Beginning to explore stigma prevention: An experimental analysis of meritocratic worldviews and social distancing

Emily C Reichert, Purdue University

Abstract

Goffman’s (1963) original conception of stigma involved individual and societal elements. Since then, much of stigma research has focused on the individual side of stigma, or social psychological (Kleinman & Clifford-Hall, 2009). The effects that stigma have on those who are stigmatized (self-stigma) and how they are held by those who are not stigmatized (public stigma) has been a highlight of the previous research (Link & Phelan, 2001; Corrigan et al., 2006). A similar trend in the literature has been to focus on stigma reduction, or mitigating the harmful effects of stigma, and less on efforts such as prevention (Watson & Corrigan, 2005). Lack of attention to preventative measures has meant that stigmatization has occurred in new areas that are not addressed by the current reduction efforts (Braithwaite, 1989; Burris, 2008). This study is a discussion of how to begin researching stigma in terms of prevention, and how to conceptualize it in ways beyond the psychological and individual effects, namely through moral elements. An experimental survey (n =153) is conducted in order to test whether meritocratic worldviews, or the extent to which a person values hard work, impact the occurrence of stigma-relate outcomes, such as social distancing, both when a stigma is present, and when it is not. Results showed that participants did not differ in their reporting of social distancing whether they received the experimental or control condition (indicating that the manipulation may have failed), but results did show that meritocracy was significantly associated with stigma-related outcomes. The findings of this study are used to present potential trajectories for the field to pursue in terms of applied prevention interventions, theoretical perspectives, and methodological tools.

Degree

M.A.

Advisors

Collins, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Social research|Social psychology|Communication|Public health

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