Experiencing Stigma Pages Section 2: Experiencing Difference

Experiencing Stigma Privilege: Advantages that are attached to some statuses Stigma: An attribute for which someone is considered bad unworthy or deeply discredited – Erving Goffman distinguished between: The discreditable-Hidden Stigma The discredited-Stigma is Obvious

The Discreditable: “Passing” Discreditable: If stigma is hidden, and individual does not publicly acknowledge their stigmatized status, then they are able to “pass” – Examples? Why would someone want to “pass”?

The Discreditable: “Passing” Inadvertent passing – Passing occurs by chance as well as choice – When stigma is hidden, people generally make assumptions that an individual is part of the “norm” I.e.: Gays and Lesbians, Multiracial individuals, Some disabled people – Those whose stigma is not apparent have to decide if they want to reveal their status to others depending on whether or not they see it as positive or negative in that situation – When they do reveal their status, the announcement of one’s stigmatized status moves one from discreditable to discredited- they are no longer passing » This can be a tough decision that is faced daily Negative vs. positive consequences?

Passing Positive aspects Individual is in control over situation; exerts power Controls information, flow of events, and privacy By passing for a period of time and then revealing status, this might challenge people’s prejudices Limits exposure to abuse/bullying and discrimination Negative aspects Diminishes possibility of contact hypothesis Passing is time consuming Can be hard on one’s energy and emotions Denies others the opportunity to prove themselves unprejudiced

The Discredited: The Problems of Visibility Stigma is apparent/obvious – The case of race The discredited suffer from undue attention and are subject to being stereotyped and discriminated against – Visible stigma is likely to shape interaction in complex ways, sometimes positive and sometimes negative Florence Kennedy: The problem with being black in America is that you never know whether what happens to you, good or bad, is because of your talent or because you are black

The Discredited W.E.B. Du Bois (1903)-The Souls of Black Folk – Double Consciousness-The sense of seeing oneself through the eyes of a harshly critical other Objectifying oneself in the eyes of others – The discredited often feel that they are “on stage” when in a situation dominated by non-stigmatized people-They are more closely monitored, receive more attention, and their behavior is filtered through stereotypes Examples? Research shows that people react in different ways: Some people will attempt to behave in ways against stereotypes, while others may take pride or entertain themselves by overtly playing on stereotypes

The Expectations of Those Who Share One’s Status The discredited often feel that they are a representative of all members of the category they occupy Members of stigmatized categories may monitor one another's behavior and may expect loyalty to the group – Examples???

Complexities in Understanding Privilege and Stigma 1. Stigma doesn’t always produce disadvantage, it can sometimes bring benefits, but not as frequently as the benefits that follow from privilege 2. Those with privilege are still affected by stigma, even when they aren’t stigmatized 3. Every individual occupies many master statuses, so we cannot easily put an individual into one side of the stigmatized-privileged dichotomy 4. Some stigmas are so strong that they cannot cancel out the privileges that other statuses may provide 5.The understanding of what it means to be stigmatized or privileged changes in the course of a person’s development