Stigma Management Communication: A Theory and Agenda for Applied Research on How Individuals Manage Moments of Stigmatized Identity

Despite increasing interest in the negative impact of stigma, a comprehensive theoretical frame to the discursive management of stigma is lacking. This paper advances stigma research by integrating disparate areas of stigma research and highlighting the co-constructed and materially influenced process of stigma management to create a theory and typology of stigma management communication. It is argued that stigma is shifting and determined by both the stigmatized and stigmatizers and that all stigma management communication can be organized into four quadrants based on individuals' acceptance/denial (a) of the existence of a stigma and (b) of the stigma's applicability to that individual. The result is a typology of stigma management strategies and a framework of propositions and directions for future applied research.