Self-Stigma Assignment Essay

Social psychologists have observed that our society, which is heavily governed by stereotypes which when internalised have a debilitating impact on people’s sense of self and their ability to reach out for help. This phenomenon is known as ‘self-stigma’, and it is especially associated with social groups with mental illness after being diagnosed. (Livingston & Boyd, 2010) Corrigan & Rao states that stigma commonly emerges from “negative attitudes held by members of the public about people with devalued characteristics. ” (2012, pp. 464)Self-Stigma Assignment Essay

The people who are ostracised and segregated show signs of depleting “self-esteem and self-efficacy. ” (Corrigan et al. , 2009, pp. 75) Luckily, there has been strategies developed to challenge such negative impacts of self-stigma and promote self-confidence. Stereotypes are over-simplified social structures that aim to generalise a part of the population, which often forces people to adhere to unrealistic standards. (Watson et al. , 2007) There are many people who reject these one-dimensional presumptions, however, there are people who accept these negative stereotypes which ultimately leads to irrational responses usually in the form of fear or anger. It is these prejudicial emotions that dictate the discriminatory behaviour displayed by the society towards stigmatised groups. (Corrigan & Watson, 2002) Self-stigma occurs when individuals internalise these negative beliefs about themselves, which leads to an onset of negative effects such as a depleting sense of self-worth. (Corrigan & Rao, 2012)Self-Stigma Assignment Essay