Stigma of character traits (blemishes of individual character) – Stigma of character traits are “blemishes of individual character perceived as weak will, domineering, or unnatural passions, treacherous and rigid beliefs, and dishonesty, these being inferred from a known record of, for example, mental disorder.

Before sociologist Erving Goffman had re-coined the term stigma as “a powerful negative social label that radically changes a person’s social identity and self-concept”, the Greeks originated the term stigma to refer to bodily signs designed to expose something unusual and bad about the moral status of the signifier.

In Goffman’s theory of social stigma, a stigma is an attribute, behavior, or reputation which is socially discrediting in a particular way: it causes an individual to be mentally classified by others in an undesirable, rejected stereotype rather than in an accepted, normal one. (Goffman 1963:3).

Goffman identified three main types of stigma: (1) stigma associated with mental illness; (2) stigma associated with physical deformation; and (3) stigma attached to identification with a particular race, ethnicity, religion, ideology, etc.

Examples of how stigma is perpetuated include: Media depictions where the villain is often a character with a mental illness. Harmful stereotypes of people with mental illness. Treating mental health issues as if they are something people can overcome if they just “try harder” or “snap out of it”

stigma

1. He still suffered the stigma of having been rejected for the army.
2. She had to overcome the stigma attached to mental illness.
3. There is no stigma to being made redundant.
4. There is no stigma to losing your job.
5. There is still a lot of stigma attached to suicide.

Anxiety can also be hard on those in people’s lives, causing problems in social relationships. Additionally, anxiety is linked to marital distress and a decline in relationship satisfaction. Fear can make it difficult to spend time in social relationships, and to initiate or deepen connections with others.

In this page you can discover 32 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for stigma, like: blame, shame, disgrace, a blot on one’s escutcheon, blemish, flower, reproach, spot, scar, stain and mark.

stigma. Synonyms: brand, mark, infamy, disgrace, blot, stain. Antonyms: decoration, feather, laurels, credit, renown.

Opposite of a mark of infamy or disgrace. honorUS. honourUK. esteem. pride.

Stigma is a mark of disgrace that sets a person apart from others. When a person is labelled by their illness they are no longer seen as an individual but as part of a stereotyped group. Negative attitudes and beliefs toward this group create prejudice which leads to negative actions and discrimination.

1a : a mark of shame or discredit : stain bore the stigma of cowardice. b plural usually stigmata : an identifying mark or characteristic specifically : a specific diagnostic sign of a disease.

Stigma is when someone sees you in a negative way because of your mental illness. Discrimination is when someone treats you in a negative way because of your mental illness. Social stigma and discrimination can make mental health problems worse and stop a person from getting the help they need.

Stigma often comes from lack of understanding or fear. Inaccurate or misleading media representations of mental illness contribute to both those factors.

Stigma can pervade the lives of people with mental health problems in many different ways. According to Corrigan (2004), it “diminishes self-esteem and robs people of social opportunities”. This can include being denied opportunities such as employment or accommodation because of their illness.

The most frequently cited effects of stigma on ill relatives were damage to self-esteem, difficulty making and keeping friends, difficulty finding a job, and reluctance to admit mental illness. The most frequently cited effects on families were lowered self-esteem and damaged family relationships.