I explain the problem, stigmatization of people with a mental disorder by society that ultimately leads to self-stigmatization, from cognitive psychology. I choose this because there are several interventions within (among others) GGZ WNB aimed at changing dysfunctional thought patterns. In my opinion, the problem can best be explained by this trend.
Cognitive schemas
The book ‘The palette of psychology (Rigter pp. 192) explains that people have cognitive schemas relating, for example, to children and a specific child, to parents and their own parents, to people and themselves (this is the self-image), to fear and fear of a special dog and so on. A cognitive schema contains factual aspects that are colored emotionally by someone. In terms of stigmatization, this could be that people have developed a cognitive schema about people with a mental disorder due to media messages, for example that they are scary and dangerous.
Four mechanisms
The cognitive schemas serve as a guideline for selecting, encoding (interpreting), retrieving (remembering) and processing information, according to the book ‘Palette of psychology (Rigter pp. 193)’. Four mechanisms can be distinguished, namely:
- Schemas influence which information is perceived and which is ignored (selection). When Tristan van der V. shot 6 people dead, an explanation was immediately sought (why would someone do something like that?). Tristan turned out to have schizophrenia, this was observed while the fact that there are many people with schizophrenia who do not harm anyone is ignored.
- Based on the schemas, a meaning is assigned to the selected information (interpretation) and information is further processed into new meanings (transformation). ,Someone with schizophrenia is dangerous because Tristan also had schizophrenia and shot 6 people.,
- Schemas influence what information a person can retrieve from memory and what meaning is attributed to it (memory). Someone meets someone diagnosed with schizophrenia and the person in question remembers the shooting incident in Alphen.
- Schemas influence and direct the behavior that someone performs (action). Individuals avoid and criticize people with schizophrenia. Stigmatization arises.
Attribution styles
There is a distinction between attribution styles. The book ‘Pallet of Psychology (Rigter pp. 215)’ says that this is the way in which someone causally explains observed reality. People have the choice between internal attribution (I was the cause) and external attribution (something or someone else is the cause). There is also a choice between stable (permanent) or variable causes, and generally applicable or specific causes. The way in which someone explains, or attributes, his own behavior can be important for his self-image.
Someone with a mental disorder who, during his search for social contacts, is rejected by someone because he has this disorder, can blame himself (I am indeed crazy). If this attribution is also stable and general, the person in question believes that he will also have similar negative experiences in the future. He will think that other people think he is crazy too and don’t want to have contact with him. This increases the chance of a negative self-image and self-stigmatization.