ABSTRACT
Most studies of stigma have focused on the experiences of persons who possess a discrediting attribute or condition, with attention usually given to strategies they employ in an effort to protect their precarious identities. What Goffman has termed ‘courtesy stigma’ has received much less research attention. Goffman argues that there is a ‘tendency for stigma to spread from the stigmatized individual to his [sic] close connections . . .’ (1963: 30). When an individual ‘is related through the social structure to a stigmatized individual’, the wider society may then ‘treat both individuals in some respects as one’ (Goffman 1963: 30). Citing examples such as ‘the loyal spouse of the mental patient’ and ‘the daughter of the ex-con’, Goffman argues that these individuals ‘are obliged to share some of the discredit of the stigmatized person to whom they are related’ (1963: 30). Family members of persons who have a stigmatising illness, then, may experience stigmatisation ‘because of their affiliation with the stigmatised individual rather than through any characteristic of their own’ (Gray 1993: 104). This paper investigates whether family members of persons diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease experience stigma, examines strategies of stigma management, and explains why some persons are able to avoid stigmatisation while others are not. [. . .]
There are some studies of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia where researchers have noted that relatives and caregivers reported that they often felt embarrassed by the behaviours of their ill family member (Greene et al. 1982, Argyle et al. 1985, Fontana and Smith 1989). Moreover, while there are not many studies which focus directly on the topic of Alzheimer’s disease and stigma, there are a few exceptions (Schifflet and Blieszner 1988, Blum 1991). Of these studies, Blum’s deserves mention since her research focused directly on courtesy stigma among Alzheimer family caregivers.
