For groups unlikely to be blamed for their membership (e.g., people with congenital disability, racial minorities), reducing essentialist thinking could ameliorate stigma.

State University of New York at Binghamton

- Essentializing for congenital disabilities
- Implications for Reducing Disability Stigma

Essentialism's Impact on Congenital Disability Stigma

- Implications for Acquired Disability Stigma
- Implications for Congenital Disability Stigma

Essentialism's Contrasting Implications for Reducing Disability Stigma

Bogart, K. R., Rosa, N. M., & Slepian, M. L. (2018). Born that way or became that way: Stigma toward congenital versus acquired disability. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 22(4), 594-612. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430218757897 (Original work published 2019)

Reference: Stigma Towards Congenital Versus Acquired Disability

For congenital disability, essentialism did not influence blame or stigma through blame, because those with congenital disability are not typically blamed for their condition regardless of how it's described.

Stigma when Essentializing a Congenital Disability

Essentialism's Implications for Reducing Stigma for Congenital Disabilities

For groups whose conditions might be perceived as controllable and blameworthy (e.g., people with acquired disability, chronic illness like HIV, LGBTQ people, obese people), increasing essentialism may actually reduce blame and therefore stigma.

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