Stigma

According to sociologist Erving Goffman “stigma [is] as an attribute that is deeply discrediting, that reduces the bearer from a whole and usual person to a tainted, discounted one” (Abrams P, 2015). Stigma is an extremely useful tactic for societal regulation of sexual conduct, as it is essentially the of policing of an individual by other citizens in a society, and is generally associated with an individual diverging away from the group identity. Society’s overall negative framing of abortion is reflective of a deep morally rooted disapproval, which may result in the stigmatization and marginalization of a woman who has terminated, or intends to terminate her pregnancy. Furthermore, the stigmatization of a woman who has had an abortion has deeper, gender stereotyping undertones, stigmatizing a woman because she is refusing to conform to the…

Introduction The concept of stigma was introduced in the sociological literature by Erving Goffman, who defined stigma as when an individual possesses an unsuitable attribute that is seen by many as making him or her different from the rest (Link & Phelan, 2001). Stigma prevails when a dominant group wields power by means of stereotyping or labeling those whom they perceive to be different. This paper will look at stigma in the context of occupations and compare cultural stigma associated with…

Since an early age we have been socialized to judge and categorized individuals based on what we see and what we consider “normal,” therefore, any deviation from that is considered something strange, unnatural which is more than likely to obtain a negative label; stigma. For the most part, first impressions are sufficient to make up our minds in regards to someone’s personality. It is this limited mindset that erases the personal attributes of individuals, and does not allow us to look behind…

Introduction Stigma is generally counterproductive in society. By definition it is the perception of disgrace associated with a circumstance, quality, or person. By manifest, it is often the complete and impulsive dismission of a “circumstance, quality, or person”, with no after thought as to the origins of this gut-reaction. Throughout history we have seen many instances of these taboo-like topics. During the 1980’s, people suffering from HIV/AIDS took the brunt of the disapproving glances and…

For me stigma is a brand that is associated with a specific person or a circumstance. The brand that is left is affiliated in a negative way. For example when something bad happen to you, you will always remember it because you will have it in your memories as a bad. When I had 7 years old I was playing by myself on the second floor jumping with the cable. The cable was there because the builder had not finished building the second floor. When my mom saw that I was playing there, she told me…

Controlling Stigma We can control stigma in two ways. We can either change public perception of people with mental illness in order to lessen stigma on a larger scale or we can alter intervention strategies to lessen the effect of stigma on individuals. In Corrigan, Morris, Micheals, Rafcz, and Rüsch (2012), the researchers conducted a meta-analyis on strategies used to curb social stigma. That is to say, they evaluated methods by which researchers tried to change public perceptions. The…

Sociologist Erving Goffman's (1963) seminal work theorized stigma as “an attribute that is deeply discrediting” (p 13). In the symbolic interactionist tradition, he emphasized that it was the meaning ascribed to particular attributes through relationships and social interaction that led to stigma. In the decades following Goffman’s (1963) influential work, social psychologists focused extensively on understanding attitudes about various stigmatized attributes (Link & Phelan, 2001). Around the…

When a person possesses certain characteristics that are noticeably different from what is considered the norm, they possess a stigma. These certain characteristics are highly salient and take over a person’s entire identity, making it difficult for others to see them as anything other than the stigma. It becomes difficult for the stigmatized person to accomplish their goals as their audience is preoccupied with the person’s stigma. In order to overcome the stigma surrounding their positions,…

stereotyping can be smoothly accomplished because there is little harm in attributing all manner of bad characteristics to “them.” In the extreme, the stigmatized person is thought to be so different from “us” as to be not really human. And again, in the extreme, all manner of horrific treatment of “them” becomes possible. When individuals lose status or are discriminated against because of their negatively evaluated differences, they experience enacted stigma. Link and Phelan go on to argue…

aren’t; they are talking to themself and clearly look upset. What do you do? Do you walk up to the person and ask if they need help? Do you run away screaming at the top of your lungs? Or do you give him/her a weird look and text your friends saying: Hey, if I die tonight it’s because of the crazy man at my bus stop? Unfortunately, most people choose the last option, and this is the reason why there is a huge problem arising in our society concerning mental health. Good morning/afternoon Mrs.…