GENERALIZABILITY AND SPECIFICITY OF THE STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH THE MENTAL-ILLNESS LABEL - A RECONSIDERATION 25 YEARS LATER

The current status of the generalizability (i.e., application across s ituations) and specificity (i.e., differentiation from other deviant b ehavior stigmas) of the mental illness stigma was re-examined 25 years after delineation by Lamy (1966). College undergraduate students comp leted 30 forced-choice items measuring deep-level attitudes toward ex- mental patients vis-a-vis ex-convicts or ex-drug addicts. Etiological factors and various areas of functioning (i.e., psychological and soci al functioning, dating and romantic relationships, family, children, w ork, and rehabilitation and recidivism) were considered. An attitudina l hierarchy was found for the three deviant social roles, with the ex- drug addict role eliciting the least negative attitudes and the ex-con vict role eliciting the most negative attitudes. The current results i ndicate that the stigma associated with the ex-mental patient role con tinues to be specific to that deviant social role; however, as compare d to the results of Lamy, attitudes toward this deviant social role ha ve evolved in a positive direction. The generalizability of the stigma reported by Lamy has diminished in relation to negative attitudes but remains somewhat stable for positive attitudes. Although college stud ents were the participants in Lamy's study, their use in this study ma y restrict the generalizability of these deep-level attitude findings.