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Sociology vocabulary · Deviance and Social Control

Stigma

Meaning in sociology, with examples

/ˈstɪɡmə/nounCommon term

In sociology, stigma means: A mark of disgrace attached to a characteristic, condition or identity, which leads other people to see a person as less acceptable or less normal.

In Turkish: damga, damgalanma, stigma

How it is used

Developed by Erving Goffman in Stigma (1963), which discusses how people manage a 'spoiled identity'. Used in research on mental illness, disability, unemployment and poverty. People face, carry, reduce or challenge stigma; the verb is stigmatise.

Example sentences

  1. Many people avoid seeking help because of the stigma attached to mental illness.

  2. Goffman described how people with a stigma try to hide or manage it in everyday encounters.

Common collocations

  • social stigma
  • the stigma attached to
  • reduce stigma
  • face stigma
  • stigmatised groups
  • labelling theoryThe theory that deviance is created when people with power successfully label certain acts or individuals as deviant, which can lead the labelled person to accept that identity.
  • devianceBehaviour, beliefs or characteristics that break the norms of a group or society and lead to disapproval or punishment, whether or not they are against the law.
  • discriminationTreating people unfairly or differently because they belong to a particular group, for example on the basis of gender, ethnicity, age, religion or disability.
  • social exclusionA situation in which individuals or groups are shut out from full participation in society, such as work, education, housing, services or political life.

More terms: Deviance and Social Control

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