Undignified Dignity: Using Humor to Manage the Stigma of Mental Illness and Homelessness

Abstract

Research on stigma has generally focused on either how stigmatized individuals manage their stigmatizing traits, how stigmatizing messages are communicated, or on how education and contact campaigns reduce the degree of stigma. This article seeks to expand on the communication stigma literature by arguing that stigmatized and unstigmatized individuals are able to co-manage stigmatizing traits through the cocreation of a culture of individualized dignity. Specifically, this ethnographic study examines the use of humor at a homeless shelter that caters to individuals with severe mental illness to create a culture of “undignified dignity.” The findings highlight how even complex stigmas may be ameliorated through a focus on dignity as a bridging medium between stigmatized and unstigmatized individuals.