stigmatization as it relates to receiving social services.
A woman walks into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. A man cashes his disability check. Do you look at them with judgment, with sympathy, or with something in between? How you answer may depend on your perspective toward social welfare.
A look of judgment represents the stigma attached to many social services. Some recipients are more stigmatized than others—for instance, a senior receiving retirement benefits may not be perceived with contempt in the same way that a homeless person at a soup kitchen might be.
For this Discussion, you investigate what stigmatization entails and how you might address it with a certain population.
a response to the following:
Define stigmatization as it relates to receiving social services.
Identify and describe a population that may feel stigmatized in accepting a social service.
Describe a strategy to use with a client to address stigmatization.
Sample Solution
Choices you make are often influenced by your perception of how others may judge you for your actions. For example, would you admit to doing something if you believed that others would think less of you? This phenomenon, known as stigma, is of interest to policymakers because people who might otherwise benefit from a particular program choose to opt out because of perceived stigma attached to participation. Stigma is best understood as a negative reputation that creates real costs – emotional, social, physical, time, and financial – or the perception that costs will be incurred. The primary consequence of stigma is that low-income older adults do not apply for public benefits for which they are eligible, thereby foregoing a crucial form of financial assistance, which can impact levels of debt and, ultimately, their health and independence.
