Open AccessHow do Positive Deviants Overcome Health-Related Stigma? An Exploration of Development of Positive Deviance Among People With Stigmatized Health Conditions in Indonesia
Author(s) -
Sarju Sing,
Elena V. Syurina,
Ruth Peters,
Annisa Ika Putri,
Irwanto Irwanto,
Marjolein Zweekhorst
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
qualitative health research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.303
H-Index - 113
eISSN - 1552-7557
pISSN - 1049-7323
DOI - 10.1177/10497323211058164
Subject(s) - deviance (statistics) , psychology , intrapersonal communication , empowerment , social psychology , developmental psychology , positive deviance , interpersonal communication , statistics , mathematics , political science , law
A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to understand how some people living with stigmatized health conditions develop positive deviance to overcome stigma. We examined interviews from 13 identified positive deviants living with four different stigmatized health conditions (HIV, leprosy, schizophrenia, and diabetes) in Indonesia. Positive deviance develops in the form of psychological empowerment through improvement of self-belief and perception (intrapersonal component), development of understanding and skill to exert control in life (interactional component), and self-discovery of successful behaviors and strategies to avert stigma (behavioral component). Positive deviants, after being empowered, start empowering others affected by sharing their knowledge and fostering social awareness and acceptance. The findings revealed the presence of problem-solving ability and agency within the community of stigmatized individuals in Indonesia and warrant researchers to partner with the community to expedite the diffusion of transferable positive deviant strategies within and outside the communities.