Goffman 's book Stigma : Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity ( 1963 ) examine how , to protect their identities when they depart from approved standards of behavior or appearance , people manage impressions of themselves – mainly through concealment . Stigma pertain to the shame that a person may feel when he or she fail to meet other people 's standards , and to the fear of being discredited – which cause the individual not to reveal his or her shortcomings . Thus , a person with a criminal record may simply withhold that information from fear of being judged by whomever that person happen to encounter .