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Second, stigma is a negative
classification that emerges out of
the interactions and exchanges
between individuals or groups,
whereby one has the power to
classify the other as the possessor
of what are considered to be
socially undesirable attributes
or behaviors. (Goffman refers
to non-stigmatized people as
“normals.”) To this extent, it is a
relational concept, because things
classified as stigmatized are liable
to change, depending on the
individuals or groups interacting.
Goffman suggests that potentially
any attribute or act is stigmatizing,
and for this reason some degree
of stigmatization is present in
virtually all social relationships: we
are all capable of being stigmatized
at certain times.
The third characteristic of
stigma, says Goffman, is that it is
“processual”: this means that being
stigmatized or, more precisely,
coming to assume a stigmatized
identity, is a socially mediated
process that takes place over time.
For example, if an individual is
made to feel uncomfortable by
others because they become
excessively inebriated at an
office party, then the feelings
of embarrassment and shame,
while not particularly pleasant and
comfortable, are not likely to have
any long-term effect on the person’s
actual social identity. However, if
the excessive behavior continues
over a period of time, and through
interaction with group members
the individual is allocated a deviant
status, then their self-conception
will be altered as they assume a
stigmatized identity.Types of stigma
In addition to explaining the
concept of stigma, Goffman
identified three types of stigma.
The first type of stigma relates to
what he refers to as “deformities”
of the body, such as physical
disability, obesity, uneven skin
tone, baldness, and scarring. The
second type of stigma refers to
blemishes of character, including,
says Goffman, “mental disorder,
imprisonment, addiction,ERVING GOFFMAN
Wigs are among the “props” or
“covers” that are used by some bald
people to attempt to “conceal” their
baldness and thereby deflect potential
sources of stigma.alcoholism, homosexuality,
unemployment, suicide attempts,
and radical political behavior.”
He identifies the third type of
stigma as tribal stigma, which
includes social marginalization
on the grounds of ethnicity,
nationality, religion, and ideological
beliefs. The attributes identified in
these three categories of stigma are
liable, Goffman claims, to impinge
negatively on the ordinary and
predicted patterning of social
interactions involving the possessor
of the attribute, and in turn result
in exclusion or marginalization.Impression management
Goffman also focuses on how
individuals try to respond to and
cope with negative classification.
He suggests that people who
are stigmatized actively seek to
manage or, where possible, resist
the negative social identities
attributed to them.
His concept of “impression
management” is important in this
context because it highlights the
various ways people try to present
a version of selfhood to others that
is as favorable as possible: they
adopt different strategies to avoid
being stigmatized. These include
“concealment” through use of
“covers,” such as prosthetic limbs
in the case of people who feel
ashamed of having lost a limb.
This is in direct contrast to
“disclosure,” which involves a
person openly acknowledging
the discrediting feature(s) of their
identity. Where these strategies
fail or are simply not feasible, the
possessor of a stigma is liable toAn attribute that
stigmatizes one type
of possessor can confirm
the usualness of another.
Erving Goffman