Читать книгу Finding Jesus in the Storm - John Swinton - Страница 20

It is clear that thin stigmatized descriptions produce spoiled identities and force expectations downward. Stigma is thus pathogenic (it causes pathology) in that once it is named, the stigmatic description actively causes harm. Stigma dehumanizes people living with mental health challenges. But it also dehumanizes the stigmatizers, who are trained to see only parts of other people without caring for the whole of them (like the doctor in my opening vignette). Stigma thins our vision and hardens out hearts. It is destructive for all concerned.

The issue of stigma will come up throughout this book. For now, we just need to notice its devastating impact and the ways it thins people out and hurts them.