Stereotypes In Walter Lippmann's Public Opinion

The origins of the word stereotype date back to the eighteenth century when it used as a form of a printing press plate that left a solid, lasting impression. It was not until Walter Lippmann used the term in his 1922 book, Public Opinion, which the word took on its more modern meaning. In chapters, six and seven Lippmann explains his use of the term concerning people. He explores why and when people use stereotypes and why people have different interpretations of the same event. From Lippmann's characterization of stereotype, he explains why people tend to use them and their effects on the publics' perceptions.
For Lippmann, stereotypes begin with the picture in our heads. That is because the outer world is complicated and confusing.

When people are confronted by untried situations, their view can become much like a baby’s. As American education reformer, psychologist and philosopher John Dewey described the baby’s world as one that sprouts continuing confusion so is the adult’s world when confronted with anything that is entirely new and unfamiliar. Foreign languages sound like complete babble, void of meaning or coherence to the untrained ear. For one particular race visiting strangers of another race, all look the same. That is because people do not see first and then characterize. Instead, they draw first from preconceived notions dictated by their culture already pictured in their heads to make their conclusions.