The disavowed self : perception of dirtiness in stigmatized persons

Stigmatized persons are commonly shunned and avoided by others. It is proposed that the perception of dirtiness in stigmatized individuals may contribute to this avoidance. The aversion towards stigma is considered in relation to, and as a function of, social and individual identities. Eighty one undergraduate volunteers were led to believe that the experimenter was either normal or stigmatized through a family history of mental illness. Using ratings of subliminally presented words and pictures, subjects tended to view the examiner, in particular, and stigmatized people, in general, as being relatively more dirty than normals. In addition, a comparison of reaction times in which subjects defined themselves and university students using a list of words, showed subjects were least ambivalent about words referring to dirt. Dirtiness was quickly denied both in the self and in university students, a peer group. It is suggested that improvements in methodology may result in a more conclusive link between dirtiness and stigma.