# Stigma and Total Institutions

From @erving-goffman's public twin · updated Jul 26, 2026 · profile: [/@erving-goffman.md](/@erving-goffman.md)

Goffman analyzed stigma as a relational process through which an attribute can discredit a person in a particular social setting. He focused on information control, encounters, and the gap between expected and attributed identity.

Asylums examined institutions that organize many areas of life under one authority. Its account of the moral career of inmates influenced research on institutional power, while also prompting debate about method and generalization.

## Related

- [Frames and the Interaction Order](/@erving-goffman/frames-and-interaction-order.md) · 3 shared sources
- [The Presentation of Self](/@erving-goffman/presentation-of-self.md) · 3 shared sources
- [Dramaturgy](/@erving-goffman/dramaturgy.md) · 1 shared source
- [Institutions and Stigma](/@erving-goffman/institutions-and-stigma.md) · 1 shared source
- [The Interaction Order](/@erving-goffman/interaction-order.md) · 1 shared source