Goffman further explained that stigma falls into three categories:

1. Abominations of the body —various physical deformities.

2. Blemishes of individual character —weak will, domineering or unnatural passions, treacherous and rigid beliefs, or dishonesty. Blemishes of character are inferred from, for example, mental disorder, imprisonment, addiction, alcoholism, homosexuality, unemployment, suicidal attempts, or radical political behavior.

3. Tribal stigma of race, nation, and religion —beliefs that are transmitted through lineages and equally contaminate all members of a family.

Stigmatising marks may be visible as physical disability or invisible as a social identity. Even membership of a vulnerable community or ‘high risk group' is also stigmatised. For Goffman, race, ethnicity, religion, physical ability, appearance and gender are the common bases of stigma. Prostitutes, drug addicts, carnival workers, hobos, winos, show people, full time gamblers, beach dwellers, homosexuals and urban unrepentant poor were given as examples of stigmatized persons. Some terms used for stigmatized persons are cripple, bastard and moron. In case of HIV there is no visible mark. Yet, people have their own thinking of how a HIV infected person looks like.

In case of stigma against HIV too not only the HIV positive people but also the communities to which they perceivably belong are stigmatised. People lack comprehensive knowledge of transmission of HIV but a large majority of them think that HIV spreads through illegal sex. Then sex being central to morality, HIV positive people are most stigmatised; they suffer from double stigma , one from having HIV and another for violating the sexual mores of society. There is very little knowledge that HIV can spread through non-sexual routes also (blood transmission, unsafe medical procedures, and mother to child). The problem of identifying and controlling HIV is further complicated by the fact that a single test of HIV is not enough to confirm the positive status.