SOC 201 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Juvenile Delinquency, Social Stigma, Erving Goffman
Document Summary
Goffman argued that a stigma can affect one"s social interactions in two ways. When a stigma is visible or known, it can result in a discredited identity. Like bob, who because he lived in a small town was publicly labeled as a criminal and treated as such people with discredited identities have a tough time being nondeviant even if they want to be. Frequently, however, individuals are able to hide attributes that, if visible, would stigmatize them. In other words, stigmatized individuals may try to pass that is, to camouflage the attribute that would get them labeled as deviant. Successfully passing means that the individual is not discredited. But because the person is vulnerable to being found out, he or she is discreditable that is, in danger of feeling the full force of the stigma. Goffman observed that the results are the same regardless of whether the person achieves a stigma or has it ascribed to him or her:
