SOCIAL STIGMATIZATION OF PEOPLE WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/psy-2023-2-2Keywords:
mental health, schizophrenia, image, discrimination, mass mind, stigmatizationAbstract
One of the most relevant problems in the field of mental health is the stigmatization of people with mental disorders. Social stigmatization is the process of associating certain characteristics, usually negative, with an individual or a group of people who may not possess them. Stigma depends on society's standards and normative expectations. Stigmatization of schizophrenia can lead to discrimination and social isolation. For this reason, it is important to study the psychosemantic characteristics of the way a person with schizophrenia is portrayed in the mass minds of Ukrainians. The empirical study, organized using the method of a free association experiment, revealed that there is some ambiguity and uncertainty in the psychosemantic features of the appearance and behavior of a person with schizophrenia. The results of the factor analysis showed that the young respondents feel some discomfort and, at the same time, compassion for people with schizophrenia. The most frequent associations for the phrase «person with schizophrenia» are: strange, unusual, hyperactive, confused, impulsive. The image of a person with schizophrenia in young people focuses on the unusual and non-standard behavior and thinking. Older people are more likely to feel sadness, anxiety, and frustration about people with schizophrenia. They named such psychosemantic characteristics of the image of a person with schizophrenia as scruffiness, inadequacy, disordered speech, withdrawal, mood swings, suspicious, paranoid, confused, aggressive. The most significant associations are «inadequacy", "speech impairment», «aggressiveness» and «scruffiness». This image is more stigmatized, unlike the views of the youth. It points to expectations of dangerous behavior. Therefore, the concept of a person with schizophrenia in the mass mind is ambiguous and has signs of stigmatization. The prospects of our research are the development of psychoeducational and awareness-raising activities for people of different age groups in order to overcome stigma and discrimination against people with mental disorders.
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