Congenital disability is perceived as more essentialized (i.e., having an underlying nature, being genetically determined, permanent, and informative) but less blameworthy. For congenital disability, essentialism was negatively correlated with blame. Both essentialism and blame independently predicted stigma for congenital disability.

Essentialism and Blame: Congenital Disabilities

Acquired disability is perceived as less essentialized but more blameworthy. For acquired disability, only blame (not essentialism) predicted stigma.

Essentialism and Blame: Acquired Disabilities

The authors found that participants were actually more familiar with congenital disabilities, yet still stigmatized them more, suggesting familiarity was not the driving factor.

Familiarity as a Driving Factor in Reducing Stigmatization

- Congenital Disabilities
- Acquired Disabilities
- Role of Familiarity

State University of New York at Binghamton

This paper explores three studies that discuss how the timing of group-membership entry—whether a disability is congenital ("born that way") or acquired ("became that way")—influences stigma. This research uniquely compares judgments of people with congenital disability to those with acquired disability, a distinction largely unexamined in previous disability stigma research.

Stigma Towards Congenital Versus Acquired Disability

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

Disability is the largest minority group in the US (19% of the population) and one of the most stigmatized identities across cultures and history, yet it is surprisingly understudied in social psychology compared to race and ethnicity. Stigma is broadly defined as social devaluation based on a discrediting difference or identity.

Disability Stigma is Understudied but Significant

Across three studies, the research consistently found that people with congenital disabilities are more stigmatized than those with acquired disabilities. This finding adds an important distinction to the established disability stigma hierarchy, which ranks people without disabilities as least stigmatized, followed by physical, sensory, and paraplegia, then facial disfigurement, intellectual disability, and finally psychiatric disabilities as most stigmatized.

Congenital Disability is More Stigmatized Overall

- Controllability Factor
- Disability Acquisition Threat

The Role of Blame and Fear in Acquired Disability Stigma

- Essentialism
- Attribution Theory (Blame)

Essentialism and Blame in Understanding Disability Stigma

Perceptions of Essentialism and Blame Based on Onset

- Acquired Disability Stigma
- Congenital Disability Stigma
- Contrasting Implications for Reducing Disability Stigma
- The role of the social model of disability

Essentialism's Complex Impact on Disability Stigma

Highlighting the role of essentialism and blame in disability stigma shows just how informed this stigma is by the medical model of disability.

Disability Stigma and the Medical Model of Disability

The authors call for future research to examine the effects of onset, blame, and essentialism on actual behavior (beyond attitudes and behavioral intentions) and to investigate the self-perceptions of individuals with congenital versus acquired social identities.

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