Social stigma is the disapproval of, or discrimination against, a person based on perceivable social characteristics that serve to distinguish them from other members of a society. It may also be described as a label that associates a person to a set of unwanted characteristics that form a stereotype.

Social stigmas commonly deal with culture, gender, race, illness, and disease. Individuals who are stigmatized usually feel different and devalued by others.

Stigma may affect the behavior of those who are stigmatized: they often start to act in ways that their stigmatizers expect of them. It also shapes their emotions and beliefs, causes depression, and exposes the person's social identity to low self-esteem situations.

Types of stigma.
• Overt or external deformities.
• Known deviations in personal traits, such as being perceived (rightly or wrongly) as weak willed, domineering or having unnatural passions, treacherous or rigid beliefs, and being dishonest. Examples include: mental disorders, imprisonment, addiction, homosexuality, unemployment, suicidal attempts, and radical political behavior.
• Tribal stigma; an affiliation with a specific nationality, religion, or race that constitute a deviation from the normative.

See reference for more information.

Adapted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Internet. Accessed on December 17, 2020.