Stigma arises where others fail to meet our normative expectations. Discuss.
This essay evaluates the claim that stigma arises where others fail to meet our normative expectations. What I am interested in is the background of this claim as well as what does it mean to be stigmatized and what stigma as an expression itself means.
From our early childhood we are taught what to expect from others. We are so-called difference detectors. We are encouraged to seek for normalcy, for normal appearances. Once there is a disruption of normalcy of situation, the rise of stigma is unavoidable.
In this essay I will compare the sociological perspective and evolutionary approach to stigmatization.
There are plenty of definitions regarding the meaning of stigma, but each of them vary. Ervin Goffman (1963), the most well-known sociologist of all times, explains in his book Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity the nature, sources and consequences of stigma. Goffman define stigma as an „attribute that is deeply discrediting“ (p. 3). Similarly, Crocker et al. (1998) specify that „stigmatized individuals possess some attribute, or characteristic, that conveys a social identity that is devalued in a particular social context“ (p. 505). The origin of the word stigma can be traced to the Greeks. It literally means, bodily signs that are somehow perceived unusual, not ordinary (Goffman 1963, p. 1).
I would argue that stigma is ambiguous and adaptive. It depends on social context. It differs from culture to culture and from historical period and society itself. Undoubtedly the most extreme and at the same time famous example of stigmatization was segregation. The courage that Rosa Parks had to refuse her seat is admirable. This small step led to a great movement that changed history. Another example is set in the nineteenth century were physical characteristics such as small foreheads and a bit large faces were considered ape-like and their possessors perceived as criminals (Link and Phelan 2001, p. 368).
What is more, it is the society that draws its very own hierarchy of desirable and undesirable attributes and sets of rules how to manage them, for instance avoiding stigmatized person. Digging further, the framework of society – industrial, democratic, liberal or hunter-gathering– is also crucial, because it helps to define what is considered as stigmatized (Ainlay et al. 1986, p. 4). Besides, the economic, political and social situation play a signifant role here. For example, to be a Jew now, is very different from being one in 1940s.
Culture and stigma are inderdependent. Stigma evolves simultaneously with culture and society. At the same time, as members of society we also contribute to that change. Through process of socialisation we pass the ways of responding to stigmas on succeeding generations.
In addition, we are driven to maintain normalcy. As a result, we create boundaries. If we do not have them, we are exposed and could be easily stigmatized. Giddens (1991, p. 36) refers to ontological security. We want to feel protected and to make sure that there would be continuity. Hochschild (2003) has a similar approach. She coined the term ‘Status shield‘ to describe how status manage to protect individuals „against the displaced feeling of others“ (p. 163). Aforesaid notions argue that once we achieved our desired self, we want to preserve it.
But what makes us to decide who is normal and who is different? Normalcy is socially constructed. Society decided what is normal and what is not. It established rules for basically everything. For instance, height, weight or even vitamin intake. Our children are graded at school and assessed whether they meet the normal requirements of intelligence. Davis (2006, p. 3) explains that the disabled person is not the problem but the way that normalcy is constructed to create it. Furthermore, he adds that from our very nature we like to compare with each other. We evaluate others according their appearance and how they behave in certain situation. We seem to have some kind of innate desire to compare. This explanation could be one of the key stimulus for stigmatization to occur.
Meanwhile Goffman is explaining how stigma occurs, evolutionary approach is more concerned on why stigmatization takes place. The ability to detect differences evolved over time. Our predecessors evaluated tribe members who were deemed to be too different. They risked disfunction that could threaten the group which can eventually have a predisposition to be stigmatized.
It is quite weird from us that we reject members of our kind, isn’t it? Similar behaviour can be found in the animal kingdom. We have some non-human evidence of stigmatization which can be found in the work of E. O. Wilson (1980). For instance, territoriality. Once you mark your place, you really don’t want others to interfere. Status hierarchies where organisms at at the bottom have restricted amounts of food resources and mates. Ostracized animals are facing early death. They could be either mentally or physically ill and thus not benefitial for the pack where they belong to. They threat pack’s changes to survive. Once they are excluded from the pack, they undoubtedly start lacking sources of food, interaction, security and can die through malnutrition (Williams and Zadro 2005, p. 19). For instance, such behaviour can be found in Dugatkin’s (1994) study of three-spined sticklebacks who avoid other sticklebacks infected by parasites.
However, the effect of human ostracism is slightly different. People usually become hermits, they change places, move, find new job. They basically start to live new life, starting from scratch. Leaving the past behind.
From my own personal experience I can tell that being stigmatized is like not be a part of society. Although, my „stigmatization experience“ lasted for several weeks, even now I can feel the desperation that surrounded me back then. I broke my leg. Nothing special, unusual. But the very first day I entered my school it was terrifying. Everybody was looking at me, like I came from different planet. Even my friends and classmates treated me like I had handicap or something. It was just a broken leg. What was interesting the day after my cast was put down everything went back to normal. As if my leg wasn’t broken. The sudden change of behaviour was instructive. It is unbelievable how little is needed to be perceived as an outcast. As Goffman (1963, p. 14) implied there are different types of stigma, but the one that I experienced is called abomination of the body. Sure, it was just for a short period of time, but others perceived me as I had had a physical deformity. What is worse, I felt that I have one.
All in all, stigma occurs automatically when something is not according to society’s rules. Being stigmatized can have a negative impact on your personal development. It can lower your self-esteem and play with your mind. What I learned about stigma is that it is a defensive mechanism that separates us normal human beings from those infected or not looking according to prescribed template. We created society, rules that we follow, but as we see now, society creates also us. Stigma was created by us. And we judge our own kind. We should be more united, because strenght is in unity.
Bibliography
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