"I Don't Want to Hear About Your Dick": Communicatively Managing Stigma Surrounding Foreskin Restoration

Author

Joshua Hartelt, South Dakota State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

2018

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Communication Studies and Theatre

First Advisor

Jennifer Anderson

Abstract

Goffman (1963) defined stigma as an individual being unable to receive social acceptance because of a specific characteristic by being marked based on a characteristic, which can visible or invisible. This study examined how men undergoing foreskin restoration communicatively manage the stigma associated with restoring their foreskin. Through 13 interviews, I was able to thematically code using Meisenbach’s (2010) stigma management communication typology which served as an excellent theoretical fit. My results suggest that men undergoing foreskin restoration deploy several sub-strategies to manage stigma, as well as utilize multiple strategies simultaneously. Furthermore, my results indicate the possibility of new stigma management strategies as well as the concept of forced disclosure, which would make an excellent addition to the previously mentioned typology.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Stigma (Social psychology)
Circumcision.
Foreskin -- Surgery.
Body image in men.
Communication.

Description

Includes bibliographical references (pages 82-92)

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

101

Publisher

South Dakota State University

Recommended Citation

Hartelt, Joshua, ""I Don't Want to Hear About Your Dick": Communicatively Managing Stigma Surrounding Foreskin Restoration" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2475.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/2475