Stereotyping. Physical and occupational therapists characterize themselves and each other

Physical therapists (n = 53) and occupational therapists (n = 53) appraised themselves and each other by selecting personal and job-based adjectives (54 pairs) on the Health Team Stereotype Scale. The PTs' self-appraisal differed statistically from the OTs' perception of PTs on 31 adjective pairs (57%). The OTs judged PTs as having fewer of the qualities PTs professed on 16 pairs. On 15 pairs, the OTs chose negative adjectives, whereas the PTs chose the positive. The OTs' self-assessment differed statistically from the PTs' perception of OTs on 24 pairs. The PTs perceived OTs as having fewer of the positive adjectives than did the OTs. The PTs' and OTs' self-assessments differed statistically on pairs such as Strong-Weak, Intelligent-Unintelligent, and Aggressive-Passive, with the PTs' mean scores being higher than the OTs'. Overall, the PTs' self-appraisal mean scores were higher than the OTs'. The extent of differences perceived by another profession may explain team conflict or team effectiveness.