Back to: HIV Stigma Workshop Kit
Stigma is not just one thing. It shows up in different ways across personal beliefs, interactions, services, and broader systems. Different types of stigma can overlap and reinforce one another, shaping how people experience HIV in their daily lives and in care. Understanding the different types of stigma helps make sense of where and how it shows up, and where there are opportunities to interrupt it. This is an important step toward creating safer, more supportive environments and reducing the impacts of HIV-related stigma over time.
Internalized Stigma – When individuals view themselves as the negative stereotypes, generalizations, and beliefs about their own condition or identity, leading to feelings of shame, worthlessness, or self-blame.
Enacted Stigma – Also known as interpersonal stigma, enacted stigma is about unfair treatment of a person or group based on aspects of their conditions or identity. The unfair treatment can show up as discrimination or a negative attitude. Enacted stigma is often seen or heard in an obvious way. Stigma by Association (sub-type of enacted stigma) – It involves negative attitudes or discrimination experienced by individuals because of their connection or association with someone who has a stigmatized condition or identity.
Structural Stigma – Can also be thought of as public stigma. It is the general societal atmosphere of attitudes and behaviours that negatively impact individuals or groups of people based on a specific characteristic or condition. It can also be about the policies, laws, and institutional & organizational practices that perpetuate stigma.
Anticipated Stigma – When individuals expect to be judged, treated unfairly, or discriminated against because of their condition or identity and can stem from several sources:
CLICK HERE to read about where anticipated stigma can come from:
Social Norms – living in communities or social environments where stigmatizing attitudes are common can lead individuals to expect biased treatment.
Personal Experience – past encounters with individuals, groups, or institutions that enacted stigma can lead individuals to expect similar treatment in the future.
Witnessing Others’ Experiences – Observing or hearing about others facing stigma or discrimination for a similar condition or identity can foster an expectation of similar treatment.
Cultural Narratives and Media – negative portrayals and stereotypes perpetuated by media, societal messages, or cultural beliefs can reinforce the belief that one’s identity or condition is viewed unfavorably by society.
Social Norms – living in communities or social environments where stigmatizing attitudes are common can lead individuals to expect biased treatment.
Intersectional Stigma – described as compounded negative attitudes and discrimination experienced by individuals or groups who possess multiple stigmatized identities, circumstances, or conditions. This concept builds on intersectionality, which recognizes that different aspects of identity such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, and health status do not exist in isolation but interact, producing unique experiences of marginalization for individuals.
EXERCISE: This video contains 6 scenarios. After each scenario, pause the video and try to guess which of the 5 types of stigma are depicted in the scenarios. HINT – There are two scenarios for Enacted Stigma because one of them focuses on Stigma by Association. Below the video is a dropdown where you can access the answer key.
CLICK HERE to reveal the exercise answer key:
Scenario 1 – Enacted stigma (starts at 0:27 sec)
Scenario 2 – Anticipated stigma (starts at 1:04)
Scenario 3 – Structural stigma (starts at 1:44)
Scenario 4 – Intersectional stigma (starts at 2:42)
Scenario 5 – Stigma by association (enacted) (starts at 3:32)
Scenario 6 – Internalized stigma (starts at 4:23)