Stigmatization of persons with HIV disease: Perceptions, management, and consequences of AIDS

Drawing on a dramaturgical perspective, this article examines the methods by which persons living with HIV disease experience social labeling and disapproval as a result of their medical condition. Through a focus on the management and coping strategies of identity constructions, the sources and forms of stigmas are explored. Two general forms of stigma are examined: direct and indirect. By differentiation between the explicitness of others' relating social disapproval and individuals' HIV status, the varying consequences for identity constructions are shown. Finally, stigmatized persons' strategies for managing the identity-affecting consequences of stigma are discussed, with an emphasis on the positive and negative functions of stigmatization for persons with HIV disease.