Abstract

In sociology, the term identity is generally defined as the way people think about and describe themselves as belonging to particular groups. Stigma refers to the process through which one’s possession of a particular attribute makes one different from others in a less desirable way. A stigmatized individual is one who has been reduced from a “whole and usual person to a tainted, discounted one” in the minds of others (Goffman, 1963: 3). Thus, the concept of a “deviant identity” refers to one’s perception and interpretation of self as atypical or acting beyond the boundaries of normative behavior. A person with a deviant identity is one who has been stigmatized by others, and incorporated that stigma into his/her sense of self. S/he comes to see himself/herself as an “outsider” (Becker, 1963), someone who does not fit in or engages in behavior deemed inappropriate by conventional social norms.