The book I chose to write my article on is “Stigma Notes on Managing Spoiled Identity” by Erving Goffman . Goffman stood out from other sociologists because he did not follow the normal rules by which others lived. This rebellion was often thought to be caused by his lack of professional manners and made it difficult for some to be in his company. However, Goffman was not like other sociologists because his love for data was not just sociology. He presented his work mainly in the form of essays and believed that too much should not be expected because he realized that the current level of knowledge in social microsciences did not allow much to be accomplished. The idea of ​​not expecting too much led Goffman to adopt a naturalistic view of science. social sciences to try to understand the microsocial world. His first naturalist belief was that one should go out and observe. Second, he believed that we are each a natural control group and that we can obtain gauge theories based on their compatibility with our own lives. Third, Goffman believed that it was necessary to "have a good initial database" and that it was acceptable to look beyond classical sources. His sources were those he considered valid, which goes hand in hand with his fourth belief of being open to diverse sources of data. Goffman's fifth and final belief in naturalism was that multiple sources of data should be used. Naturalism made Goffman stand out from other theorists, but it was only one of many things that made him unusual. His preference for neither processes nor structures made him even more unusual compared to other social scientists. His refusal to prefer one over the other arose from the fact that to do so would be to deny human beings and human social organizations... middle of paper ...... calling us "normal" people and looking beyond our nastiness or rudeness. (Goffman, 1963, p. 116). Contrary to popular belief, there is not always much difference between normal people and stigmatized people. After all, we are all susceptible to sudden physical stigmatization or disappearance (Goffman, 1963, p. 132). Some people are also able to deviate from social norms without being classified as stigmatized (Marley, 2008). Works Cited Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma Notes on Spoiled Identity Management. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc. Marley, J. (November 6, 2008). Book Review: Stigma: Notes on Managing the Spoiled Identity. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from The Amazing World of Psychiatry: A Psychiatry Blog: http://theamazingworldofpsychiatry.wordpress.com/2008/11/06/book-review-stigma-notes-on-the-management-of-spoiled - identify/