9.1 What is Stigma?
According to Erving Goffman (1963, p. 3), stigma “refers to an attribute that is deeply discrediting,” symptomatic of a moral failure, or a failure to live up to social norms. Such attributions can lead to marginalization and social exclusion (Lewis et al., 2013), and negatively impact identity, a sense of dignity (Villa, 2022), and one’s health and well-being (Lewis et al., 2013). As the Health Canada (2019) publication Why Words Matter (see below) explains, stigma affects individuals or groups through prejudice, discrimination, judgement, or stereotypes. All of these are common experiences among PWUS. Experiencing stigma also makes it more challenging for impacted individuals to fully participate and engage in social and community life.
Click the link to learn more about how and why language can contribute to stigma:
There are three main inter-related sources of drug-related stigma: prohibitionist style drug polices; attitudes and beliefs about psychoactive substances and the people who use them; as well as the use of language/terminology pertaining to PWUS and those experiencing SUDs. How substances are regulated impacts the treatment and perceptions of PWUS. Prohibitionist style policies and the war on drugs (See Chapters on Canadian Drug Policy and War on Drugs) depict PWUS as problematic. They are blamed for many social issues/problems (e.g., crime, violence, poverty, urban decay, increasing police and medical care costs, etc.) as well as their own substance use issues (Dufton, 2012; Vincent, 2019).
Depicting PWUS as blameworthy not only deflects attention from the role of the state and its policies in the creation and maintenance of the social problems. It also creates a scapegoat for those problems (Friedman, 1998). Such scapegoating reinforces and perpetuates negative stereotypes of PWUS, that are reflected in language/ terminology. For example, the common application of negative labels, such as “addict”, “junkie” or “abuser” to refer to PWUS and people experiencing SUDs, reproduces stereotypes and constructs substance use as the most important aspect of their identity (Jaffe, 2018).
VIDEO: Words Matter
The following video talks about the power of words and the importance of using respectful, medically accurate, person-first language.
