Recent research has assigned a prominent role to labeling and stigma as factors that impair the social and psychological functioning of people officially labeled mentally ill But can the effects of labeling and stigma be overcome by adopting a few simple approaches to coping with these problems? If so, the stigma-induced problems of social awkwardness, demoralization and unemployment emphasized by recent research may not be as severe as claimed Using a sample of psychiatric patients, we examine this issue by assessing whether patients can ameliorate labeling effects by keeping their history of treatment a secret, educating others about their situation, or avoiding situations in which rejection might occur None of these coping orientations were effective in diminishing negative labeling effects on unemployment or on psychological distress/demoralization In fact, the three coping strategies show consistent effects in the direction of producing more harm than good, and with respect to withdrawal-avoidance this effect is significant Based on these results we argue that stigma is powerfully reinforced by culture and that its effects are not easily overcome by the coping actions of individuals Using C Wright Mills's (1967) distinction we conclude that labeling and stigma are "social problems" not "individual troubles"

The labelling of deviance : evaluating a perspective

The effectiveness of stigma coping orientations: Can negative consequences of mental illness labeling be avoided?

Thirty-five studies examining the relationship between social class and crime/delinquency are reduced to comparable statistics using instances where the relationship was studied for specific categories of age, sex, race, place of residence, data type, or offense as units of analysis. The findings from 363 instances are summarized and patterns are identified. The overall results show only a slight negative relationship between class and criminality, with self-report studies reflecting lower associations than official statistics studies. Moreover, analysis demonstrates a clear historical decline in magnitude of association to the point where both self-report and official statistics studies done in the current decade find no class variation. This historical trend is shown to be due to changes in the findings from studies using official statistics as indicators of criminality. Alternative interpretations are discussed, but all lead to serious doubts about the adequacy of theories of deviance that contain assumptions of class differences. (abstract Adapted from Source: American Sociological Review, 1978. Copyright © 1978 by the American Sociological Association) Social Class Class Factors Sociocultural Factors Socioeconomic Factors Crime Causes Delinquency Causes Adult Crime Adult Offender Juvenile Crime Juvenile Delinquency Juvenile Offender 07-00

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The myth of social class and criminality: an empirical assessment of the empirical evidence*

The Impact of Mental Illness Stigma.

The chapter addresses the stigma associated with mental illnesses. It begins by summarizing the development of thinking about labeling and stigma over the past half century within the field of the sociology of mental health. This background leads to our consideration of recent advances in the conceptualization of stigma as we ask: What is stigma? How do different stigmatizing circumstances (mental illness, obesity, facial disfigurement) resemble and differ from one another? We also ask: Why do people stigmatize? In keeping with the Handbook’s emphasis on social class and socioeconomic status (SES), we introduce the concept of “stigma power” and apply this new concept to the questions of “What do people gain by stigmatizing others?” and “How is stigma power exercised?” Finally, we consider the steps people take to avoid, mitigate, or overcome stigma, drawing in particular on Thoits’ (Soc Psychol Q 74:6–28, 2011) theoretical statements about this issue. The conceptual growth that has taken place over time opens enormous possibilities for advancing the sociological understanding of mental illness stigma and by doing so helps to illuminate ways in which the effects of stigma might be mitigated.

Labeling and Stigma

Background: Social stigma has long been associated with mental illness labels, however few studies have evaluated the labelling effects of the psychiatric diagnosis ‘borderline personality disorder’ (BPD).Aims: To evaluate the effects of the label BPD on staff attitudes and perceptions.Methods: Nursing staff completed questionnaires relating to three psychiatric label conditions; BPD, schizophrenia and depression. Measures of dangerousness, social distance, optimism for change and ratings of personal experiences were evaluated in a repeated measures factorial design, with staff qualification as the between-groups variable.Results: Registered Mental Health Nurses (RMNs) expressed less social rejection towards patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and perceived them to be less dangerous than patients with a BPD label. Health Care Assistants (HCAs) made no such distinctions on these measures. Staff were least optimistic about patients with a BPD diagnosis and were more negative about their experience of...

The labelling of deviance : evaluating a perspective

Citations

The effectiveness of stigma coping orientations: Can negative consequences of mental illness labeling be avoided?

The myth of social class and criminality: an empirical assessment of the empirical evidence*

The Impact of Mental Illness Stigma.

Labeling and Stigma

Attitudes towards patients with a diagnosis of ‘borderline personality disorder’: Social rejection and dangerousness

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Notes on the Sociology of Deviance