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Definition:
The word "stigma" comes from the Greek stig, which means "mark" or "prick" In ancient
Athens, slaves were tattooed with a pointed stick to ensure that if they ran away,
they would be recognized and more easily returned. This stick "pricked" the skin,
hence our word today, "stigma."
In modern sociology, the word stigma is used to refer to the concept of people being "marked" as different, usually in a negative way, based upon some characteristic which separates them from the rest of society. Some stigma are based upon inherent characteristics which people cannot change, such as mental illness, race, etc. These are called "existential" stigma. Other stigma are acquired by people based upon their conduct somehow - either they are wholly responsible for it or just largely responsible for it. These are called "achieved" stigma and include things like prostitution, criminal activity, etc.
The stigmatization of others is often used in societies in order to achieve better definition of unity among members of the "in group" of society. It is through the designation of some behaviors or qualities as "deviant" that any sort of collective moral vision is established. As Émile Durkheim wrote:
Imagine a society of saints, a perfect cloister of exemplary individuals. Crimes or deviance, properly so called, will there be unknown; but faults which appear venial to the layman will there create the same scandal that the ordinary offense does in ordinary consciousness. If, then, this society has the power to judge and punish, it will define these acts as criminal (or deviant) and treat them as such.
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Related Resources:
What is Philosophy?
What is philosophy? Is there any point in studying philosophy, or is it a useless subject? What are the different branches of philosophy - what's the difference between aestheitcs and ethics? What's the difference between metaphysics and epistemology?
Related Resources:
Stigma: How We Treat Outsiders, by Gerhard Falk.
