STIGMA & SOCIAL

IDENTITY
Karim S. Sheikh, Ph.D.
Deviance & Society, GBC - Week 9
Mentor: Mandy Bergman
Lesson Outcome (aligned to course
outcome):

Define and Discuss the sociological concepts

of deviance and social control.
Lesson Objectives:
Define Stigma and Social Identity
Understand Stigma and Social Identity
Discuss how stigma can affect different
activities with consequences for both the
stigmatized individual and/or the group?
Agenda:
Welcome Remarks
Activity 1: What is Stigma?
Socio-Historical Perspectives.
What are the forms of Social Stigma?
Triadic Interaction: Social Identity of
Stigmatized Person.
Preliminary Conceptions
Influence of Media on Creating & Promoting
Stigma.
Activity 2: Group Discussion.
What is Stigma?
A powerful negative label that changes a
persons social identity and how they see
themselves (Goffman 1963).
A deeply discrediting attribute or quality
or trait that has the potential of reducing
peoples evaluation of an individual who
possess it (Goffman 2011; Goffman 1963: 3).
The term stigma was originated by the
Greeks.
Socio-Historical Perspective
During the Greek period, the authorities used
to burnt or cut into the body and make visually
apparent signs for socially excluded persons
often stigmatized them as slaves or criminals
or traitors.
Later on during the Christian times such bodily
signs were used for religious and medical
connotations: like holy grace and for medical
disorder.
Presently, the term stigma is used something
like its original sense, applied as negative or
disgraceful connotation towards a person, but
What are the Forms of Social Stigma?
Physical Deviant Behaviors Tribal Stigmas
Appearance or Attributes
(Real or
Imagined):
Scars Adultery Ethnic Groups
Physical Disability Mental Disorders Nationality
Leprosy Teenage Pregnancy & Single Religious Beliefs deviant
Parenthood from existing normative
Ideologies
Obesity Drug Addiction & Alcoholism
Welfare Dependency
Criminal Background &
Bankruptcy
Work for Low Wage &
Unemployment
Triadic Interaction: Social
Identity of Stigmatized Person
Goffman (1963:57; 2011) defines three aspects of
identity:
Personal
Personal Identity: Each individual Identity
has unique identity pegs (like
finger prints) and life histories.
Social Identity: People identify a
person with specific attribute(s) of a
group to which he or she belong to. Social Ego
Ego Identity: refers to how an Identity Identity
individual think about himself or
herself.
Preliminary Conceptions
Preferably social identity can be use to introduced a stranger
rather social status because it includes personal attributes (i.e.
honesty) and structural attributes like (i.e. occupation).
People hesitate or sometime refuse for interacting with stigmatized
people i.e. blind.
Stigmatized person usually respond to their situation by attempting
to correct the objective basis of their failings i.e. physically
deformed person undergoes plastic surgery or a homosexual
psychotherapy.
Also a stigmatized person attempts to correct his condition
indirectly that makes him close to the activities perform by normal
persons i.e. the lame person learn or relearn swim, ride, play tennis.
Sometime such attempts of learning become torture for the
stigmatized person i.e. a person on wheelchair tries to learn dance
on dancing floor. it wasnt only suffering: it was also learning
through suffering.
Preliminary Conceptions
(continued)
A sense of insecurity, inferiority, self-
consciousness and uncertainty prevail
among stigmatized persons.
Due to it sometime stigmatized person
is either too aggressive or too shame-
faced.
Stigmatized persons also remain
curious to know what the other
persons are really thinking about him.
The Influence of Media on Creating & Promoting Stigma

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WWKXyIXZX0
Stigma in the media can influence our
views on mental illness, it can promote
stigma, or it can educate and break
down taboos. See how the media can
encourage to talk openly about mental
illness and suicide (YouTube Clip dated Aug 19, 2013).
Activity 2: Group Discussion (3-4 students)

Identify any one form of

stigma existing in
Canadian society and how
it effects the stigmatized
person in day-to-day life
give any 3 examples?
References:
Textbook:
Goffman, E. (2011). Stigma and Social Identity. In
Ksenych, E. (ed.) Exploring Deviance in Canada: A
Reader. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press. pp.
103-118.
Other sources:
Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma: Notes on the Social
Organization of Spoiled Identity. New York: Free Press.
Manning, P. (2005). Goffman, Erving In Ritzer, G.
Encyclopedia of Social Theory. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage Publications, Inc. pp.333-339.
Elliott, A. (2010). The Routledge Companion to Social
Theory. New York: Routledge T&F Group.