•   May put themselves more at risk for substance abuse by
    giving in to a self-fulfilling prophecy; and
•   Can rebel against stereotyping by not abusing drugs.

Description

The primary activity is a classroom discussion in which students define stereotyping, discuss common stereotypes about high school students, and learn that believing stereotypes can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies that put one at risk for engaging in self-defeating behaviors. They also discuss the extent to which students overestimate the prevalence of drug use among high school students, which is an example of stereotyping. They learn that the actual rates of drug use prevalence are substantially lower than what students commonly believe.