Summary
Erving Goffman's central thesis in "Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity" is that stigma is a social process where individuals with distinguishing attributes that are discrediting are categorized by others, leading to their reduced social acceptance. This management of "spoiled identity" involves various strategies individuals employ to navigate social interactions, conceal their stigma, or even attempt to transform their social standing.
The book details how stigmatized individuals interact with "normals" (those without the stigma) and discusses the psychological and social consequences of possessing a discrediting attribute. Readers gain an understanding of the social construction of deviance, the mechanisms of social exclusion, and the subtle, often unconscious, ways societies mark and marginalize individuals deemed different.
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Key concepts
- Stigma — A property or attribute that is deeply discrediting and reduces an individual in the eyes of others.
- Discredited — An individual whose stigma is known or immediately apparent to others.
- Discreditable — An individual whose stigma is not immediately apparent and can be concealed.
- Normal — Individuals who do not possess a particular stigma and are not subject to the social sanctions associated with it.
- Passing — Strategies used by discreditable individuals to conceal their stigma and avoid being exposed.
- Covering — Strategies used by discredited individuals to reduce the noticeability or impact of their stigma.