ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I propose an addition to the well-established scholarly work about stigma (i.e., the works of Erving Goffman, Bruce Link and Jo Phelan, Gerhard Falk, among others) that focuses on the importance of norms (i.e., norm centrality). I call this Norm-Centered Stigma Theory (NCST). To introduce this theory, I first identify and define the concepts that the foundations of NCST are derived from: norms, social power, and stigma. Next, I provide the three tenets of NCST: Tenet #1: There is a culturally dependent and reciprocal relationship between norms and stigma; Tenet #2: The relationship between norms and stigma is organized by social power dynamics between the stigmatized and the stigmatizers; and Tenet #3: Stigma is inclusive of negativity and social sanctions directed toward norm violations and norm violators justified through social power dynamics and situated on a spectrum. Together, this leads to the four testable hypotheses of NCST. In sum, unlike previous work on stigma, NCST offers both a theoretical model and accompanying testable hypotheses. In doing so, scholars interested in exploring the relationships between norms, social power, and stigma can utilize the tenets NCST in their own investigations.
