Goffman Stigmas

Everyone wants to feel accepted in society and have a sense of belonging. Humans feel like they have to prove themselves and sometimes be something they are not in order to be seen as “normal” in society. However, can anyone really explain what is normal in today’s society? So much as changed since Goffman’s book that it almost seems that normal is not so much something people strive for. Today people almost want to stand out and be abnormal. In Goffman’s book he explains how a stigmatized person feels about not being considered normal. The type of people that Goffman would have seen as stigmatized during writing this book has changed since this book. Goffman defines stigma as the situation of the individual who is disqualified from full

These stigmas are of character traits, physical stigma, and stigma of group identity. Stigmas of character traits are people known on record of imprisonment, addiction, homosexuality, unemployment, suicidal attempts, and mental disorders. These stigmas can be categorized as blemishes of the individual character perceived as weak will, domineering, or unnatural passions, and rigid or treacherous beliefs. While these types of stigmas made people seem weak during the time of Goffman writing this book, this is not the opinion in today’s society. Many of these traits have groups and support systems helping them to make themselves better. While there might have been support groups then, many people can believe that there is sometime of resource out there to help them. Yes, as a society certain individuals look down these types of people upon, but most want to go out and help. The Americans with Disabilities Act, which became a law in 1990 is proof of how we perceive these types of people. We want them to feel as included and accepted into society as we can. Another example of how these types of stigmas are being accepted is legalization of same sex

This type of stigma is passed from lineages and includes all members of the family. The problem with this stigma that Goffman does not mention is that this type of stigma is not something that as a person you can change. While a person can change their religious beliefs, they cannot change where their ancestry line is from. Everyone is different and should not be judged by something they have no control over. If everyone was the same, and no one had one significantly different trait the world would be a different, and boring place. Today, people are proud to say where their ancestors are