Psychological Labels

The effects of self-stigma can lead to a lack of self esteem, lack of confidence, isolation and the increased likelihood of avoiding professional help for their illness. This then has an over all affect on quality of life and where one sees themselves fitting within society (Barney, Griffiths, Jorm & Christensen, 2005; Griffiths & Christensen, 2004; Newell & Gournay, 2000).

One determinant for the above feelings is stigma. Stigma is a mark of disgrace or shame that sets the person apart and is a social sanction which dehumanises an individual, by branding them or labelling them based on their illness (Epstein, Olsen, & Grey, 2012) . When they are labelled they are

Some people feel that when diagnosed with a mental illness they are being labelled into a category they are seen as mentally ill instead of them having a mental illness unfortunately there are so many negative stereotypes which are pinned with mental illness, according to the labelling theory it’s the thought of a person being labelled mentally ill which can cause you to be ill mentally as a result of its effects described as a self-fulfilling prophecy according to a modified version of this theory. There are assumptions about the negative impact on self-concept, this impact is described in later research about stigma and self-stigma, stigma can have some negative results for self-concept by lowing self-efficacy which can make impaired coping

The stigma label could increase his perception of hopelessness, which, in turn, perpetuates or magnifies the cycle of the illness. His family may feel the effects of the stigma since many people mistakenly consider all mental disorders to be either genetic or the result of an unfavorable upbringing. This, in turn, can erroneously create the family’s feelings of unfounded guilt or embarrassment. His friends and others in his support system can also be negatively impacted by the stigma simply from an association standpoint, possibly resulting in them distancing themselves from an already somewhat isolated patient. So the stigma exasperates the patient’s internal negative perceptions and can externally create conflict between him and those closest to him.

Stigmas come in two different types: public and self. A public stigma is the reaction that the general public has to people with invisible disabilities (Corrigan and Watson 16-17). On the other hand, self-stigma is the prejudice which people with invisible disabilities turn against themselves. Both types of stigma can have a significantly negative impact on someone who suffers from an invisible disability. Public stigma reinforces stereotypes and prejudice misattributed to invisible disabilities and self-stigma stems from widely known public stigma, leading to a negative outlook in regards to having an invisible disability. The visibility of a potentially stigmatizing identity— such as schizotypal personality disorder— has been suggested to be the primary feature that causes those with invisible disabilities to

He saw stigma as a procedure based on social construction of identity. Besides, he also analyzed the effects of stigma on people and even individuals. In this article it shows on how people who have been stigmatized internalized the stigma that they had and how it can affects their behavior. Stigma can cause many negative consequences that can lead people to engage in maladaptive behaviors that can also lead to mental illnesses. It is really important for us to realize that every human is just human being and it is really important to accept people the way they

While reading Erving Goffman’s book, “Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity”, Goffman give a couple definition and concept to the idea of a stigma, which is a deeply disgrace feature in an individual, although this is largely dependent on groups. Through the grouping and reference that society establishes, expectations are

Stigma has been said to be “a feeling of being negatively differentiated owing to a particular condition, group membership or state in life”(Arboleda-Florez & Stuart, 2012, p. 458). There are typically two types of mental illness stigma that are discussed. Public stigma, also known as societal stigma, is the stigma associated with the prejudicial attitudes the public holds towards those people who suffer from mental illness (Arboleda-Florez & Stuart, 2012; Corrigan, Markowitz, Watson, Rowan & Kubiak, 2003). Self-stigma, also known as internalized stigma, is the loss of self-esteem, withdrawal, and personal shame that some with mental illness will experience. Self-stigma is usually developed when those who suffer from mental illness associate the negative stereotypes the public holds with themselves (Chronister, Chou, & Lieo, 2013; Corrigan et al., 2003).

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

The idea of stigma and what it is like to be a stigmatized person was conducted by sociologist Erving Goffman. He analyzed how stigmatized individuals feel about themselves and their relationships with people that are considered “normal”. Stigmatized individuals are people who are not socially accepted and are constantly eager to alter their social identifies: physically deformed people, mentally ill patients, drug addicts, homosexuals, etc.

There are three main categories of stigma: physical disfigurements, individual character flaw, and membership in a “tainted” group. A tainted group includes a particular race, ethnicity or religion. In the modern times, people with STDs, pregnant teenagers and people with disabilities are also tainted groups. People who belong in a stigmatized group and has a stigmatized identity falls either into two groups: “the discreditable” or the “discredited”. Discreditable individuals include people who have deviant characteristics that they are able to hide such as sexual fetishes.

Kring, Johnson, Davidson and Neale (2012) displayed the diagram of The Four characteristics of Stigma. Labels are applied to individuals that differentiate them from others, negative perceptions are linked with the label which causes discrimination and leads to stigma of the label. The stigma effectively ends with rejection of the individual from the community.

The problem with the stigma of a psychological disorder is the understanding that the client or patient understands how society views those who have psychological

There is a stigma in our country regarding mental health and its treatment. These stigma are divided between social stigma and perceived or self-stigma. Social stigma are those that society places negative feelings towards a certain group, which can lead to discrimination. Perceived or self-stigma are those internalized feelings of the mentally ill individual on how they feel society views them. Both types of stigma can lead to negative feelings of the mentally ill individual through feelings of shame, depression, hopelessness, and anxiety. Current policies on mental health are limited by federal legislation and may only address the aspect of public discrimination.

Individuals with serious mental illness are doubly affected by their disease; not only do they experience the often debilitating symptoms of their condition, but they must also endure mundane mental health stigmas and prejudices. Stigmatized attitudes are perceived to be one of the greatest impediments to living a complete and fulfilling life. Stigma has been defined as a combination of three related problems: ignorance, prejudice and discrimination (Rose, Thornicroft, Pinfold, & Kassam, 2007). Ignorance implies a lack of knowledge, prejudice entails negative attitudes, and discrimination involves exclusionary actions against people deemed to be different. Two forms of stigma are commonly distinguished in literature. Public stigma describes the attitudes of society towards people with mental illness, while self-stigma results from the internalization of prejudice by people who suffer from mental health conditions (Corrigan, Powell, & Rüsch, 2012). The World Health Organization announced that stigma was the most crucial obstacle to overcome for a community to functioning effectively and efficiently (Ontario Hospital Association, 2013).