As humans, we tend to overclassify everything. I think we are somewhat hardwired to do so. It's in our nature. I think it has to do with how we recognize images. We have a hard time getting computers to recognize cloud types, for instance, but our brains find pictures in the clouds (that one looks like a turtle sitting on a scooter -- with a music stand in his hand) which is something we could never get a computer to do. We classify and categorize the shapes of clouds very naturally. Sorting people into stereotypes is just another manifestation of this amazing trait of our minds. It's very natural, and we have to fight it. Learning to overcome these natural instincts is simply a part of being free to make choices.
When I was young, I tended to stereotype myself. You know those career surveys they give you in school? I knew what I wanted to be, so I tailored my answers to match what I though they should be for someone who had my ambitions. So they always told me what I wanted. But I always shortchanged myself in the areas that were different from those goals. It wasn't until college that I realized that I actually had a good amount of talent and skill in areas that were not in my interests areas. That came as a huge shock to me.
I think we all do this often. We pigeonhole ourselves based on biases of what we want or expect of ourselves, and find it hard to be truly honest about our own capabilities. We limit our options based on some societal norm, personal fantasy, or natural tendency. We have been given a great gift to be able to choose. We don't have to follow societal norms; we can choose to break free of our fantasies; and we can overcome our natural tendencies. Our gift of choice also comes with the responsibility to develop wisdom -- to learn from poor choices in the past, to reason out intelligent choices, and to learn who to trust and follow. Then we can break free of our own personal stereotypes and be free to truly choose the right.
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