Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity, by Erving Goffman

The book I chose to do my paper on is â€Å"Stigma Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity† by Erving Goffman. Goffman was stood out from other sociologists because he did not follow the normal rules that the others lived by. This rebellion often was thought to be caused by his lack of professional manners, and made it difficult for some to be in his company. However, Goffman was not like other sociologists due to his love was data not simply sociology. He primarily exhibited his work via essays and believed in not expecting too much because he realized that only so much could be achieved with the current level of knowledge in micro social science. The idea of not expecting too much led to Goffman adopting a naturalistic view of social science in an attempt to understand the micro social world. His first naturalism belief was that you must go out and observe. Secondly, he believed that we are each a natural control group, and that we can get gauge theories based on the compatibility that they have with our own lives. Thirdly, Goffman felt that it was necessary to â€Å"get a good initial database†, and that it was ok to look beyond the typical sources. His sources consisted of whatever he deemed worthy, which goes in hand with his fourth belief of being open to various data sources. Goffman’s fifth and final naturalism belief was that multiple data sources should be used. Naturalism made Goffman stick out from other theorists, but that was just one of many things that made him unusual. His preference of neither process nor structure made him even more unusual when compared with other social scientists. His unwillingness to prefer one over the other was born from doing so would be denying human beings and human social organizations ... ...dling us â€Å"normal† people and looking beyond our unkindness or rudeness (Goffman, 1963, p. 116). Contrary to what most probably think there is not always much difference between normal and stigmatized people. After all we are all susceptible to a sudden physical stigma or the removal of a physical stigma (Goffman, 1963, p. 132). Some people are also able to deviate from the social norms without being classified as stigmatized (Marley, 2008). Works Cited Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc. Marley, J. (2008, November 6). Book Review: Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from The Amazing World of Psychiatry: A Psychiatry Blog: http://theamazingworldofpsychiatry.wordpress.com/2008/11/06/book-review-stigma-notes-on-the-management-of-spoiled-identity/ Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity, by Erving Goffman The book I chose to do my paper on is â€Å"Stigma Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity† by Erving Goffman. Goffman was stood out from other sociologists because he did not follow the normal rules that the others lived by. This rebellion often was thought to be caused by his lack of professional manners, and made it difficult for some to be in his company. However, Goffman was not like other sociologists due to his love was data not simply sociology. He primarily exhibited his work via essays and believed in not expecting too much because he realized that only so much could be achieved with the current level of knowledge in micro social science. The idea of not expecting too much led to Goffman adopting a naturalistic view of social science in an attempt to understand the micro social world. His first naturalism belief was that you must go out and observe. Secondly, he believed that we are each a natural control group, and that we can get gauge theories based on the compatibility that they have with our own lives. Thirdly, Goffman felt that it was necessary to â€Å"get a good initial database†, and that it was ok to look beyond the typical sources. His sources consisted of whatever he deemed worthy, which goes in hand with his fourth belief of being open to various data sources. Goffman’s fifth and final naturalism belief was that multiple data sources should be used. Naturalism made Goffman stick out from other theorists, but that was just one of many things that made him unusual. His preference of neither process nor structure made him even more unusual when compared with other social scientists. His unwillingness to prefer one over the other was born from doing so would be denying human beings and human social organizations ... ...dling us â€Å"normal† people and looking beyond our unkindness or rudeness (Goffman, 1963, p. 116). Contrary to what most probably think there is not always much difference between normal and stigmatized people. After all we are all susceptible to a sudden physical stigma or the removal of a physical stigma (Goffman, 1963, p. 132). Some people are also able to deviate from the social norms without being classified as stigmatized (Marley, 2008). Works Cited Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc. Marley, J. (2008, November 6). Book Review: Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from The Amazing World of Psychiatry: A Psychiatry Blog: http://theamazingworldofpsychiatry.wordpress.com/2008/11/06/book-review-stigma-notes-on-the-management-of-spoiled-identity/