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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.
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