Social stigma

Long ago, a word called stigma meant a mark on skin.

It showed that people were seen as bad. Today, stigma is a way people act. Some groups are treated poorly by others. This can happen because of how they look. It can also be about where they live. This can make people feel very sad. It can even change how they act. Children often notice these things early. We can learn to be kind to everyone.

Stigma is a word for how society views certain people. In the past, it meant a mark on a person's skin. These marks showed that a person was seen as bad. Today, stigma is a way people think and act. People may judge others for their race, religion, or health. They might also judge someone for how much money they have.

This can lead to many problems. People may face unfair treatment in jobs or housing. It can also make people feel very sad or low. Even young children notice these unfair ideas. Most children know about these ideas by age ten.

Some thinkers have studied this for a long time. Émile Durkheim was a French thinker who studied it in 1895. Erving Goffman said stigma can change how a person feels about themselves. He also spoke about "the wise." These are people who understand and accept those facing stigma.

Stigma often happens when one group has more power. This power lets them treat others differently. It can create a gap between "us" and "them."

Social stigma is a way that groups or individuals are viewed with disapproval. This happens when society places a negative label on someone. People might be judged for their race, religion, or gender. They could also be judged for their health or how much money they have. This process is called stigmatization. It can change how a person acts and feels. It can even change how they see themselves.

Stigma works through a few different steps. First, people notice differences in others and give them a label. Next, they connect those labels to bad ideas or stereotypes. This creates a sense of distance between "us" and "them." Eventually, this leads to unfair treatment or a loss of status. This loss can affect a person's job, housing, or health. It can also lead to mental health struggles like depression.

The word stigma comes from a Greek word. Long ago, it meant a visible mark on the skin. These marks were often tattoos used on slaves or criminals. The marks showed that a person was seen as bad or untrustworthy. People were told to avoid these individuals in public places. Today, the marks are usually not on the skin. Instead, the marks are ideas held in people's minds.

Many thinkers have studied how stigma works in society. In 1895, a French sociologist named Émile Durkheim studied it. Later, Erving Goffman explained how stigma affects a person's identity. He said people are often split into three groups. There are the stigmatized, who bear the stigma. There are the "normals," who do not have the stigma. Finally, there are the "wise," who are accepted by the stigmatized group.

Stigma is often tied to who has power in a group. People with social, economic, or political power can use it to exclude others. For example, the Nazis used power to treat Jewish people very unfairly. On the other hand, prisoners might feel stigma from guards. However, true stigmatization requires the group to have the power to act on their labels. Some people even find ways to be resilient. They can have high self-esteem despite facing these hard challenges.

Social stigma is a negative perception or sense of disapproval that a society places on an individual or a group. This disapproval is often based on specific characteristics. These might include a person's race, religion, gender, or socioeconomic status. It can also involve their health status, appearance, or even their upbringing. When this process of labeling and disapproval occurs, it is called stigmatization. Stigmatization is a complex social phenomenon that affects how people interact with one another. It can shape a person's social status and their daily behavior. It can even change how a person perceives their own identity and self-worth.

The concept of stigma has a very old history. The word itself comes from a Greek term. In its original meaning, it referred to a physical mark. This could be a tattoo cut or burned into the skin. Such marks were used to identify people seen as inferior or morally polluted. This included groups like slaves, criminals, or those seen as traitors. These visible marks told the public to avoid these individuals. Today, stigma is rarely a physical mark on the skin. Instead, it acts as a mental label. This label connects a person to a set of unwanted characteristics, which we call a stereotype.

Sociologists have developed several theories to explain how this works. In 1895, the French sociologist Émile Durkheim was the first to study stigma as a social phenomenon. Later, Erving Goffman provided a detailed description of the process. Goffman argued that stigma is a gap between a person's virtual social identity and their actual social identity. He believed that the reaction of others can spoil a person's normal identity. Goffman also noted that what counts as a stigma can change over time. An attribute that causes stigma in one era might not cause it in another. He suggested we should look at relationships rather than just individual attributes.

Goffman further divided people into three distinct social categories. The first group is the stigmatized, who are the people bearing the stigma. The second group is the normals, who do not bear the stigma. The third group is the wise. The wise are members of the normal group who are accepted by the stigmatized. They are seen as sympathetic and understanding of the stigmatized condition. A 2012 study supported this division into separate groups. This study found that the wise could be divided into two types. Active wise people encourage challenging stigma and educating others. Passive wise people do not take those specific actions.

Another way to understand stigma is through the work of Gerhard Falk. He argued that all societies will always stigmatize certain behaviors or conditions. He believed this happens because it creates group solidarity. By defining "outsiders," a society can more clearly define its "insiders." Falk categorized stigma into two types: existential and achieved. Existential stigma comes from a condition that the person did not cause. This is something they have little control over. Achieved stigma is earned because of a person's specific conduct or actions. Both types serve to delineate the boundaries of a social group.

Researchers Bruce Link and Jo Phelan proposed a model to show how stigma requires specific components to function. First, individuals must differentiate and label human variations. Second, cultural beliefs must tie those labels to negative attributes. Third, these labeled individuals must be placed into groups that create a sense of "us" versus "them." Finally, these individuals must experience a loss of status and face discrimination. Crucially, this model states that true stigmatization requires power. This includes social, economic, or political power. Without the power to execute exclusion or discrimination, the process is not considered full stigmatization. For example, prisoners may feel stigma from guards, but they lack the power to act on those thoughts with serious consequences.

The effects of stigmatization are significant and widespread. For the stigmatized, it can lead to being shunned, ignored, or devalued. It often results in discrimination regarding housing and employment. These experiences are linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Many people face psychological distress, such as depression or low self-esteem. Research shows that children are aware of cultural stereotypes at an early age. By age 10, most children recognize these patterns. This awareness can affect how they see themselves and how they interact with the world. However, many people remain resilient. Some individuals maintain high self-esteem and perform at high levels despite these challenges.

Stigmatization also affects the people who perform the stigmatizing. For the stigmatizer, the process can involve feelings of threat or aversion. Sometimes, people use stigmatization to boost their own self-esteem. This can happen through a process called downward-comparison. This is when a person compares themselves to those they deem less fortunate. This comparison can increase their own sense of well-being. Modern psychologists see stereotyping as a consequence of human cognitive limitations. They view stigma as a highly complex, dynamic, and situational process. It remains a significant challenge to the humanity of both the stigmatized and the stigmatizer.