Reference no: EM133720722

Stigmatization

Someone walks into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. An individual cashes their disability check. Do you look at them with judgment, with sympathy, or with something in between? How you answer may depend on your value system and your perspective toward social welfare.

A look of judgment represents the stigma attached to many social services. Some recipients are more stigmatized than others-for instance, a senior receiving retirement benefits may not be perceived with contempt in the same way that someone at a soup kitchen might be.
For this Discussion, you investigate what stigmatization entails and how you might address it with a certain population.

To prepare/ Assignment:

- Review the Learning Resources on social welfare history and stigma.
- Consider how stigma relates to receiving social services, as well as how you-as a social worker-might help to fight or overcome this stigma.
Post a response to the following:
- Define stigmatization as it relates to receiving social services.
- Identify a population that may feel stigmatized in accepting a social service.
- Describe a strategy for addressing stigmatization with a client from this population.
Respond to two colleagues who identified a different population than you did:
- Recommend an additional strategy for addressing stigmatization of that population.