SOCIAL COMPARISONS, STIGMA AND MAINSTREAMING: THE SELF ESTEEM OF YOUNG ADULTS WITH A MILD MENTAL HANDICAP

As people with mental handicaps are increasingly being expected to use community resources, stigma has often become an important component of their subjective experience. Both stigma and social comparisons help to define the person's status in a ‘normal’ reference group, and are important antecedents of the individual's self esteem. Fifty students with a mild mental handicap completed a self esteem and social comparisons procedure which yielded discrepancy scores between the way they saw themselves and others (friends, siblings, non-handicapped others, and ideals). They also talked about their perceptions of stigma and their aspirations for their lives. The students who perceived the most stigma had the lowest self esteem, the lowest ideals, and had the largest discrepancies between their scores and the scores of others. They also felt the least likely to fulfil their aspirations. The students with low self esteem also tended to view others in a negative light and to experience impoverished interpersonal relationships. The study also suggested that some students may derogate others, especially younger opposite sex siblings, to maintain their self esteem. This points to the importance of social comparisons within the family. Some implications for research and the professional management of stigma are discussed.