Question

1. Discuss "the discreditable" as opposed to "the discredited" in Goffman's view of deviant stigma. Do you agree with this assessment? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Goffman differentiates between two kinds of stigma.

• The discredited - whose stigma is known to others because it is apparent.
• The discreditable - whose stigma can be hidden and concealed from the society.

The discredited are people who have a visible problem. For example, crippled persons, people which physical disability, race etc. Such people are subjected to social stigma based on their appearance and the public stigma can affect them in several ways. People who have deformities, disabilities and other similar problems which put them into the category of discredited, face problems such as social interaction and living with the stigma. The discredited have access to healthcare and support groups since their condition is not so peculiar as to not being able to receive help. They know for a fact that there are several other individuals sharing the same plight as them which is like an invisible group. The have the freedom to communicate about their situation and issues with others which can help ease their stress a little. There are systematic programs to alleviate the mental burden and stress that is caused by stigma for the discredited. Therefore, the discredited have a source to seek help from, even though it is a huge challenge to live with the condition.

On the other hand, the discreditable are a set of individuals who too are suffering from problems but these are issues that can be concealed. For example, bulimia, mental illness. The discreditable always have to keep making efforts to hide their problem which may restrict them from living in the moment and manage their day to day activities normally. They have to make conscious efforts to keep their issues from being exposed to the outer world and therfore are subjected to a lot of insecurities and internal stress/trauma. Since they do not have the luxury to seek direct help for their problem, it can be extremely hard on them and in most cases, they have to live with the issues all their lives because of the fact that they do not have to guts to reveal it after all the years of concealing it.

In my opinion, there is an outlet for the discredited to seek help and face the stigma but when it comes to the discreditable, they are deprived of this opportunity due to the concealability factor and so, facing stigma is harder for them.