PSYC12H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Stereotype Threat, Erving Goffman, Ingroups And Outgroups
Document Summary
Erving goffman referred to the unusual characteristics that engender negative evaluations as being indicators of stigma. Stigmatized person is one who is reduced in our minds from a whole and usual person to a tainted, discounted one . Stigmas are characteristics that mark the individual as deviant, flawed, limited, spoiled or generally undesirable: Stigma encompasses all the more familiar situations where prejudice is shown (racial, religious, gender, age: also covers physical, behavioral, psychological markers that elicit negative evaluations. Goffman denoted three types of stigmas: abominations of body. E. g. physical deformities, being overweight: blemishes of characters. E. g. drunkenness: tribal stigmas of race, nation and religion. Little research has been conducted on the experiences of the stigmatized person and how stigmatized and non-stigmatized individuals regard each other in social interactions. Previous research shows that individuals faced with external threats (i. e. , prejudice) show stronger in-group identification: confirmed in jews, african americans and women.
