Goffmans Notion of Stigma - Assignment Example

? Assignment, Sociology Essay Question: Goffman’s notion of ‘stigma’, explain what accounts for the different social interactions that Harry experiences? Drawing on Stigma can be termed as being discredited within a certain group in society on socially distinguishing basis that is perceived and it distinguishes them from the rest of the society. Stigma can arise out of the following mental disorder, diseases i.e. leprosy, gender identity, sexual orientation, illegitimacy, education, nationality, ethnicity and ideology. Stigma is the process through which the reaction of other people spoils the normal identity of an individual (Goffman, 2009, pp 5-10). Goffman defines stigma as a unusual gap that lies between virtual social identity and the actual society identity. Stigma is said to exist when a number of interrelated components are put together. The first component is when people are distinguished and their human differences labeled. The second way is when labeled persons are categorized into their own group which will facilitate some degree of separation from the rest of the society, the third way is by use of cultural beliefs links to label persons to unwanted characteristics. The last way will be through the labeled persons losing their status and eventually having wanting outcomes (Goffman, 2009, pp 5). Stigmatization is mainly dependent on access to social, political and economic power that leads to the identification of differentness. This is the basis of coming up with stereotypes, separation of labeled persons into distinct groups and eventually to the full implementation of disapproval, exclusion, discrimination and rejection (Goffman, 2009, pp 5-10). At work place, some people choose to ignore Harry’s differences and concentrate on doing their routine duties. In such cases, the differences can be termed to be irrelevant according to Goffman. There is a criterion of selection of human differences that will matter socially. Emphasis of this observation is normally overlooked because the differences are identified and labeled, they are then taken for granted as just the way things are (Goffman, 1963, p 13). Stigma also occurs when there is an association of human differences with undesirable attributes. Here a person is associated with undesirable characteristics that form the stereotype. In our example of Harry at his work place, people always refer to him for his use of the wheelchair. This reference to his use of the wheelchair makes people to avoid him, which eventually creates stigma. This is not always the case as some people in his work place help him to move around with his wheelchair. If workmates will identify him as a stereotype then it will lead to him being distanced away from the rest of society (Goffman, 2009, pp 10). Stigma can also be manifested when an individual is being separated from the rest of the community. At his workplace Harry may distinguished from the rest of the workers as being unable to move around using his legs but instead does it with the help of a wheelchair. Taking an example of the United States where the old order Americans termed African American slaves, American Indians and subsequent immigrants as out-groups. The Americans termed them as very different people from them. The linking of labels to undesirable attributes became the criterion for believing that negatively labeled persons are fundamentally different from those whom they do not share the label . This is one of the key contributing factors as to Harry worked hard at his work place to be noticed through his efforts and not through use of the wheelchair (Riggins, 1990, p 341-367). Discrimination and status loss are also the outcomes of stigmatization. This will be the eventual outcome because when an individual is labeled, separated from the rest of the society and linked to undesirable characteristics, a rationale is developed for devaluing, rejecting and excluding such people from the rest of the society. Eventually people will be stigmatized when the fact they are labeled, set apart and linked to unfavorable characteristics which eventually to experience status loss and discrimination (Goffman, 1963, pp. 30-46). Mechanisms producing stigma-related discrimination Discrimination resulting from stigma can be attributed to be because of two mechanisms which are; direct discrimination and structural discrimination. Direct discrimination can be termed as a standard way of showing the connection between stereotyping /labeling and discrimination points to the direct discriminatory behavior on the part of the person who has the stereotyped beliefs. In this type of discrimination, attitudes and beliefs are the determining factors as to whether discrimination will take place or not. Such direct discrimination can be evidenced when an individual is not willing to rent an apartment to the labeled person or refusal of a job application. In his work place, Harry did not experience direct discrimination as most of his workmates would open doors for him, help move around and luckily, his job application was not rejected as he had secured himself a job in London city (Goffman, 1963, pp. 10-64). Structural discrimination can be said to occur when employers will seek their colleagues recomendat6ion son the candidates should be selected for a certain job. The employer may not necessarily use racism but here structural discrimination will be exhibited as the job wo0nt be given fairly to the applicants but depends on the recommendation made by the colleague. Harry was not subjected to this type of discrimination as they didn’t select in his recruitment someone from their own class but someone who was physically impaired. People who are being discriminated upon in society will tend to have poor livelihoods or usually confined to some less developed neighborhoods in society or far away from other people (Verhoeven J 1993, 317-348). Discriminated will tend to have high crime rates, high levels of infectious diseases as they will tend to be neglected by even the central government. Goffman strongly believed that all the participants in any social interaction were engaged in certain practices to avoid being ashamed or a shaming others (Goffman 1963, pp 12-13). He saw a connection between the various acts people put in their daily life and theatrical performances. Like in a theatrical performance, social interactions there are a front region where the individuals are on stage in front of the audiences. This is where the positive aspect of self and desired impressions is highlighted. The social interaction stage also has its hidden stage where the individuals can be themselves and get rid of their role in society. The main core of Goffman’s analysis lies in the relationship between performance and life. The negative consequences of stigma are so difficult to eradicate once they have been conceptualized. When powerful groups of people in society label a less powerful group, there are a variety of mechanisms which they can use for discriminating against the less powerful groups with such mechanisms being both flexible and extensive. Stigmatization can be a persistent predicament as long as stigmatizes sustain their view of the people they tend to stigmatize (Goffman, 1983b, pp. 1-17). Stigma processes determine the distribution of life chances whether they refer to careers, social ties, criminal involvement, earnings health and life itself (Manning, 1991, 70-86). Stigma has a powerful influence on one’s health status. Stigma can cause disease by generating stressful conditions and compromising the ability of a person to cope with those circumstances. In this case we are considering the impact of stigma of illness on the chance of developing other illnesses. Another way by which stigma induces stress is through the strain that comes with having to cope with the possibility of being stigmatized. Taking an example of social epidemiologist Sherman James puts forward the concept of what he calls “John Henyism” – the tendency for some African Americans to work extremely hard and with great pressure to disprove the stereotype of laziness and inability. Stigma can have a variety of implications in society which if not checked can be detrimental on the individuals being stigmatized (Riggins, 1990, p 341). Conclusion An individual’s social identity is what others understand by virtue of variuos groups we associated with. In other words a person’s ego identity refers to what they think about themselves. Goffman applies the use of the term ‘identity politics’ to identify and characterize various interactions between the stigmatized, the ‘normals’ and the ‘own’ (who understand the world of the stigmatized without being stigmatized themselves). Conclusively, Goffman suggested that everyone at some point have some degree of stigmatization. References Goffman, E 2009, Stigma Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity, Touchstone Books, pp 5-168 Goffman, E 1983b, ‘The Interaction Order’ American Sociological Review, Vol.48, pp.1-17. Goffman, E 1963, Stigma; notes on the management of spoiled identity, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall, pp. 1-64 Manning, P 1991, Drama as life: The significance of Goffman’s changing use of the Theatrical Metaphor, sociological theory, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 70-86, Riggins, S, H 1990, Beyond Goffman: studies on communication, institution, and social interaction, Berlin, Mouton de Gruyter, pp 341-367 Verhoeven J 1993, ‘An Interview with Erving Goffman, 1980’ Research on Language and Social Interaction Vol.26, No. 3, pp. 317-48 Read More