Is there terminology for how a group is viewed by outsiders, as only radical members are the most visible?
I believe such a term would exist within social sciences.
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Sign up to join this communityIs there terminology for how a group is viewed by outsiders, as only radical members are the most visible?
I believe such a term would exist within social sciences.
I believe the word you're looking for is stereotype. Stereotypes may be treated as a representation of the "typical" group member, but in reality they are most often a characterization of the stand-out traits of "highly visible" members. These members might be known as extremists, depending on the type of group (e.g., religious extremists). They also might be known as geeks (e.g., science geeks).
Sociologists use the term "outgroup" (also "out-group") to collectively specify one group of outsiders relative to another group (or relative to society at large). That word itself can be a good launching point for many adjectives: outgroup perceptions; outgroup membership; outgroup initiation rites, etc.
For your application, you might consider "outgroup perceptions". E.g., "Outgroup perceptions of blue-collar males include assumptions that they enjoy/resemble/..."
...but if you are focusing on "outgroup perceptions" based on extrapolations from radical group members, "stereotype" is the best option.
try cognitive bias
A cognitive bias is a pattern of deviation in judgment that occurs in particular situations. Implicit in the concept of a "pattern of deviation" is a standard of comparison; this may be the judgment of people outside those particular situations, or may be a set of independently verifiable facts.
Here's a list of cognitive biases