Do you think it is a natural behavior for people to sort and categorize the things and people they encounter in their lives? If so, when might it be useful? When does it become a problem?

Yes, it is completely natural for people to categorize and sort things according to their degree of similarities.

This ability is what helps the mind learn easily, predict, and by extension, plan effectively.

Sorting and categorization into groups of similar persons and or items also has the advantage of language formation, understanding, and communication. It is also useful for helping with drawing inferences.

This ability, as with everything in life, is not without its demerits.

When applied inflexibly to human beings, it results in the error of generalization or stereotyping.

Stereotyping is a permanent perception that a person may hold about a class of persons which is often never completely true for everyone in that population.

For example, to say that all colored people do very well at sports would be a stereotype.

Learn more about stereotypes in the link below:

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a compare and contrast essay is a piece of formal writing in which the author focus on the similarities between two ideas, objects, places, etc., and the differences between them. there are some aspects that the author should take into account when he/she is crafting the essay. first, the author has a clear idea of the effect that he/she wants to produce on the audience (a purpose). his/her main idea should be presented in the thesis statement in a simple but effective way which gives the audience a clear idea of the content and the direction of the essay. in addition, it is also important to focus to the similarities and differences that not only are interesting and relevant to the reader but also provide a new, impressive point of view or deeper understanding of a topic.