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Stigma - GCSE Psychology Definition

Reviewed by: Claire Neeson

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What is a stigma?

In GCSE Psychology, a stigma is defined as a negative stereotype or expectation that others hold about people who have a mental illness, e.g., depression or schizophrenia.

A stigma is rather like a sign or a label that marks someone out as being 'different' in socially undesirable ways, e.g., they are likely to be unpredictable with alarming, possibly dangerous behaviour. It is very difficult for someone who has been stigmatised to lead a normal life, as their label of 'mental illness' may impede their job prospects and relationships.

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Claire Neeson

Reviewer: Claire Neeson

Expertise: Psychology Content Creator

Claire has been teaching for 34 years, in the UK and overseas. She has taught GCSE, A-level and IB Psychology which has been a lot of fun and extremely exhausting! Claire is now a freelance Psychology teacher and content creator, producing textbooks, revision notes and (hopefully) exciting and interactive teaching materials for use in the classroom and for exam prep. Her passion (apart from Psychology of course) is roller skating and when she is not working (or watching 'Coronation Street') she can be found busting some impressive moves on her local roller rink.

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