TY - JOUR
AU - Conrad,, Peter
AB - Abstract In this paper we extend and modity the metaphor of being in or out of the closet to analyze how people manage information to control the stigma potential of epilepsy. Based on 80 depth interviews, our analysis offers an “insider's” perception of stigma. We demonstrate how concealment strategies can be learned from coaches, that strategies for concealment vary, and that rather than simply indicating a situation one is in or out of, the closet of epilepsy has a revolving door. We also find, paradoxically, that both “instrumental telling” and concealing can be means to the same ends. We conclude by discussing how being in the closet with illness doubly isolates individuals from one another. This content is only available as a PDF. Author notes * A version of this paper was presented at the 75th annual meetings of the American Sociological Association, New York, August 1980. Thanks to Irving Kenneth Zola and anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on a previous draft. The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Mental Health, Small Grants Section (MH 30818-01), the Epilepsy Foundation of America, and the Drake University Research Council. © 1980 Society for the Study of Social Problems, Inc.
TI - In the Closet with Illness: Epilepsy, Stigma Potential and Information Control
JF - Social Problems
DO - 10.2307/800379
DA - 1980-10-01
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/oxford-university-press/in-the-closet-with-illness-epilepsy-stigma-potential-and-information-hCAnoeuu7x
SP - 32
VL - 28
IS - 1
DP - DeepDyve
ER -