Fear and stigma: On social psychological mechanisms of stigmatization of persons with AIDS and victims of radiological disasters

Social psychological mechanisms of stigmatization of HIV-positive people, including those who have AIDS, and of victims of human-induced radiological and close to them toxic disasters, are examined. The sources of stigmatization are found in various types of fear analyzed in the article. Stigmatization in very dangerous for people because it negatively affects their social identity and can cause a "secondary" deviance, and for society where stigmatization of particular groups does not only strike public morality and humanly oriented social dispositions, but also leads to conflicts and weakens social integration.