Three types of conceptual approaches will contribute to the present consideration of sex role stereotypes, providing its theoretical background. The first is Tajfel's theory of the content of social stereotypes (Tajfel 1981: chapter 7), which constitutes the general framework of the present chapter. The second consists of a number of recent developments in attribution theory, which can be grouped under the common heading of social attribution, to use Deschamps' expression (Apfelbaum & Herzlich 1970–1; Deschamps 1973–4; Hewstone & Jaspars 1982; see also this book, Chapter 19). Finally, the theory of social identity as it relates to the problem of intergroup differentiation will be considered (Tajfel 1972, 1974, 1978, 1981; Tajfel & Turner 1979; Turner 1975). These last two approaches serve to elaborate some of the aspects of the theory of social stereotypes.

It is possible to focus upon some common aspects in the three approaches. In the first place, they all represent an attempt to consider certain psychosocial processes within their social context. That is, they can be described as being a part of the general orientation of social psychology in Europe (Moscovici 1972; Stroebe 1979; Tajfel 1981) towards the consideration of psychosocial processes, not as if they occurred in a ‘social vacuum’, in which no differentiations exist between the elements (individuals) that constitute it, but taking into account social differentials in terms of status, power, roles, group membership, etc.