Stigma can be described as a set of negative placed against people who suffer from certain ailments, or go through certain things that make them less fortunate in the society. When you have empathy towards a person, you actually imagine what the situation would be like if you were to be in it yourself. People who have empathy normally feel sympathy toward those suffering in the society.
A study was carried out in Toronto Canada to find out empathy levels and social attitudes towards certain things in the society. The questions are based on the justness of the world and the extent of empathy. The questionnaire has nearly 51 questions which were asked among different races, both male and female. The respondents were drawn from the white, black, Asian, mixed and the Chinese population across Canada. A total of 481 respondents were reached and their responses sampled. Certain conclusions were drawn from the statistics obtained from the research. Of the 481, 182 were white, 76 were black, 102 were of mixed races, 60 were of Chinese origin and the remaining 61 were Asians. The sampled responses were as follows:
The first set of questions was on the justness of the world. On to whether the world treats people fairly, no one cycled 1 and 2. Most of the people were at 3, 4, 5 and the 6. Six recorded the highest of 228. 5 and 6 combined totaled at 302, which means that generally, there were strong disagreement on this question. The world is therefore generally unfair. The results were nearly the same for questions 2 and 3 of the section. As for whether the rewards and punishments people get are earned (question 4), most of the people agreed, cycling 1, 2 and 3. A total of 302 respondents fell in this bracket.
Questions 5 and 6 of this section saw a majority of the respondents cycling 3, 4 and 5. There is a general belief, but not a strong agreement, that people are treated with the respect they deserve and that they get what they are entitled to have. Question 5 had a total of 284 respondents for the 3, 4 and 5. Question 6 had a total of 296 respondents who cycled 3, 4 and 5. As for questions 7 and 8, most of the respondents agreeing that peoples efforts are rewarded accordingly and that people who meet misfortunes brought them upon themselves. Majority of the respondents cycled 1, 2 and 3 for question 7 of this question, giving a total of 402, whereas 256 respondents cycled 1, 2 and 3 for question 8 of that section.
The empathy section received responses from the 481 respondents. On the question on whether they would feel excited when other people were, RARELY, SOMETIMES and OFTEN responses got the majority of the responses, totaling to over 380 individuals. Questions 3, 5 and 6 received majority of the respondents going for the ALWAYS response, ranging between 302 and 450. Question 4 attracted a majority of the respondents cycling RARELY and NEVER. Question 8 of the empathy section attracted most of the respondents (180 and 246 respectively) for OFTEN and ALWAYS. Questions 9 and 10 attracted NEVER and RARELY responses majorly, 230 and 180 respectively. Nearly 50-50 of the respondents feel and don’t feel irritated when someone cries. As for the question 11, 12, 13, 15 and 16, majority of the respondents opted for ALWAYS, OFETN and ALWAYS responses. Question 14 attracted 230 responses for NEVER and 180 for RARELY.
On Harry’s situation, there was general empathy and the majority wouldn’t do anything to hurt him in his schizophrenic condition. Very few people, 48, would feel aggravated by Harry, and an equal number would feel unsafe around him. Harry would terrify nobody and nobody would be angry at him. For these two questions, most respondents went for NOT AT ALL answer. As to whether one would require Harry to take his medication if they were in charge of him, most respondents went for VERY MUCH. Many people don’t think Harry poses a risk to his neighbors if not hospitalized, but reckon that he has to be hospitalized all the same. This stands at a total of 380 for 1, 2 and 3 responses. Only one person wouldn’t interview Harry for a job. Most of the people (326) would be willing to talk to Harry about his condition. 288 would feel pity for Harry. Nobody thinks it’s Harry’s fault to be in the condition that he is in. Only 88 are totally convinced Harry is dangerous. Everybody (481) thinks Harry should be forced into treatment by his doctor even if he doesn’t want. Almost half of the respondents (231) would suggest that Harry be give a psychiatrist attention. Most of the respondents would share a car pool with Harry everyday to reduce the stigma his condition might put him to. Only 30 respondents think Harry needs an asylum away from his neighbors. Only 8 people apiece would feel threatened by and scared by Harry.
250 respondents would be willing and ready to help Harry. 472 would be extremely sympathetic toward Harry. 383 don’t think Harry is in any way responsible for his present condition. Only 20 respondents would feel totally frightened of Harry. 481 out of 481 would heel a degree of concern for Harry.
Generally speaking, the world is a fairly just place and the people living in the world have empathy towards other people’s condition. Though we still have people suffering from certain mental conditions going through stigma in the world that is fairly just and has empathy, it would be worse if the justness and empathy scores were to lower than realized in our research. Stigma can only worsen anybody’s mental condition.
References
Arikan, K. (2005). "A stigmatizating attitude towards psychiatric illnesses is associated with narcissistic personality traits" (PDF). Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci 42 (4): 248–50.
Kurzban R, Leary MR. (2001), "Evolutionary Origins of Stigmatization: The Functions of Social Exclusion", Psychological Bulletin 127 (2): 187–208, PMID 11316010
