Stigma: How We Treat Outsiders

This book is nothing short of fantastic. Dr. Falk provides an in-depth analysis and discussion of how various groups of marginalized people in American society come to be stigmatized, as well as how such stigmatization affects the everyday lives of said people. The author, a professor of sociology at Buffalo State College (and incidentally a professor I've had for two classes in the past; sociology of punishment and corrections, and juvenile delinquency), divides the stigmatized of America into two primary groups: the "existential", that is those individuals who are singled out because of their very existence and regardless of any actions they may have performed, i.e. homosexuals, the elderly, and the mentally handicapped, and the "achieved", those whose stigmatization can be regarded as a result of some choice they might have made along the way, for instance ex-convicts, prostitutes, or the homeless. The book's first chapter provides the reader with an introduction to the social psychology behind the stigmatization process. The next thirteen chapters each discuss, in detail, how this process has influenced the a particular group's standing in American society. In closing, Falk describes the relation of "logos" to stigma. A brief yet informative summary is included at the end of each of the first fourteen chapters. I heartily recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn more about how any particular stigma comes about for a group of people and how drastically it affects their lives.

The Stigma book is the most thorough and outstanding book about ostracized/abused categories of people. It deals with the attitudes and treatment of the mentally ill;of homosexuals; of the obese; the ...developmentally handicapped; the old; and those belonging to minority races. It further describes resentment against achievement; the stigma of homelessness, that of prostitutes and folks who suffer from addictions including alcoholics. It describes how brutally criminals, xconvicts and former offenders are stigmatized and denigrated throughout the years of their lives. It is a must reading for all students of psychology, sociology and other human service professionals.