Influence of Public Stigmas and Self-Stigmas on the Exclusion of People With Anxiety and Depressive Disorders in Organizations

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the influence of public and self-stigmas on the exclusion of those with anxiety and depressive disorders in organizations. It reviews the factors that are thought to affect public stigmatization including (a) the nature of the context (e.g., social versus organizational, nature of the stigmatizing condition), (b) the six dimensions of stigmas proposed by Jones et al. (1984) (e.g., aesthetic qualities, concealability, disruptiveness), (c) the attributes of the stigmatized person, and (d) the attributes of the observers or organizational decision makers. We also consider the existing research on each of these factors which indicated that public stigmas influence the extent to which individuals are viewed as suitable for jobs, hired by organizations, assigned to challenging jobs, or are offered pay raises or advancement opportunities. In addition, we discuss directions for future research, and outline several strategies that might be used to decrease stigmatization and enhance the inclusion of these individuals in organizations.

Apart from the influence of public stigmas on inclusion in organizations, we also consider the impact of self-stigmas on individuals’ self-esteem, fear of rejection, isolation, decreased motivation, and exclusion in organizations. We review the basic research on self-stigmas, and considered the three major factors that are thought to influence self-stigmatization including the person’s (a) identification with the stigmatized group, (b) degree to which the person perceives that the negative stigmas are legitimate, and (c) their self-esteem. Further, we offer directions for future research on self-stigmas in organizations, and discussed interventions that might be used to change the three factors that affect self-stigmatization.