Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Essentialism Of Addiction And Mental Illness, Mary Pirik

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

Essentialism is the belief that certain categories have an underlying essence that is inborn, and cause outward features and characteristics. Many studies have expressed the link between essentialism and stigma in our society which provides evidence that there are stigmas placed on those with mental health disorders, and those negative attitudes create in turn negative behaviors towards these individuals. This evidence has prompted the current study, which primarily considers how essentialist beliefs can enforce harmful attitudes. To do so, two mental illnesses, Heroin addiction and Bipolar I disorder, were looked at in a side by side comparison. Secondarily, the study …