Goffman Stigma Chapter Summaries

Stevenson, A., & Lindberg, C. (Eds.). (2011). Stigma [Def. 1]. In New Oxford American dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved February 8, 2016, from

These views change possibly because a disabled person, whether a friend or family member, may be acquainted with them. Treating another equally removes these preconcieved beliefs. In the story, the audience enters the narrator's mind and sees the narrator's bias; furthermore, the narrator explains that he has "never met, or personally known, anyone who was blind" (5). The mind is powerful enough to convince people that they are seeing reality; however, empathizing with the disabled, whether through drawing a picture or conversing, reveals the flaws in people's

For instance, both Flowers for Algernon and Awakenings include themes towards the treatment and respect of those living with mental and physical disabilities. In Flowers for Algernon, Charlie was unknowingly used as a punchline by his supposed friends and colleagues at the bakery, merely because he was mentally challenged and the incompetence that resulted from this made others feel superior to him. Following the surgery and the increase of Charlie’s intelligence, the doctors insinuated that he wasn’t considered a human being prior to the experiment. They implied that those with impaired mental abilities are not individuals capable of independent thought and feeling, which is disproved through Charlie’s progress reports. Similarly, Awakenings sheds light on the treatment of those who have physical challenges, in the manner that the nurses and doctors treated the patients before the medicine was administered. They are visibly reluctant to tend to the patients, and attempt to avoid work with television shows because they lack compassion and understanding towards their conditions. The staff thought efforts to help them were futile due to their catatonic states, therefore neglecting them, treating them like obligations rather than individuals. However, both stories show that in spite of their circumstances, those with disabilities are not lesser people and are deserving of compassion and respect just as others are; though they are often ill-treated and misunderstood.

In stories there are many literary devices used to help convey the overall message of the story. These literary devices help to portray the theme or themes of the story. This allows the reader to grasp a better understanding of what the author is trying to depict since it is hard to get the same image in the reader’s head as is in the author’s. In Ursula Le Guin’s The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, we see the use of irony, setting and diction to help support the underlying theme of the value of a human life.

The word itself, used when branding lower class Ancient Greek citizens (around 500 BC) after they’d committed a crime, hasn’t altered in meaning. Although society might not physically give them a symbol of their sin, group mentality ensures those victimized a life full of judgement. The consequences of stigmatization against those with metal incapacities are large and often seen as a whole other weakness altogether. These pre-disposed judgments of others, thrust upon those with mental illness, can easily undermine and overpower the life goals and achievements through reduced participation in society’s staple components (education opportunities, employment, and even relationships with others) (Source D). The worldwide goal of eliminating stigma's effects on people labeled “mentally ill” has become a major public health priority over the past ten years via nationwide campaigns. Attempts to change public stigma have been achieved in three ways- protest, education, and direct contact with those usually targeted (Source E). The protest aspect plays on the idea of a public shaming by telling the public to suppress the thoughts and let go of previous inhibitions. The educational aspect of spreading awareness seeks to decrease stigmatizing myths of mental illness by contrasting them with the cold hard facts. Lastly, direct contact tries to erase the prejudice and discrimination of mental illness through interactions between the “public” and people in recovery, showing them how alike we are. The overall hope is that if progressive people such as scientists, public speakers, and even well-known psychiatrists

Racial Stigma in Mercy originally meant a physical mark of shame. Now, it’s an invisible mark that sets you apart from others. The problem with the word stigma’ is that it puts the focus on the person’s difference instead of on the people who are setting them apart. Using the word stigma makes it seem different than racism, homophobia or sexism. It isn’t. So it’s time to talk about stigma for what it really is. (56)

He graduated from UC Berkley with a Ph.D. in Psychology. He began his research as a graduate student with the “bedroom study”, which took a look at what others can learn about you by snooping around your bedroom, a study that was the first to examine rooms rather than using videos or short interactions. Gosling has been studying social perception since graduate school, researching the many ways people use objects to broadcast their character. In his book “Snoop”, he appeals to people’s curiosity about themselves and others and how they might be perceived. He engages their curiosity from the very beginning by describing a box he received from a television show, what was in said box, and why. The reader’s curiosity and wonder at how he was so well able to infer information about the objects’ owner are used as a bridge to explaining identity claims and how they affect how others perceive you and how you perceive others. He uses facts from Gallup Management Report, New York Daily News, and “The Perfect Thing” by Steven Levy to support his claims and to engage the reader

Stigma can be defined as a mark of shame or ignominy that sets individuals apart from others. Goffman notes “Society establishes the means of categorizing persons and the complement of attributes felt to be ordinary and natural for members of each of these categories”. (Goffman) Given, when a person is labeled by said illness, disorder, or deviancy they are seen as a part of a stereotyped group and as a result are stigmatized by the “normals”. Moreover, the routines of social interactions in society allow us to create normative expectations and demands for the way ones in said society are expected to

Goffman felt that there was already good work done on the topic of stigma. However, he wanted to discuss the previous works and his own ideas regarding stigma. Writing Stigma Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity provided him a place to discuss his ideas regarding prior work on stigma, and to give his spin on it.

A Critical Review of Erving Goffman’s Stigma In his preface Goffman states his intentions to use ‘popular work’ on stigma as a basis for his own review and expansion within his preoccupation of ‘social information,’ the information an individual directly conveys about himself. The book opens with a letter to a “lonelyhearts” column from a girl born without a nose which concludes ‘Ought I commit suicide?’ This sets the tone for a book which aims to be a comprehensive and illuminating excursion into the situation of persons who are unable to conform to standards that society calls “normal.”

Goffman looks at variety of strategies when it comes to stigmatized individuals, especially ones that deal with rejection from others. Stigma: Notes on the Management of a Spoiled Identity was published in 1963 and in the first chapter the book, Goffman determines the three types of stigma; stigma of character traits, physical stigma, and stigma of group identity. Stigma of character traits are “blemishes of individual character perceived as weak will, domineering, or unnatural passions, treacherous and rigid beliefs, and dishonesty, these being inferred from a known record of, for example, mental disorder, imprisonment, addiction, alcoholism, homosexuality, unemployment, suicidal attempts, and radical political behavior” (Goffman, 1963). Physical stigma is the deformities of the body, whereas the stigma of group identity is a stigma that derives from a particular race, nation and/or religion. These three types of stigma have one thing in common, their sociological features: “an individual who might have been received in normal social

For example, the lack of communication between the man and the girl. The girl doesn’t tell the man how she feels about the ‘operation’ he keeps discussing. In the story the girl doesn’t want to have the operation as she feels that their relationship won’t be the same. ‘‘And you think then we’ll be all right and be happy.’ ‘I know we will. You don’t have to be afraid. I’ve known lots of people that have done it…” The man tries to reassure her that they’ll be okay, and many people have been in their situation. Another example for the lack of communication is the man must translate for the girl due to her not able to speak or understand Spanish. “The train comes in five

Goffman on the other hand refers to the identity of self as a performance and a script where an individual sets the scene for their life. Basically he is saying that individuals sets out to present themselves to the world around them, always trying to maintain the role they have selected for themselves, since those whom they meet not only try to decide what role it is you are playing, but also whether or not you are competent to play that role. Goffman states “There is a popular view that the individual offers his performance and puts on his show ‘for the benefit of other people’. It will be convenient to begin a consideration of performances by

Furthermore, Goffman introduces the reader to two main groups of characters in his logic: the “normal” and the stigmatized and classifies the stigmatized again into the discredited and the discreditable. The discredited show an obvious discrepancy between their actual and their virtual social identity, while the discreditable do not immediately show their differentness. Additionally, the reader gets introduced to the terms (1) social information, (2) symbols, (3) status symbols and (4) stigma symbols

Referred to as the “dramaturgical approach to social life and the self,” Goffman’s theory on human interaction hinges on the concept that the “self” does not inherently exist within a person, but instead is actively performed (Goffman, Appelrouth & Edles, 2010, p. 479). In his piece “The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life,” Goffman’s dramaturgical approach to the presentation of self is multifaceted. In order to convey information about the self to others, Goffman argues that people commonly use what he refers to as sign vehicles: setting, appearance, and manner. As the name suggests, the setting is the environment where human action occurs. Appearance refers to how the individual looks and manner is characterized by the way an individual acts. Generally, an individual’s performance provides an opportunity to present to others an “impression that is idealized in several different ways” (Goffman, 1956, p. 22). Goffman also addresses the structure of face-to-face engagements in his piece “Behavior in Public Places.” Since these interactions are social in nature, Goffman explains that “in