PHYSICAL ILLNESS STIGMA AND SOCIAL REJECTION

We use the stigma of illness as a model for uncovering which dimensions of stigmas are critical for causing social rejection. Subjects responded to 'medical case histories' representing 66 illnesses, raring the illness on a variety of dimensions (e.g. contagious/not contagious, common/rare), and a measure of social rejection. Regression analysis revealed that two dimensions predicted rejection: the severity of the illness, and whether the illness was behaviourally caused (multiple R = .68). In a second experiment, subjects responded to a case history of a fictitious disease that was either mild or severe, and was either behaviourally caused or not. Behavioural causality and severity emerged as reliable, independent: sources of rejection. Diseases perceived to be severe or under personal control are most likely to lead to social rejection.