Sociology 2259 Lecture Notes - Erving Goffman, Identity Management, Witch-Hunt
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9 Feb 2013
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Goffman & Stigma – Chapters 1-2
Stigma
•Stigma: a deviant label applied to an individual by society
◦The situation of an individual who is disqualified from the “norm”
•Stigmatization: process of exclusion through which an individual labelled as deviant becomes
an “outsider”
•Dramaturgical Approach: life is a stage, where our performances always involve the
presentation of self
•Impression Management: making oneself appear in the best light possible
•2 Types of performances:
◦Front Stage—how we appear to others when we are in public
◦Back Stage—who we really are without the public around
•We as a society categorize people or schemes of people based on our first impression of them
◦Usually categorize within the first 30 seconds based on how they look/talk/behave/etc
Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity
•Discusses the structural preconditions and effects and “stigma”
•Contrasts personal identity management vs. external social identity management
•Examines how the “stigmatized” interact with “normals”
•Examines the socialization of the “stigmatized”
•How do the “stigmatized” experience their stigmas?
•How does society experience the “stigmatized”?
•How should “stigma” be studied?
Chapter 1:
Usage of “Stigma”
•Early Greek usage of the term “stigma” referred to physical markings of the body used for
slaves, criminals, and traitors so that other people would know they are deviants
•Later, Christian usage of the term “stigma” focused on:
◦Indicators of holy grace—somebody was engaging in something deviant (ex. Witch hunt)
◦Physical disorders (medical)
•Goffman identifies 3 types of “stigma”—more about the meaning behind labelling someone
1. Body (physical)
2. Character blemish (personal)
3. Tribal (social)
◦We as a society impute/attach meaning to all three of these stigma types
◦Any stigma does not independently has any meaning—only when society attaches a label to
it when they are different from the norm
The “Normals”
•Normals: those who don't depart negatively from particular social standards
◦People considered to be normal and not deviant by our normative standards
•Tyranny of the Norm: the expectation of normals that everybody will always conform to
define standards at any given time at any given issue
◦People try to live up to these confined norms
•Mixed Contacts: when normals and the stigmatized in the same physical setting/social
situation and are interacting with each other
◦How the stigmatized and the normals manage their contact when they are in a mixed setting
•Being “on”: means that when you are in a mixed setting with normals and stigmatized, the
stigmatized are constantly aware that the normals are constantly watching them
◦Managing your behaviours because there is always a chance that the normals will find out—
a self-consciousness
◦Stigmatized always managing their behaviours
Stereotypes & Attributes
•Stereotypes: normative expectations that we have in society
◦Composites of social categories available for classification AND their linked attributes
◦A “shorthand” for anticipating and expecting certain behaviours of others
◦We categorize people based on normative expectations
•Attributes: develops meaning relative to stereotypes
◦The qualities attached to a stereotype
◦These qualities develop meaning (ex. A handicap may have people thinking they can't
participate in certain physical activities)
Social Identity
•Imputing: attributing meaning onto something/someone
•Social Identity: an individual's category and attributes
◦Personal attributes
◦Structural attributes
◦Based on normative expectations (stereotypes)
•Virtual Social Identity: society's characterization of an individual based on that first
impression
◦An identity that society gives an individual—within that first 30 seconds of meeting them
VS.
•Actual Social Identity: the category & attributes we posses in reality
◦It's our own social identity of ourselves
•Management of a Spoiled Identity: occurs when there is a gap/disjuncture between the virtual
and actual social identity
◦Gap between what society thinks of you and what you think of yourself
What is Stigma?
•A label appended to you
•An attribute that separates you from others in society
•A label that is discrediting/negative
•A language of relationships between you and “normals”
◦About the reaction from others that make you deviant
•Discreditable vs. Discredited stigmas:
◦Discreditable Stigma: a stigma that is invisible at first impression, but it has the potential
to be noticed
▪Ex. If you are a pothead—has the potential to be noticed if you have red eyes and seem
really out of it
◦Discredited Stigma: a stigma that is obvious and visible at first glance
▪Ex. Your face is disfigured
•Ascribed Stigma vs. Achieved Stigma
◦Ascribed: something that you are born with
◦Achieved: something that you develop later in life
•Master Status: an attribute (real or imagined) by which others identify you
◦Your stigma becomes your controlling identifier
◦Overshadows other statuses
•Gestalt of Disability: for many disabled individuals, their disability (stigma) is all
encompassing and takes over every part of their life
◦Can also be applied to stigmas that may not be a physical disability
Managing Stigma
•Impression Management: making oneself appear in the best light possible—managing the
impression you're giving to “normals”
◦People with a discredited stigma have to deal with
•Tension Management: managing how much you reveal about your stigma and to whom
◦People with a discreditable stigma have to deal with
•Quiggle: when curiosity of normals develops around the “stigmatized” individual—can violate
personal space
◦The stigmatized person is always wondering if people are aware they have a stigma
Responses of the Stigmatized
1. Physically remove stigma
2. Withdrawal—ex. Deflection
•Similar to retreatism where the individual literally retreats from society
•About experiencing shame for that stigma
3. Avoidance
•Dividing social worlds—can avoid certain situations
•Normalization
•Infinite regress—back-and-forth avoidance (denying the stigma in certain situations)
4. Acceptance
•Affirm status—using their stigma to do good and not have it stop them (ex. Terry Fox)
•Hostile Bravado—being very hostile with people for not accepting their stigma
5. Hook or excuse
•Using a stigma for a secondary gain—to get out of something
6. Seek out sympathetic others
Sympathetic Others
•In-group vs. Out-group
◦In-group—the stigmatized
◦Out-group—normals
•2 types of “Sympathetic Others”:
1. The “Own”
•Those who share the same stigma as you and can relate to you