This effect prevents a person from pursuing opportunities (such as applying for a job) because failure feels like a foregone conclusion. The three components: self-stigma that results from stereotypes; mediators such as self-esteem and self-efficacy; and life goal achievement, or lack thereof.

"Why Try" Effect

Several participants in the study have described being treated like a piece of meat, a body on a slab, or a body but not a person.

University of North Texas

Several participants, particularly those who used a visible aid, such as a wheelchair, reported feeling that others encountered them as a ‘type’ or as just a physical body rather than a human being with a unique identity and specific needs and desires.

Stigma around Visible Disabilities

Vaughan, P., Boydell, K., Blayney, A., Hooper, A., Taylor, S., Lenette, C., … Dew, A. (2025). ‘We are mirrored in your gaze’: experiences and outcomes of stigma and discrimination for women with disability and mental distress. Disability & Society, 40(11), 3210–3235. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2025.2470727 

‘We are mirrored in your gaze’: Experiences and Outcomes of Stigma and Discrimination for Women with Disability and Mental Distress.

Examples from Participants

People with disability or mental distress achieve success (such as through academic or professional achievements), it is often seen as unusual or even deviant, with the effort involved in overcoming the absence of adjustments and overt discouragement remaining unrecognized or unacknowledged.

Learn Before

Related

Learn After