Stereotype Content Model

The Stereotype Content Model (SCM), introduced by Fiske, Cuddy, Glick, and Xu in 2002, proposes that stereotypes of social groups are organized along two fundamental dimensions: warmth (whether a group is friendly and well-intentioned or hostile) and competence (whether it is capable and effective or not). Crucially, many stereotypes are mixed -- high on one dimension and low on the other -- producing four characteristic combinations. The model further specifies the social-structural origins of these perceptions: competence judgments track a group's perceived status, and warmth judgments track perceived competition. Each warmth-by-competence quadrant elicits a distinct emotion -- admiration, pity, envy, or contempt -- and, in the related BIAS map, distinct helping and harming behaviors. By giving stereotype content a systematic two-dimensional structure tied to social structure, emotion, and action, the SCM became one of the most influential frameworks in the study of prejudice.