WRITING THE SELF - EXPLORING THE STIGMA OF HEARING IMPAIRMENT

In this article, the author illuminates in a first person narrative th e emotional involvement of coping from day to day with the stigma and sensory limitation of hearing impairment. By describing a personal exp erience of a stigma, the work moves beyond Goffman's perspective of fe eling rules and impression management to convey how people actually fe el in social situations. Although Goffman was able to identify the und erlying motives behind impression management, he was not able to captu re the experience of stigma as an insider. The purpose here is to show the social process of living with a stigma, and to encourage others t o tell their stories and contribute to a better understanding of lived experience.