--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The stigmatized individual is asked to…" description: "\"The stigmatized individual is asked to act so as to imply neither that his burden is heavy nor that bearing it has made him different from us; at the s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/erving-goffman-18642_able_the-stigmatized-individual-is-asked-to-a_428428.jpg" --- # The stigmatized individual is asked to act so as to imply… ![“The stigmatized individual is asked to act so as to imply neither that his burden is heavy nor that bearing it has made him different from us; at the same time he must keep himself at that remove from us which assures our painlessly being able to confirm this belief about him. Put differently, he…” quote by Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/erving-goffman-18642_able_the-stigmatized-individual-is-asked-to-a_428428.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/erving-goffman-18642_able_the-stigmatized-individual-is-asked-to-a_428428.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/erving-goffman-18642_able_the-stigmatized-individual-is-asked-to-a_428428.jpg) > “The stigmatized individual is asked to act so as to imply neither that his burden is heavy nor that bearing it has made him different from us; at the same time he must keep himself at that remove from us which assures our painlessly being able to confirm this belief about him. Put differently, he is advised to reciprocate naturally with an acceptance of himself and us, an acceptance of him that we have not quite extended to him in the first place. A PHANTOM ACCEPTANCE is thus allowed to provide the base for a PHANTOM NORMALCY.” [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He explains that stigmatized people are forced into a performative acceptance that pretends normalcy, while society maintains distance, creating a false sense of mutual understanding. **In simple terms:** Stigma forces fake acceptance and false normalcy. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge superficial acceptance. Themes stigma identity social distance performance normalcy Mood critical empathetic Type sociological analytical When to use this quote - workplace interactions - healthcare settings - social media - family dynamics Key Concepts sociology self‑presentation power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What would genuine acceptance look like? - How can we break the cycle of performative normalcy? A Different Perspective True acceptance requires confronting underlying biases, not just surface gestures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acceptance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Normalcy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normalcy/) [Phantoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phantoms/) [Stigmatized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stigmatized/) ## Related quotes > [The term stigma and its synonyms conceal a double perspective: does the stigmatized individual assume his differentness is known about already or is evident…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/the-term-stigma-and-its-synonyms-conceal-a-double-perspective-does/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [“In reviewing his own moral career, the stigmatized individual may single out and retrospectively elaborate experiences which serve for him to account for his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/in-reviewing-his-own-moral-career-the-stigmatized-individual-may/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [The normal and the stigmatized are not persons, but perspectives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/the-normal-and-the-stigmatized-are-not-persons-but-perspectives/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [“Here I want to stress that perception of losing one’s mind is based on culturally derived and socially ingrained stereotypes as to the significance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/here-i-want-to-stress-that-perception-of-losing-one-s-mind-is-based/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [I am sorry we promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-chambers/i-am-sorry-we-promoted-sexual-orientation-change-efforts-and/) [Alan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-chambers/) > [“Disclosures of childhood sexual abuse have frequently been discredited through the diagnosis of hysteria. In this view, women/female children were seen either as culpable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-l-alpert/disclosures-of-childhood-sexual-abuse-have-frequently-been/) Judith L. Alpert > [“In the debate over opioid addiction, there’s one group we aren’t hearing from: chronic pain patients, many of whom need to use the drugs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-smith-2/in-the-debate-over-opioid-addiction-there-s-one-group-we-aren-t/) S. E. Smith > [I've never felt stigmatized in my profession, nor have I allowed myself to. I don't feel either male or female, I feel I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-richardson/i-ve-never-felt-stigmatized-in-my-profession-nor-have-i-allowed/) [Miranda Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-richardson/) > [I'm a mental-health advocate big time, so I think it's great when depression is a thing that's discussed out in the open, because it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-v-gordon/i-m-a-mental-health-advocate-big-time-so-i-think-it-s-great-when/) [Emily V. Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-v-gordon/) > [I am stigmatized by a living death in which real death holds no terrors for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/i-am-stigmatized-by-a-living-death-in-which-real-death-holds-no/) [Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/) > [ “Individuals are often stigmatized and told their illness isn’t real… People with \[ME\] CFS face an incredible burden just getting doctors to take their… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-e-hurwitz/individuals-are-often-stigmatized-and-told-their-illness-isn-t-real/) Barry E. Hurwitz > [People with HIV are still stigmatized. The infection rates are going up. People are dying. The political response is appalling. The sadness of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/people-with-hiv-are-still-stigmatized-the-infection-rates-are-going/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [“I will be living with chronic pain for the rest of my life. I don’t have the mobility, energy or life options I used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-huber/i-will-be-living-with-chronic-pain-for-the-rest-of-my-life-i-don-t/) Sonya Huber > [Any kind of consciousness that is not related to the production or consumption of material goods is stigmatized in our society today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-hancock/any-kind-of-consciousness-that-is-not-related-to-the-production-or/) [Graham Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-hancock/) > [“Mental illness" is among the most stigmatized of categories.' People are ashamed of being mentally ill. They fear disclosing their condition to their friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elyn-r-saks/mental-illness-is-among-the-most-stigmatized-of-categories-people-are/) [Elyn R. Saks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elyn-r-saks/) ## More by Erving Goffman > [The term stigma and its synonyms conceal a double perspective: does the stigmatized individual assume his differentness is known about already or is evident…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/the-term-stigma-and-its-synonyms-conceal-a-double-perspective-does/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [The routines of social intercourse in established settings allow us to deal with anticipated others without special attention or thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/the-routines-of-social-intercourse-in-established-settings-allow-us/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [“In reviewing his own moral career, the stigmatized individual may single out and retrospectively elaborate experiences which serve for him to account for his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/in-reviewing-his-own-moral-career-the-stigmatized-individual-may/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [“When an individual becomes over-involved in a topic of conversation, others are drawn from the talk to the talker. One man's eagerness is another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/when-an-individual-becomes-over-involved-in-a-topic-of-conversation/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [“The more there is about the individual that deviates in an undesirable direction from what might have been expected to be true of him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/the-more-there-is-about-the-individual-that-deviates-in-an/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [The self... is not an organic thing that has a specific location, whose fundamental fate is to be born, to mature, to die; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/the-self-is-not-an-organic-thing-that-has-a-specific-location-whose/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [There is a close meshing with the ritual properties of persons and with the egocentric forms of territoriality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/there-is-a-close-meshing-with-the-ritual-properties-of-persons-and/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [“The act of staring is a thing which one does not ordinarily do to another human being; it seems to put the object stared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/the-act-of-staring-is-a-thing-which-one-does-not-ordinarily-do-to/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [All the world is not, of course, a stage, but the crucial ways in which it isn’t are not easy to specify](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/all-the-world-is-not-of-course-a-stage-but-the-crucial-ways-in-which/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [“Morning and lunchtime are times when anyone can appear alone almost anywhere without this giving evidence of how the person is faring in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/morning-and-lunchtime-are-times-when-anyone-can-appear-alone-almost/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [“Although the pictures shown here cannot be taken as representative of gender behavior in real life... one can probably make a significant negative statement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/although-the-pictures-shown-here-cannot-be-taken-as-representative-of/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [The normal and the stigmatized are not persons, but perspectives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/the-normal-and-the-stigmatized-are-not-persons-but-perspectives/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [“...the issue becomes not whether a person has experience with a stigma of his own, because he has, but rather how many varieties he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/the-issue-becomes-not-whether-a-person-has-experience-with-a-stigma/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [A performer may be taken in by his own act, convinced at the moment that the impression of reality which he fosters is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/a-performer-may-be-taken-in-by-his-own-act-convinced-at-the-moment/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) > [Perhaps the individual is so viable a god because he can actually understand the ceremonial significance of the way he is treated, and quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erving-goffman/perhaps-the-individual-is-so-viable-a-god-because-he-can-actually/) [Erving Goffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) [Explore all 34 Erving Goffman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erving-goffman/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. 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