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Subject: Introduction to Sociology

Subject Code: HUM116
Instructor: Dr. Anubhav Sengupta
Semester and Year: Year 1 Semester 1
Program: BA Humanities
Name: Nandhitha Babuji
Roll Number: 203606064

Index

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Normal Abnormal and Madness

1.2 Relationship between Normal and Abnormal : Stigma

1.3 Case Study : Understanding Normal and Abnormal in ‘A Beautiful Mind’

2.0 Conclusion

1.0 Introduction:

This paper attempts to understand the relationship between normal, abnormal and

deviance with reference to madness. Deviance has always been part of the society. The extent

of deviance however can vary. Ervin Goffman’s “Stigma” approaches deviance and

differentness in social situations. People are always categorizing others and expecting them to

show attributes of the category. When it isn’t fulfilled and the person shows attributes that are

deviating from the ideal, they are stigmatized. But far from the everyday aspect of stigma and

deviance, Foucault’s work on madness shows a greater distinction of what is normal and

what is not. Interestingly his works also emphasise on the role madness and deviance have, in

defining the boundaries of normal. This paper attempts to establish normal and abnormal
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relations and explain how categorization can attribute negative qualities that can stigmatize

an individual. The paper also uses madness as an extreme perspective in explaining norm and

error to shows how extreme stigmatization of mental illnesses is portrayed. The movie, ‘A

Beautiful Mind’ is then analysed with reference to the concepts of normal/abnormal, stigma,

madness and society.

1.1 Normal, Abnormal and Madness:

Normal and abnormal can be seen as clear-cut distinctions. However, in reality this

distinction is often blurred. Madness as abnormality is evoked as it is acutely different from

normal. Foucault in his chapter ‘Madness’ shows an understanding of madness and its

history. This essay follows the dilemma of the relationship between madness and normal. Is

madness an alternative to normal? Is it beyond the pale and outside society? Madness as an

abnormality was often linked to god and possession before the Enlightenment. The mad were

thus seen as beyond the pale, beyond society. The understanding of madness as ‘animal like’

changed with the Enlightenment. Instead, the pursuit of scientific learning understood

madness as a mental illness. In this era, madness was not seen as beyond the pale and rather

as a need for understanding normality and human possibility. Madness was needed as a

challenge to reason and normality. The behaviour and actions of the mad were needed to

assess the possibilities of ‘normal’. It was about exploring the thin line that separated the

normal and the abnormal. Madness and abnormality as a source of learning did not continue

in the years that followed. The 17th century, the classical age, excluded the mad and secluded

them. The exclusion was seen as a reversal in the progress of understanding the mad. This

progress was later only restored in the modern era. Unlike the 17 th century, the modern era

that followed, explored the possibility of the treatment of the mad via therapy rather than

seeing madness as animal behaviour. Foucault interestingly says that therapy had little to do

with science and was regarded as instruments of social values. The therapists represented the
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societal demands of morality. Normal was dealt with reason. Madness was envisioned as an

alternative to reason, however, it lacked accounts of experience and insight to be an

alternative to reason. Madness did not have anything accountable to be produced as

alternative to reason. The modern era saw the rise of reason; something madness was unable

to get a hold on. But madness was the caution to the truth and normality since it was in the

verge where truth can become false and normal become abnormal. What is mad now, can

become reason tomorrow. Madness is then understood using the idea of error. An error is a

deviation from the normal. However, error in one framework of norm can be the truth in

another developing one1. This ideology developed into understanding of knowledge as error;

truth changing and evolving such that the truth of previous time is not the truth of the current

times. A simple example is in how scientific theories of the past have been proved wrong in

present science. Madness as an error explains it as just a deviation from the norm. Using this

idea, madness is no longer random but rather is a specific deviation from the norm. Through

this example, abnormal and normal are seen as counterparts, where abnormal is a caution to

what is normal. The idea of error as a deviation from the norm establishes the line between

normal and abnormal.

1.2 The Relationship between Normal and Abnormal: Stigma

While madness was an extreme in understanding normal and abnormal, these relations

are created in everyday social activities as well. In the book Stigma, Ervin Goffman 2 states

how stigma refers to attributes that expose the differentness of a person, and make them seen

as someone to be avoided. People are always categorizing, anticipating each other into

categories. They also give them attributes based on appearance, conduct, conversations for

instance. The expected behaviour and attributes thus become the ‘Virtual Social Identity’ of

1
Gary Gutting, Foucault: A Very Short Introduction,2. (Oxford, England: Oxford University Press,2019), 78.
2
Erving Goffman, Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity,1. (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey:
Prentice Hall,2009),1.
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the person. The person’s actual behaviour and attributes become the ‘Actual Social Identity’.

Usually, the actual social identity is close to what was anticipated as the virtual social

identity, and thus does not give room to become stigmatized. However, when there is a

difference between virtual and actual social identities, the failings that cause the difference in

the identities, create confusion. Here people are awoken from their subconscious socialising

and become conscious to the individual’s failing. Not all failings become a stigma, only the

most visible and major ones do. While stigma highlights the failings of the individual, it also

becomes a justification ground for people to attribute other negative characters of the

individual onto their stigma. Erwin Goffman3 creates three general pools of what attributes to

stigma. He labels these failings as, 1) Physical; handicap for instance, 2) Character; ranging

from dishonesty to mental illness and addiction, 3) Race, nation and religion that are passed

through lineage. Stigma that is visible makes one discredited in socialization, while stigma

that is not visible makes one discreditable, such that he will be discredited if he discloses his

stigma. These situations play out during ‘mixed contacts. Goffman describes this as ‘the

moments when stigmatized and normal are in the same “social situation”’ 4. Stigma is only

distinguished when it is a deviation from normal reality of the other person. Depending upon

the situation, stigma in one might be the norm in another. An example would be where an

Indian student is stigmatized as he struggles with English in his private school. However,

among his neighbourhood friends he will blend well without any failing attributes. The

relationship created between normal and abnormal in social setups can have situations that

can cross over like the one in the discussed example. A more distinct example of normal and

abnormal on state level would be that between a criminal and the law giver. Modern

punishment for criminals aims to rehabilitate them (like therapy for madness) with good

morality. This would increase their chances of overcoming their failings or handicap to then

3
Goffman, “Stigma Notes on Management,”4.
4
Goffman, “Stigma Notes on Management,”12.
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assimilate into society. Foucault in his Crime and Punishment also shows the stigma attached

to marginalised communities that live in the fringes of the norms of society. He goes on to

say how marginal communities can be easily assimilated into society since their deviation can

become part of the mainstream society with little change. This goes on to show how the

relationship between normal and abnormal is ever changing as people keep changing what

they consider attributes of a category looks like.

1.3 Case Study: Understanding Normal and Abnormal in ‘A Beautiful Mind’:

The paper has discussed the concepts of normal/abnormal and stigma. The movie ‘A

Beautiful Mind’ will be analysed using these concepts. The movie follows John Nash, a

genius in mathematics, as he goes through university. The first half of the movie shows his

ventures from the university to becoming a decipherer in a secret operation for the United

States Department of Defence. His behaviour begins to show agitation and anxiety as he

deals with the pressure of being part of a secret operation. A stress breakdown then reveals to

show how he is a schizophrenic and that the entire operation was a manifestation of his

illness. He later goes onto being institutionalised and slowly goes back to work, and finally

wins a Nobel Prize for his thesis on governing dynamics. Stigma and categorization run

throughout his experience in university. Though a genius, John Nash fails to fulfil the normal

attributes such as being well spoken, charismatic, and jovial. His virtual social identity based

on his genius has attributes of him being very professional, sophisticated and showing pride

in his genius. In a competitive school as this, being ‘normal’ involves socializing, having

many published papers, and confidence. John Nash fails on most of these attributes as he is

very antisocial, does not have any papers published and is obsessed in search of an ‘original

idea.’ This difference and his deviance are highlighted when John says “I don’t like people

much, and they don’t like me much’. He thus shows strong attributes that deviate from

normal and thus he is stigmatized as a loner and his social skills are often questioned. As the
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paper dealt with mixed contact situations, here the mixing of the popular and ‘normal’

students with John Nash occur. In a bar, the students are seen drinking, socialising and

talking about women. John Nash tries to mask his shortcoming of being antisocial but goes

onto embarrass himself further. The above examples have shown how Nash is stigmatized

and labelled abnormal by attributing him with negative qualities; antisocial, lacking a

published background etc. Following the story, John Nash’s unravelling ‘madness’

(schizophrenia) and his erratic behaviour associated with it, adds a different stigma to him.

His wife, and colleagues stigmatize him of being ‘dangerous’. Hence their mixed contacts

situation involves a lot of caution as his stigma is visible and thus makes him discredited. The

movie has shown stigma attached to John Nash first with his character and next with his

illness. Both ways, the categorizing and association of negative attributes are shown. John

Nash plays the role of a genius and then of a mentally ill person. Both of these roles are

deviant to normality. In chapter 5 of the book Stigma, ‘Deviations and Deviance’, Goffman

states how in a close-knit group, ‘the eminent and the sick can be free, then, to be deviators

precisely because their deviation can be fully discounted’ 5. This explains why John Nash as a

genius and sick person was given the license to deviate and not be held accountable for it,

which made his assimilation into society later much easier.

2.0 Conclusion

This paper has shown how the perceptions about abnormal and normal are created.

Madness, stigma, normal and abnormal are very fluid categories. Normal is not static and

what is norm in one framework might not be so in another. In the modern view, madness was

evoked as an error or a deviation from the normal. While Foucault’s attempts at madness,

crime and institutionalisation are at higher levels of organization, Ervin Hoffman’s Stigma

represents the categorization, attribution and stigmatizing in everyday social circles. Stigma

5
Goffman, “Stigma Notes on Management,”141.
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as negative attributes are seen in small scale mixed contacts and also in the understanding of

the mad and the criminal. The case study of ‘A Beautiful Mind’ shows both stigmatizing, one

based on character and other on the more serious madness. It serves the perfect example to

show the extent to which stigmatizing occurs, continuously and often subconsciously, every

day in the society.

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Bibliography

Goffman, Ervin. Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity,1. Englewood Cliffs,

New Jersey: Prentice Hall,2009.

Gutting, Gary. Foucault: A Very Short Introduction, 2. Oxford, England: Oxford University

Press,2019.

Word count without footnotes, Bibliography and Index : 1899.