What Is ‘Self-Stigma’, Why Is It A Problem, And What Can Help Solve It

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)

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)

A study lead by Wrigley et al. , in rural town of Australia, showed that people with mental health illness are less likely to seek medical treatment when subjected to negative stereotypes that exist about mental illness, such as those with mental illness are violent and incompetent. (Wrigley et al. , 2005) Hence, this study suggests that those with mental illness feel ashamed with poor sense of self, thus are hesitant to seek help. Wrigley et al. , also concluded that those who internalized these negative stereotypes worsened their mental illness as they stayed closeted through social avoidance and possibly isolating themselves from their support network leading to a poor lifestyle due to not having people to discuss their adversities. (Corrigan & Rao, 2012) The earliest model established for self-stigma was Link et al. ’s modified labelling theory which proposed that when people with mental illness internalise the negative stereotypes projected by the society, it leads to low self-esteem which further results in self-isolation. (Link et al. , 1989) The recent ‘three level model’ which is composed of “stigma awareness, stereotype agreement and stereotype self-concurrence”, further elaborates on Link’s model and argues that it is only when people are aware of stereotypes present in the society and agree with them then it can have a negative effect on them. The progressive model also adds it is only when individuals apply these negative beliefs to themselves that it becomes self-stigmatizing. (Watson et al. , 2007, pp. 1312-1318)

Corrigan & Rao’s stage model of self-stigma also agrees with this as it notes that it isn’t until the person applies the stigma that it causes harm, thus, it concludes that the effect of self-stigma is not likely to be observable until the final stages of the model. (Corrigan & Rao, 2012) However, it is worthwhile to note that this explanation is somewhat limited in that, it only follows a singular cognitive process and does not focus on other variables and their impact on the wholistic nature of the process. Consequently, the effect of the progressive model and the devaluation stemming from self-stigma is low self-esteem, because people fear to be ostracised from the collective as they feel “devalued and discredited”. (Livingston & Boyd, 2010, pp. 2158) A consequence of this is the ‘why try’ effect, in which the three components of self-stigma model mentioned above, mediate the ability of individuals to set goals and realise them. (Corrigan et al. , 2009) A study by Corrigan et al. , (2011) examined the impact of the progressive self-stigma model on 85 people with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. The study revealed that among the test subjects the awareness of stereotypes was higher than that of stereotype agreement and self-application. More relevantly, the study reported that the self-stigma of mental illness scale (SSMIS) was higher in patients with tendencies of withdrawal. (Corrigan et al. , 2011)

This was because patients see no benefits trying to reach out for help since they feel they are not welcomed in the community. A limitation present in this experiment is that the test subjects are only those with serious mental illness, thus limiting the conclusions to be drawn to any random selection of population having some mental condition. Therefore, more investment should be placed in studies aiming to test on the ‘why try’ effect that emerges from self-stigma. Surprisingly, researchers argue that the concept of self-stigma is paradoxical, in that it does not always render negative effects and it can also have self-empowering opportunities which can be used to overcome self-stigma. (Corrigan et al. , 2009)

These opportunities may act as a catalyst then for individuals subjected to stereotypes, to set goals and achieve them. The study by Watson et al. , has described empowerment to be on the opposite side of stigmatisation on the spectrum. The study also suggests that there are two main factors that mediates whether people internalise public stigma or choose to challenge it. One of the factors is perceived legitimacy, where individual experience something that confirm the stereotype they are aware of, which leads to lower self-esteem. However, those who identify themselves to be in a group of a larger population that are too stigmatised, known as group identification, often tend to have a positive attitude towards their sense of self. This may be because in a peer group, individuals would have a chance to interact with other members and in doing so they create a support network. (Watson et al. , 2007) By having a support network, individuals would be able to cope with adversities and develop a more positive outlook. Hence, empowerment can be utilised as a strategy to overcome the effects of self-stigma. Moreover, an evaluation by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services on the consumer/survivor-operated self-help programs deduced that when provided with non-judgemental environment and education on the tools to deal with stigma, “individuals had increased self-esteem and quality of life. ” (Van Tosh & del Vecchio, 2000, pp. 25)

Peer support programs give an opportunity for those who share the same experiences to connect with like-minded people to voice their concerns and feelings, thus fostering a sense of belonging and inclusiveness. Through achieving higher self-efficacy, peer groups can also encourage members especially those with mental illness, to as Corrigan & Rao suggested to “come out of the closet” and talk freely about their conditions. (2012, pp. 466) This would liberate the individual with the shame and secrecy associated with the illness and promote a sense of control over their lives thus, creating openness within their support network. However, a clear and specific evaluation of the ‘coming out’ strategy is limiting as there needs to be more research in terms of examining the different stages of coming out so that members of the program can be better supported. However, when studies isolate each component of these consumer operated services, it also was found that group identification can render mixed results. (Watson et al. , 2007) Corrigan, Rafacz and Rusch (2011) reason that this could because of the perceived legitimacy of the group, where the impact of the peer groups is determined by how highly the individual regards with the group. In a study conducted by McCoy and Major (2003) which examined women who were given negative feedback from a male and then they were told if the male was sexist or not sexist. Results showed that those with lower gender-identification had high self-esteem in sexist condition however those with a higher gender-identification had poor self-esteem in both conditions. (McCoy & Major, 2003)

This is because those with high regard to gender-identification feel personally stigmatised when the group is challenged by societal stereotypes since the group identification plays a large role in their sense of self. Therefore, it is not only important to establish the support groups but also it is equally important to create a more positive perception of the group in order to overcome self-stigma. (Corrigan, Rafacz & Rusch, 2011) Moreover, self-stigma can be overcome through eradicating the prejudices fostered in the society by changing the perspective of individuals. (Corrigan & Watson, 2002) Education programs or even peer groups mentioned above, can teach people that stigma is not their fault and it is the negative thinking that they need to change. (Watson et al. , 2007) Furthermore, educating the general public on taboo topics like mental illnesses with programs such as the SANE Australia, can eradicate misconceptions and foster a more accurate representation of people with a mental condition. (Australia Department of Health, 2014)

Self-stigma is when individuals internalise the stereotypes created by the society such as mentally ill individuals are violent and dangerous, which in turn generates prejudice about people, ultimately undermining their abilities and self-esteem. The degree of impact is determined by the agreement and application of stereotypes present. This cognitive thinking is especially prevalent on individuals with mental illness who adapt the ‘why try’ mentality to avoid confrontation with the discrimination, thus, missing out on life goals. However, through empowering individuals and educating the general public, we can encourage stigmatised group to feel in control and capable of achieving goals and gradually eradicate self-stigma.