Social stigma

“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 that stigma can only be directly enacted upon individuals when there is a power differential between those with the trait and those without when those who have the negatively evaluated difference have less power than those who do not. Thus, the stigmatization of individuals with disabilities is a complex process which involves individual biological differences, the negative evaluation of those differences by others, adverse reactions of others and negative social and emotional outcomes for individuals with disabilities According to Goffman (1963) stigma not only affects disabled children however it also affects close family members and relatives as it gives them a negative name.…

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…

Our experience of the universe, our planet earth, and the history of humankind continue to present unanswered questions and unresolved problems. If I were to choose one question or problem to investigate during my undergraduate years at Mason, it would be: How do we solve the growing problem of obesity and the accompanying social stigma placed on overweight individuals? I’m interested in this topic because I believe people of every body type should be treated equally, but I’m aware of the…

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.…

Social work is more than just a major to me. It is more than a major because social work is something that happens within every second of every day. Social work is something that we as a nation live, sleep, eat, and breathe. This amazing field helps an unmeasurable amount of people all over the globe. One of the many aspects of this field that I admire is how unbiased it is. This field’s main focus is to try to help any and everyone in need. Helping people is something that I have wanted…

Kelinman and Clifford (2009) argue that research of stigma has disproportionately concentrated on the psychological impact and gave insufficient attention to the implications of stigma within the moral and social perspectives. They present the model proposed by Link and Plan (2003) as a more comprehensive instrument for understanding stigma; “it includes a component of structural discrimination, or the institutionalized disadvantages placed on stigmatized groups. This opens the door for us to…

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…

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…

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…

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…