe your opinion reflects that I’m a man, and you’re a women. What do you think?