Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity

Erving Goffman was a brilliant sociologist. His true gifts were analysis, organization, and analogy. In his landmark signature work, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, he drew parallels between social behavior and theatrical performance. In Stigma, he examines what it means to be “different” from “normal” society and how both “normals” and the stigmatized behave at those times when they are thrown together. There are different kinds of stigmas. Some, such as homosexuality or being an ex-inmate, are often invisible, but others, like facial disfigurement or being of a minority race are often the first things anyone notices about the person. Both the stigmatized and the normals try different strategies. Sometimes the stigmatized are able to “pass” for normal by controlling information about themselves, thus becoming “discreditable” instead of “discredited.” But in those cases where the stigma is obvious, they can resort to cynicism, or to playing a role that caricatures his more stereotypical fellow stigmatized. The normals also try different strategies to mask their discomfort. Goffman examines the strategies employed, and which strategies are most effective. I would very much recommend this book to teachers or anyone else who deals with people in social situations. Five stars.

I've probably read this book ten to twelve times (I teach a Senior Capstone course with this book), and not only do I discover new ways in which to interpret or added depth to his work each time but I see my students blossom as they think through the issues he is discussing! Phenomenal book!

Erving Goffman's conceptualization of human social life as performative remains, today, brilliant and insightful. In Stigma, he turns his gaze on the ways that those of us who are "marked"-- by misfortune, disfigurement, accidents, errors in judgment, antisocial behavior-- and to how stigma both functions and operates. Stigma touches all of us, at some point in our lives, but many live with its effects daily, and unless we recognize it, we also tend to stigmatize without awareness. Goffman's ideas and observations ought to form the core of any diversity effort, adding needed dimension to discussions of how we include and exclude, are inlcuded and excluded.

Erving Goffman's notable paperback titled "Stigma" is a masterpiece of his collection. Barney G. Glaser, co-author of "The Discovery of Grounded Theory", speaks of this book as the best work that demonstrates the criteria of "integration." Amazingly, this book is a fast read. Goffman was the most imaginative conceptual and theoretical author I've ever read. If you don't know who he is, Google his name and read what others say about him after his death. "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life" is another excellent learning experience.Madgie Hunt, EdD

These the second Erving Goffman book that I've read this year (the other being "Asylums", please see my review on Amazon.com if interested).I work as a criminal defense attorney and I read "Asylums" in an effort to gain perspective on the attitudes of institutionalized persons (i.e. convicts). I was suprised by how brilliant "Asylums" was, so I picked up "Stigma". I was similarily impressed with Stigma.Where "Asylums" dealt with the relationship of individuals and institutions, "Stigma" deals more with inter personal relationships. The role of instituions in forming identity is noted in footnotes throughout, but the primary focus is in discussing the relationship between identity and stigma.Goffman, of course, defines the dickens out of his concepts. If you gain nothing else from this book, you will have a thorough understanding of what it means to have a "stigma". The heart of the book consists of Goffman defining a five phase process which individuals with stigma go through. First you learn what it is to be "normal". Then you learn you're not "normal". Then you learn to control disclosure of information about your stigma, then you learn to "pass" as someone without a stigma and then you learn how to "voluntarily disclose" your stigma.I don't have a degree in sociology, so I'm not sure about the theoretical backgrounding of this approach, but it made sense to me.The best part of this book was the end, where Goffman argues (persuaively, I thought) that even "Normal" people have to deal with some sort of stigma at some time in their life. In that way, by studying people with stigma we study the interactions of "normals" with each other. So really there's no difference, just a continuum of stigma, ranging from those who are always suffering frm stigma, to those who rarely ever have to deal with it.I thought that was an interesting insight. I recommend this book highly, and I look forward to reading his classic: "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life."

It was very helpful. It allowed me to understand how stigma was related to the research I was doing in a class that I had to create a research study. Since stigma was my focus, the information Goffman presented expend my knowledge and understanding of stigmas effects on people. I am very pleased that the professor recommend Stigma.

Awesome book! This guy explains everything very clearly and deeply as to what stigma is as well as deviance and status in society. This book is important for anyone taking sociology.

Dieses Buch wurde 1967 verfasst. Die meisten Bücher über Stigma basieren auf Goffmans Arbeiten. Ein must-read, wenn auch sehr ermüdend zu lesen, v.a. im Original. Z.T. berührend, v.a. wenn Betroffene sich zu Wort melden.Als leicht zu lesende, deutsche Alternative empfehle ich Asmus Finzen, auch wenn sein Zugang klinischer ist.

Un libro interesante para familiarizarse con el concepto de estigma en diferentes ámbitos sociales y que ha de complementarse con estudios más actuales sobre el tema. Siendo una publicación que ya tiene sesenta años, sorprende la vigencia del contenido y la profundidad y los matices que Goffman emplea para poner sobre el tapete los diferentes tipos de estigma, las diferencias entre la identidad personal y social y los mecanismos que se utilizan para esconder losmotivos que la sociedad encuentra para señalar a determinados grupos de riesgo.

As relevant today as when it was written. Easy to read, whether a student an academic or just interested in the area.

The book is great, but the paper of this edition is of very low quality. One can see the ink printed on the other side...

Ouvrage de référence dans le domaine de l'analyse conversationnelle, et la linguistique interactionnelle. Important de le lire dans sa langue d'origine.